THE Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has frowned at the resort to palliatives and tasked the Federal Government to rather tackle the roots of inequality and poverty in Nigeria.
In a communiqué issued on Thursday night at the end of its Second Plenary Meeting, in Abuja, CBCN stated that government palliative was like treating the symptoms rather than the diesease.
The President of the CBCN Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, Secretary of the CBCN and Archbishop of Owerri, Bishop Donatus Ogun, and Bishop of Uromi Diocese, signed the communiqué.
The bishops “urge the government to address the fundamental defective structures that deepen inequality and poverty.”
In the communiqué, the bishops addressed a number of National issues from security to the 2023 general elections.
They bishops worried over escalating insecurity, violence by insurgents, herdsmen militias, bandits, and unknown gunmen and condemned the killing of the seminarian, Stephen Na’aman Ngofe Danladi, of Kafanchan Diocese, and other similar victims.
On the the 2023 elections, noting that the elections were marred by pitfalls and irregularities, including threats, intimidation, violence, and manipulation of results, in spite of the introduction of electronic innovations.
They expressed satisfaction that “many of the aggrieved persons opted to seek redress through the courts rather than inciting people to violence.”
They urged the tribunals and the courts to maintain fairness and credibility in their judgments, in order to inspire confidence in the electoral process. They also called on civil societies to pressure the government for further reforms.
They tasked the government on the failing economy, reign of poverty, hunger, hardship, and suffering and called for creation of more jobs for the youth.
The bishops expressed concern over a fall in values, , seen in increasing corruption, cyber-crime, and called for a renewal of ethical values in families, schools and in government.
