They further appeal to the leaders in the West African country to put strategies in place to reduce the escalated cost of food all over Nigeria.
According to the Bishops of IEP, a country that cannot feed its citizens is not worth its sovereignty. “This is even more true of Nigeria which is well endowed with all the necessary ingredients for food sufficiency,” they assert.
They also express concern about the rising levels of insecurity in several parts of Nigeria and emphasize that public security is an “accessory of hope.”
Commending the efforts of the Nigerian authorities to manage insecurity in the southwestern part of the country inhabited by the Yoruba people in particular, the Catholic Church leaders caution, “Our leaders, however, cannot rest on their oars.”
“We must denounce the threat posed more recently by the resurgence of the menace of herdsmen attacks, kidnappings, robberies and other crimes in parts of Yorubaland,” they say, and plead, “We appeal to governors and security agencies in the Southwestern States to rise up to the challenge posed by these threats in order to maintain the relative peace and security of recent years.”
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“Efficient intelligence gathering, good remunerations and equipping of our security outfits and a determination to prosecute crime without favour, are all necessary for the provision of security of life and property and must be pursued with single mindedness,” the Catholic Bishops say.
They also address the role of the media people “as purveyors of hope”, underlining the importance of the press in the success of programmes of public interest.
The Catholic Bishops expressed their gratitude to journalists and communications in Nigeria who they said often operate “at great risk to their own survival.”
“We enjoin the government and security agencies to see the media as partners in nation building and desist from all forms of intimidation and gimmick to gag the media. A free press is the real antidote to dictatorship and a catalyst for human development,” the Bishops of IEP say, and “urge Nigerians to ensure that the media remains free to do its job.”
They further caution members of the press against their “obsession with bad news” at the expense of balanced reporting which they said would otherwise highlight both good and bad things happening in the society with equal passion.
In their communique, the Catholic Bishops also emphasize the urgent need for good governance, noting that most Nigerians at the moment “feel the debilitating effect of poor governance.”
Those in governance, the Bishops observe, are exhibiting relentless pursuit of wealth, and turning a blind eye on corruption, the erosion of ethical values, and the disregard for the rule of law.
They decry what they describe as “a tragic neglect and exploitation of the most vulnerable members of the society.”
“In order to restore hope to such a depressed populace, Nigeria urgently needs transformative leadership. It needs training in intentional leadership that instills values of integrity, service and moral courage which will not spend valuable time lamenting the woes of the society, but which takes decisive action backed by personal sacrifice to counter them,” the Bishops say.
They go on to express hope in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, in particular the president’s National Youth Conference. Also referred to as the national confab for youth, the 30-day initiative aims to empower young Nigerians ’s National Confab with the Youth by addressing key challenges in governance, the economy, education, and security.
In their communique, the members of the IEP express hope that the national confab for Nigerian youth would not be “another talk shop or cosmetic exercise.”
The conference, the Catholic Bishops say, “should be a hope-generating idea that the young people of this country will have a say in the affairs of the country.”
“While acknowledging the challenges that may arise from the process of selecting participants, we urge the government to ensure a transparent and honest process of selection that will guarantee a fair and widespread representation of the young people all over the country,” they say.
The Catholic Church leaders add, “We are convinced that such a confab of youth can generate fresh creative ideas if and only if the government gets the representation process right with authentic spokespersons of the youth all over Nigeria.”
Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya’s Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.
