Catholic Bishops Lament Bad Governance, Poverty In Nigeria

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has lamented insecurity, poverty, poor infrastructure, bad governance, and assault on human dignity that continues to ravage Nigeria and its citizens.

The Bishops stated this in a communique jointly signed by CBCN President Most Rev Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, Archbishop of Kaduna and Secretary, Most Rev Peter Olukayode Odetoyinbo, Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese, made available to journalists at the end of the Second Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) held at Our Lady and St. Kizito Pastoral Centre, Oke-Gada, Ede, Osogbo Diocese, Osun State, between 10 – 18 September 2026.

The Bishops, who equally appreciated the positive efforts of governments and citizens in keeping the nation united despite all odds, called on Nigerians to work together to build a nation that promotes integral human development.

The communiqué read in part: “We continue to thank God for the numerous human and natural resources with which he has endowed our nation. We equally appreciate the positive efforts our governments and citizens are making in keeping our nation united despite all odds.

“We call on everyone to work together in building a nation that promotes integral human development. It is, however, regrettable that insecurity, poverty, poor infrastructure, bad governance, and assault on human dignity have continued to ravage our nation and its citizens.

“We recognize the move by the government to decentralise the police system to tackle insecurity in our nation. At the same time, we request that such a reorganisation should be deployed for the common good rather than for personal, ethnic, political and religious interests.

“We observe that incidents of widespread violence, kidnapping, banditry, illegal mining and stealing of our common natural resources persist. All these rob citizens of peace and threaten the unity of the nation.

“In a special way, we demand the government to do all that is necessary to stop banditry and recover the vast portions of land used for this criminal activity and ensure a productive and beneficial use of the land.

“We note with concern that the invasion of schools and places of worship and abduction or even killing of students and worshippers still go on. More so, the massive displacement of communities in some parts of our nation has taken a toll on the social, economic and political lives of our people, with millions of people in IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps across the country.

“We enjoin the government to intensify efforts and impactful actions to enable the displaced persons return to their ancestral homes. We equally urge the government at all levels to ensure that all people including migrants and refugees are treated with respect and human dignity with their basic rights and needs guaranteed and respected.

“While we pray for the repose of those who have been killed, we encourage the government to strengthen security forces, deploy better intelligence, and hold wrongdoers accountable. We ask our people to report suspicious activities, cooperate with security agencies, and reject ethnic or religious divisions.

“We note with grave concern how poverty has been used as a despicable instrument of control in our nation. Hardship and lack of basic needs leave many families struggling to survive despite our national wealth.

“We demand that the government at all levels create more job opportunities, provide an enabling environment for growth, support local businesses, and manage economic policies that ease the financial burden on the poor.

“Concerted efforts, therefore, must be made by the federal and state governments to drastically reduce poverty, pain and suffering of our people. Still more, the government should work to provide enabling policies for private sector participation. At the same time, we encourage our citizens to practise honest labour, support local enterprises, and avoid criminality and corrupt practices.

“Bad roads, erratic power supply, and failing public utilities slow down economic growth and daily life. We charge the government to transparently invest more funds in public amenities, repair vital roads, and ensure steady electricity and clean water.

“We particularly demand that railway transport facilities be provided throughout the nation to enhance the socio-economic life of our people. We also ask our people to protect public property from vandalism and to report any corrupt practices related to infrastructure projects.

“As we approach the 2027 General Elections, we call on all stakeholders to work for free, fair and credible elections. We encourage eligible voters to come out en masse to vote qualified people into offices and in line with their good consciences,” CBCN posited.