Catholic Bishops advocate return to regional government

....urges Tinubu to check hunger, corruption 

Bishops of the Catholic Church under the aegis of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria ( CBCN) on Sunday called for a return to regional style of government as they said twenty five years of presidential system of government was not beneficial to the country.

Besides, they lamented the alarming rate of corruption in Nigeria, the huge debt burden which they said could be cleared with stolen monies stashed away by politicians in foreign countries, the issue of hunger in the land.

The bishops stated this in Auchi at the opening ceremony of the 2nd CBCN Plenary Meeting 

In his welcome address, the President of CBCN, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji also criticized the killings in the recent end to bad governance protest which it agreed went violent contrary to the original plans but insisted that it was wrong for anybody to prevent Nigerians protests which is their constitutional right.

He also lamented the recent kidnap in Otukpo Benue State, some Catholic medical student from.the Universities of Jos and Maiduguri.

According to him "The socio-economic problems of our nation are unmistakably beyond what economic reforms alone can effectively resolve, no matter how well thought-out and how meticulously implemented. 

"When all is said and done, we must admit that the cost of running our military-imposed presidential system of government with so many elected officials assisted by numerous support staff is staggering and unsustainable.

"We must also acknowledge that the corruption level of many Nigerian politicians has gone beyond scale and measure and that controlling our national resources at the federal government level creates more opportunities for corruption to flourish.Having experimented on the presidential system of government for over 25 years and having groped in the dark in search of solutions to our socio-economic problems,now seems to be the opportune time to heed the advice of some of our best minds canvassing for our return to the former regional system of government as envisaged by the wise founding fathers of our nation or devolve power to the present six geo-political zones."

He said the current reforms of the President Bola Tinubu administration is similar to the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) OF General Ibrahim Babangida backed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which did not work.

He said "Despite his rigorous efforts to mitigate its harsh effects through setting up the Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI); Better Life for Rural Women and Mass Transit initiatives, the implementation of SAP triggered off massive social and economic upheaval

"At the end, Retired General IBB in an interview with Channels TV in 1992 disclosed that his administration's economic policies had failed and that the Nigerian economy had defied every conventional solution. Given that the "shipwreck" of one man should be the "ship-guide" of another, the present administration of Mr.President may consider reviewing its own economic reform policies with more openness to the insightful contributions of highly respected compatriots."

Archbishop of Owerri who listed the numerous problems bedeviling the nation, such as increased debt burden of $2.25 billion loan facility from the World Bank in June 2024 with a repayment period of 40 years and which increases Nigeria's public debt stock by 2.46 percent to $93.7 billion, multiple taxation, hunger and hardship induced by insecurity, added that proactive steps must be taken urgently to address the situation before it snowballs into a huge crisis.

Earlier the homily delivered by the host bishop, Rev. Fr. Gabriel Dunia, Bishop of Auchi Diocese at Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Auchi, called on those in authorities  not to lord it over those whom they have been called to serve.

He also said that the led must know that they are duty bound to respect those in authorities because God has placed them there to lead

Fr. Dunia said banditry, corruption, bad governance can come to an end through fasting and prayers.

He said the insinuation that God has stopped hearing the prayers of  His people is wrong, saying He hears but that Nigerians have to pray more.

He said the bishops are in Auchi to pray for the country and that they believe that God in His infinite mercy will turn the fortune of the country around for good.