Reduce High Cost of Governance,  Catholic Bishops Tell Tinubu

•Fault tribunal ruling on presidential poll

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Catholic Bishops under the aegis of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) have asked the federal government to drastically cut down the high cost of running its affairs and to address the ever deepening poverty and growing youth unemployment in the country.

While reacting to the recent ruling of the Presidential Election Tribunal dismissing petition against the victory of President Bola Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), at the 2023 Presidential election, the CBCN said the tribunal seemed to have overlooked the key failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission to transmit the election result electronically as promised.

Speaking at the opening of a week-long 2nd Plenary Conference of the Catholic Bishops in Abuja, on Sunday, Archbishop of Owerri and President of CBCN, Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, said efforts of government to provide succour to cushion the harsh effects of the withdrawal of subsidies was yet to have any significant impact on the lives of millions of Nigerians.

He lamented that Nigerians were groaning under the excruciating economic hardship unleashed on them by the ruling class.

“We appeal to government to drastically cut down the high cost of running its affairs and to seriously address the ever deepening poverty and growing youth unemployment among our people. This is because idle minds are the devil’s workshop, he said.

Ugorji, also said the distribution of “palliatives” had largely turned out to be an attempt by the leadership to further enrich themselves at the expense of the suffering masses.

“How else can one see the whopping sum of money allocated in the name of “palliatives” to 306 newly elected members of the National Assembly (NASS) and the National Judicial Council (NJC headed by the Chief Justice of the Federation respectively at a time when the Judiciary is handling election petitions. What an outrage!

“It is no less outrageous that at a time when millions of Nigerians are not sure of their next meal, N40 billion was allocated to the members of the NASS for luxury cars, including bullet-proof vehicles for the leadership of the National Assembly and a further N70 billion for furniture and repairs of the lawmaker’s office.

“By substantially increasing the cost of running government through the recent appointment of so many ministers and thereby having the largest Federal Executive Council since the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999, the president gives the impression that he is disdainful and insensitive to the economic pain of the masses,” he said.

In addition, Ugorji urged the federal government to rise up to its primary responsibility of securing the lives and property of its citizens.

According to the CBCN president, government should urgently check the proliferation of small arms and light weapons occasioned by the booming business of gunrunning, which fuels insecurity in our country.

He said it does not make sense to disarm the populace, while allowing armed criminals to freely terrorize unarmed citizens.

The Catholic also came hard on the Judges who delivered ruling on the petition against the outcome of the 2023 Presidential election, saying that the tribunal appeared to have waved off the failure of INEC to adhere to its pledge to ensure the real time electronic transmission of the result of the 2023 presidential election.

“Despite the billions of naira of tax-payers’ money appropriated for the provision of the BIVAS technology as a game-changer in our general elections, the judges in their ruling tried, among other things, to suggest that it was wrong to expect INEC to keep its promise or obey the electoral regulation of transmitting election results electronically in real time from the polling units.

“We pray and hope that the Supreme Court Judges will neither bend the law nor seek to satisfy the whims and caprices of any party. We also pray and hope for a day in our nation when all election results will be finally decided at the polling units and not at the Court,” he said.

While delivering his Homily at the Special Church Service held at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, to kick-start the bishops conference the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, said there was need for religious leaders to promote peace amongst various entities in the country.

He admonished Nigerians to stop fueling religious crisis and using religion as a weapon of violence, or even taking life at the slightest provocation.

“I call on Nigerians to face the real problems that confront us and stop firing religious missiles, using religion as a weapon of violence, or even taking life at the slightest provocation.

“Those religious leaders who make inflammatory statements in videos on social media should be cautioned by the appropriate authorities.

“Our Christian and Islamic bodies rather than engaging in offensive or defensive rhetorics or

threats should always preach the need for holiness, peaceful coexistence, compassion, good neighbourliness, rather than encouraging the use of verbal or physical violence,” he said.

Kaigama, who spoke on the concerns being generated by the threat by the ECOWAS to use military force to restore the overthrown Niger president to power, urged the leaders to pursue peaceful dialogue as a preferred option.

He said: “It was wise that we did not embark in a war in neighbouring Niger. War is worse than HIV, Ebola, COVID-19 and Malaria put together.”

Kaigama said that ECOWAS leaders should realise that the people of this region had seen endless bloodshed.

He said it would be unwise to add to the stories of guns, bombs, and human casualty.

“We should be able to win peace through dialogue without firing a shot. While we denounce coups, we must, however, stated loud and clear that political leadership exists to promote the common good. “Consequently, political leaders, who are incapable of fostering the welfare of their citizens or who work against their people’s interest and wellbeing, have no moral justification to continue in power, whether elected,” he said.

The Catholic bishops numbering about 59 from across the country would be meeting in Abuja, in  four days to brainstorm on the state of affairs in the church as well as the country.