Current Economic Realities Biting Harder on Nigerians, Say Christian Leaders

Oluchi Chibuzor

The President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Dr. Daniel Okoh, and the Prelate of Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church Worldwide, (ESOCS), Dr. David Bob-Manuel, have said that the current economic realities in the country are biting harder on Nigerians.

The two Christians leaders stated this at the 7th Induction Anniversary of Bob-Manuel and media launch of ESOCS’s centenary plan held in Lagos recently.

Commenting on the current hardship in the country, the CAN president warned that Nigerians are becoming impatient, adding that the federal government must urgently reduce the prices of fuel products in the country.

According to him, “We have never had it so high in the history of Nigeria, and it is biting hard not only on the poor but also on the rich. And I pray that those in governance and those in authority will do something very quickly and drastically to reduce the prices of fuel products so that the poor can actually survive.

“We are just on the edge and we pray that we will not fall over. We just pray that God will give the people in leadership the wisdom to handle this and to handle it very urgently. The people are becoming impatient to see the result of all the efforts that are said to be made in places of governance. We want to see results now. And I pray that within a few weeks we should be able to see results.”

On his part, the ESOCS Prelate, Dr. Bob-Manuel, charged the federal government to come up with solutions for youth unemployment, insecurity and favorable economic policies.

‘Millions of families are living in abject poverty, and the burgeoning youth are grappling with unemployment and are being labelled lazy. There is an incredibly high cost of living; naira has depreciated grossly thereby eroding the purchasing power fuelling economic hardship and anxiety.

‘It is the expression of the people’s discontent against systemic corruption within various levels of government which has eroded public trust, worsened economic hardship and socio-political differences,” he said.

He, however, called on the government to address frontally all issues the youths are bitterly complaining of, adding that: “The government has an undeniable responsibility to provide subsidized farming materials, promote industrialisation and create self-sustaining agro-business in the six-geopolitical zones in the country.”

On the insecurity facing the country, the prelate noted that security issues must be kept out of politics, while calling for intelligence sharing among the security architectures.