“Your reforms have led to unprecedented hardship in Nigeria” – Catholic Bishops tell Tinubu

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has accused President Bola Tinubu of championing socioeconomic reforms that have inflicted unparalleled hardship on Nigerians.

In a strong statement, the bishops expressed their deep concern over the escalating suffering and crime in the country, which they attribute to the president’s reform agenda.

CBCN President, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, highlighted the challenges faced by Nigerian families, including the soaring cost of food and the deprivation of basic necessities.

The bishops asserted that communities across the nation had fallen victim to criminals, resulting in the loss of ancestral lands, economic paralysis, school closures, and widespread insecurity.

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The bishops criticized the withdrawal of fuel subsidies and the unification of the foreign exchange market, critical components of President Tinubu’s reform agenda.

They pointed to the sharp increase in the pump price of petroleum products and the steady decline in the value of the Naira, contributing to high inflation and making it difficult for average Nigerians to access essential commodities.

While acknowledging the government’s efforts to address economic challenges and security, the CBCN stressed that the reform agenda had worsened the plight of Nigerians.

The bishops called for a more proactive approach to the fight against corruption, emphasizing the need for checks and balances in public financial management to prevent embezzlement.

Part of the statement read: “In withdrawing the fuel subsidies, the government assured Nigerians it would save a lot of money to be injected into other national development sectors.

“Rather than give evidence of money so far saved from the withdrawal of subsidies for which Nigerians are being afflicted with untold hardship, all we hear is the government’s accumulation of more foreign debts to balance its budgetary deficit, thereby mortgaging the future of our nation and generations yet unborn.”