Catholic Bishops advocate for return to regional Gov’t, condemn corruption, insecurity in Nigeria

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has called for a return to regional government, stating that 25 years under the presidential system have not yielded significant benefits for the country.

The bishops expressed this view during the opening ceremony of the 2nd CBCN Plenary Meeting in Auchi, Edo State.

In his address, CBCN President Archbishop Lucius Ugorji highlighted the alarming levels of corruption in Nigeria and the country’s massive debt burden, which he argued could be alleviated by recovering stolen funds hidden by politicians in foreign accounts. He also addressed the growing issue of hunger affecting many Nigerians.

Archbishop Ugorji criticized the government’s handling of the #EndBadGovernance protests, acknowledging that while the demonstrations turned violent, it was wrong to prevent citizens from exercising their constitutional right to protest.

Additionally, he expressed concern over the recent kidnappings of Catholic medical students from the Universities of Jos and Maiduguri in Benue State, calling for stronger efforts to address the insecurity plaguing the nation.

Ugorji said: “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 with 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 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 President Bola Tinubu’s administration were similar to the Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP, of General Ibrahim Babangida, backed by the International Monetary Fund, IMF, which did not work.

“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 massive social and economic upheaval

“At the end, Retired General Babangida 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,” he added.

Ugorji, who is also the Archbishop of Owerri, listed the numerous problems bedeviling the nation to include 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 per cent 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 snowballed into a huge crisis.