Catholic Bishops Send Fresh Message To Tinubu over Insecurity, Hardship

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has urged the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government and state governments to take urgent and decisive measures to address insecurity, poverty, poor infrastructure and other challenges worsening the hardship faced by Nigerians.

Politics Nigeria reports that the bishops made the demand in a communiqué issued at the end of their Second Plenary Meeting for 2026, held from September 10 to 18 at the Our Lady and St. Kizito Pastoral Centre, Oke-Gada, Ede, Osun State.

Signed by the CBCN President, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Kaduna, and Secretary, Bishop Peter Olukayode Odetoyinbo of Abeokuta, the communique identified insecurity, poverty, inadequate infrastructure, bad governance and attacks on human dignity as persistent obstacles to Nigeria’s development.

On insecurity, the bishops acknowledged the government’s move to decentralise the police system but cautioned that any restructuring of the security architecture must serve the common good rather than personal, ethnic, political or religious interests.

They expressed concern over the continued spread of violence, kidnapping, banditry and illegal mining, as well as the alleged theft of the country’s natural resources.

The bishops called on the government to take stronger measures to end banditry, recover territories occupied by criminal elements and restore such areas to productive use.

They also raised concerns over attacks on schools and places of worship, including the abduction and killing of students and worshippers.

The CBCN said the continued violence had also displaced communities, with millions of Nigerians living in Internally Displaced Persons camps across the country.

They urged the government to intensify efforts to create the conditions necessary for displaced persons to return to their ancestral homes.

“We recognize the move by government to decentralise the police system to tackle insecurity in our nation. At the same time, we request that such a reorganisation should be deployed for the common good rather than for personal, ethnic, political and religious interests,” the communique partly reads.

The bishops further urged the government to strengthen security forces, improve intelligence gathering and ensure that perpetrators of crimes were held accountable.

They also appealed to Nigerians to report suspicious activities, cooperate with security agencies and reject ethnic and religious divisions.

On the economy, the CBCN expressed concern over the level of poverty and hardship confronting families, saying many Nigerians were struggling to meet their basic needs despite the country’s abundant human and natural resources.

The bishops called on federal and state governments to create more employment opportunities, support local businesses and introduce economic policies that would reduce the burden on poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

They also advocated policies that would create a favourable environment for greater private-sector participation in economic development.

The Conference urged Nigerians to embrace honest labour, support local enterprises and shun criminality and corrupt practices, stressing that concerted efforts were needed to reduce poverty and alleviate hardship.

This was just as the bishops also identified poor infrastructure as a major impediment to Nigeria’s economic and social development.

They cited bad roads, erratic electricity supply and failing public utilities as challenges affecting businesses and the daily lives of citizens.

The CBCN consequently charged governments to increase transparent investment in public infrastructure, repair critical roads and improve access to reliable electricity and clean water.

It also called for the provision and expansion of railway facilities across the country, noting that improved rail connectivity would contribute to the socioeconomic wellbeing of Nigerians.

The bishops further urged citizens to protect public infrastructure from vandalism and report corrupt practices linked to infrastructure projects.