In a letter dated May 6, 2021, and signed by president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Augustine Akubeze, and released on behalf of CBCN, the Buhari-led Government is called upon to heed the voice of the truth, the voice of those who are criticising the government for failure in the handling of the affairs of the country. The letter reads: “The members of the CBCN, like other religious leaders, have spoken against what we considered Government failure concerning the constitutional obligation to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians; to work for the welfare of everyone, to protect freedom of religious expression; to protect everyone against discrimination on ethnic or religious grounds or any other forms of discrimination. All these are entrenched in the Nigerian.”
CBCN describes the state of the nation thus: “Police stations are being burnt, our gallant military men and women are being killed, barracks are attacked, IDP camps are attacked, farmlands are invaded, youth unemployment is at its highest, private sectors are not giving enabling environment to thrive, and appointments to offices are not reflective of our diversities; the complaints are almost endless — could the sounds signalling a collapsing nation be louder than this?”
CBCN advises the government to stop accusing those who criticise it of attempt to destabilise the nation or the government. The political and non-political actors are advised not to use inflammatory words that can distort the message they pass to the Government.
CBCN provides the following as the way out of the nation's quagmire:
1. The president should call for security summit
2. The president should address in person the nation from time to time on the state of the nation.
3. The president should call the meeting of stakeholders to discuss the way forward. Among issues to discuss are implementation of the restructuring and devolution of power down to the local government level.
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