Catholic bishops urge FG to proffer solution to economic crisis

Bishops under the auspices of Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to find a way of getting the nation out of its current economic challenges.

The Bishops in a communiqué issued at the end of its conference in Akure, Ondo State capital said this is necessary to reduce the suffering being experienced in the land.

The bishops stated in the communiqué signed by the President and Secretary of the CBCN, Bishop Ignatus Kaigama and Bishop William Avenya respectively noted that many people had lost their jobs as a result of the economic recession while many workers were not paid by their employers as at when due.

The communiqué read, “There is hunger in the land. We therefore urge the government to take proactive and practical steps towards reversing the recession.

“As a result, partly of the fall in the oil prices, it has become inevitable to, without further delay, diversify the economy, engender fiscal and monetary policies, stimulate and mobilise investments, and engage in a productive rather than a consumerist economy.”

The bishops also called for true federalism, saying this will create a healthy economic competition among the federating units in the country, saying, “We call on Nigerians to moderate their taste for foreign goods, reduce waste and be more prudent in expenditure. In the meantime, we expect the government to quickly evolve appropriate palliative measures and empower, by job creation, the teeming unemployed youth,”

They also urged the Federal Government and security agencies to take decisive actions against the destruction of lives and property by herdsmen across the country.

They said: “We lend our voice with that of other Nigerians calling for safer and modern ways of rearing cattle, for instance, ranches. We totally condemn the idea of grazing reserves and wandering of cattle.”