According to him, this has been exacerbated by the removal of subsidy on premium motor spirit, otherwise known as petrol.
The President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji, has decried the suffering Nigerians have been subjected to.
According to him, this has been exacerbated by the removal of subsidy on premium motor spirit, otherwise known as petrol.
Ugorji noted this in a homily delivered at the Maria Assumpta Cathedral, during the reception of the Supreme Subordinate President of the Knights of St. John International, Prof. Remy Uche, in Owerri.
He warned that the government cannot afford the luxury of punishing the entire populace, because of the corrupt tendencies of a few people.
He lamented that the "suffering in the land has over the years been galloping uncontrollably".
He questioned the removal of fuel subsidy by the government without first putting in place all the measures needed to address its fallout.
President Bola Tinubu in May announced the removal of subsidy on premium motor spirit otherwise known as petrol.
Since its removal, inflation, costs of goods and services and others have skyrocketed, causing hardship in the country.
But according to Ugorji, something urgent must be done to effectively check the current economic crisis facing the nation and its citizens.
He said, "Our growing economic crisis became exacerbated with the recent withdrawal of petrol subsidy by the Federal Government. Indeed, Nigeria is on the brink of collapse.
“Government has not ceased to inundate citizens with its fabled palliative measures to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal. I am sure those running the nation’s affairs at all levels know that palliative measures can never be a cure for any economic or health challenge."
The President of Catholic Bishops noted that no amount of palliatives would address the economic woes of the people.
He, therefore, questioned why money was being wasted on it instead of subsidising petrol and blocking all leakages.
“If Nigerians are given food items as palliatives, we will definitely go hungry again, after consuming the food. So, I ask: Why waste resources on palliative measures, instead of attacking the problems frontally?
“Provision of a constant source of energy remains the driving force in all developing and developed economies. Why is ours different? Why should we not subsidize fuel?
“We have severally been told that some people have been enriching themselves from our commonwealth through petrol subsidy. For many patriotic citizens, this argument does not hold water.
“Why has the government failed, is unwilling or incapable of identifying the supposed culprits and bringing them to account for their sordid act?" he asked.
The bishop lamented deceit and corruption among Nigerian politicians which he attributed as the root cause of the current economic crisis.
According to Bishop Ugorji, why would the government inaugurate Dangote Refinery when it had not been completed and ready to start production?
“There is a lot of deceit and corruption in the land. How can anybody explain why and how the former administration hurriedly commissioned the Dangote refinery, which is yet to start production? So, why the haste in commissioning an unfinished project?" he asked.
“There is also the fabled story of the supposed Nigerian airline and how an aeroplane was hired or borrowed to flag off its operation. Where is the airline today? Has anyone been asked to account for the act? This is not a good national testimonial.
“The root of Nigeria’s problem is massive corruption. For Nigeria to survive, we must collectively fight corruption, whichever way it rears its ugly head.
“Government must be told that we cannot afford the luxury of punishing the entire populace, because of the corrupt tendencies of a few. This is not fair to all concerned.”