The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has blamed Nigeria’s deepening economic crisis and persistent insecurity on poor leadership and a flawed understanding of politics.
In a communiqué issued on February 26 at the end of their first plenary meeting of the year, the bishops said the nation’s challenges stem largely from what they described as a “wrong idea of politics” that prioritises election rigging and personal gain over service to the people.
The weeklong meeting was held at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria Resource Centre in the Abuja Archdiocese.
According to the bishops, when politics is reduced to “the rigging of elections and stealing of other people’s mandate”, leadership inevitably becomes an avenue for amassing illicit wealth and engaging in fraudulent activities.
They warned that bad leadership has inflicted systemic damage on the country, manifesting in a worsening economy, widespread insecurity, and rising poverty — despite Nigeria’s abundant human and natural resources.
The bishops further linked poor governance to entrenched corruption, decaying infrastructure, high unemployment, and a growing loss of public trust in government institutions.
