Catholic Bishops in Nigeria Propose “radical change” to Address Bad Governance, Insecurity

Abuja, 21 September, 2025 / 10:26 PM

Catholic Bishops in Nigeria are proposing “a radical change” among Nigerians to address challenges emanating from vices such as corruption, bad governance, and insecurity in the West African nation.

In a communique following their September 11-19 2nd Plenary Assembly that was held at the Diocesan Retreat and Youth Development Centre in the Catholic Diocese of Ikot Ekpene, members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) warn that the country may collapse if the challenges persist.

“There is a need for a radical change to where the common good drives our political, economic, social, and cultural life. The government, the Church, the education sector, the media, and indeed all citizens have their roles to play,” the Bishops say.

Acknowledging “some” progress witnessed in infrastructure and other areas for development in the country, the Bishops, however say, “We observe that our nation still faces persistent challenges in many areas.”

The further lament that insecurity continues unabated, with many citizens kidnapped, dehumanized, killed, or forced to flee their homes, forsaking their means of livelihood.

“We are profoundly worried that our people have continued to suffer under extreme poverty and economic hardship and appear abandoned to a life of destitution and penury,” the Bishops say.

They say that corruption and bad governance are the fundamental causes of the problems of Nigerians. 

“Corruption, understood as moral rottenness, has spread unhindered like a deadly cancer to all areas of our national life, aggressively destroying the fabric of the nation,” they say.

The Catholic Bishops express concern that amid the challenges, politicians in Nigeria are more preoccupied with securing and retaining power and less concerned with the common good of the electorate.

As a way forward, the Bishops emphasize radical change in electoral reforms as well as the role of the laity in transforming the temporal order and political education of citizens to work for the common good.

The Bishops say that there have been persistent electoral flaws in the country, such as electoral violence, voter suppression, technical failures, multiple thumb printing of ballot papers, manipulation of voters’ register, and declaration of fake electoral results.

They say that such a state of affairs results in increasing voter apathy that is experienced currently in the country.

“In order to radically reduce electoral malpractice in Nigeria, we call for a more robust and comprehensive electoral reform that should not only ensure an electronic transmission of results from the polling units, but also their electronic collation in real time,” the Bishops say.

To fully restore the confidence of voters in the electoral process, the Bishops say, “electoral reform must ensure transparent and unbiased appointment of the principal officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who are to be non-partisan and persons of unquestionable integrity.”

The Bishops request INEC and other relevant agencies to engage in intensive political education as part of reforms to minimize the country’s challenges.

“We are resolved to intensify efforts in forming the Lay Faithful, so that they will fully exercise their role of transforming the temporal order with Christian principles, which is the specific task of the laity’s vocation in the world,” they say.

The Bishops further remind the laity in Nigeria of their major and decisive role to play in politics, saying, “We are convinced that we have a formidable laity, who, being the salt of the earth, can help to a large extent to transform the temporal order.”

To also bring about radical change in the country, the Bishops urge Nigerians to prioritize environmental conservation, saying, “Our nation is hugely blessed with an ecosystem that could engender good living.”

They, however, lament that the ecosystem in some parts of the country, especially the Niger Delta region, has been badly degraded through various factors such as oil spillage, gas flaring, other forms of pollution, and excessive exploitation of the environment.

The misuse of the ecosystem, the Bishops say, has had “devastating impact on plants, marine life, and on the health and livelihood of millions of people who live in the region and beyond.”

The Bishops call for integral education, saying that there is a need for standardization of schools in Africa’s most populous nation.

“Catholic schools have always been known for excellence in education,” the Bishops say, and add, “To maintain our traditional excellence in education, we encourage Dioceses and Religious Congregations to benchmark their schools against the national minimum standards set by government to establish their strengths and weaknesses, and to identify areas for improvement.”

“Given the holistic nature of Catholic education, which is meant to prepare a child adequately for life here and hereafter, all Dioceses and Religious Congregations are to ensure that there is zero tolerance for examination malpractice, cultism, and drug abuse in their schools,” they say.