Kastina-Ala, 17 December, 2025 / 6:27 PM
Bishop Isaac Bundepuun Dugu of the Catholic Diocese of Katsina-Ala in Nigeria has urged the People of God in his Episcopal See and across the country to remain steadfast in hope as the West African nation continues to grapple with multiple challenges, including widespread insecurity.
In the message dated Tuesday, December 16, Bishop Dugu, whose Episcopal See covers Benue state, currently experiencing heightened insecurity, laments that both the country’s leaders and the Nigerian populace have been unable to contain the deteriorating situation.
“Our beloved country, Nigeria, is currently experiencing one of the most challenging moments in its history, considering the entire horrible events of the last few years, but especially the last couple of months of this year, 2025,” he says.
He explains, “The prevalent harsh economic conditions and particularly the worsening security conditions across the nation seem to have overwhelmed both the leaders and ordinary citizens, leading to the present state of hopelessness.”
Bishop Dugu says that Nigeria is currently grappling with a multitude of challenges that have instilled a sense of hopelessness, fear, and uncertainty among its citizens about what the future holds for them.
He laments that civilians in Nigeria are suffering in a country endowed with vast natural resources like oil, minerals, and a fertile land, along with a rich tapestry of cultures, languages, and traditions.
The Local Ordinary of Katsina-Ala, since his Episcopal Consecration in July 2022, says that Nigerians “have frantically sought help and deliverance from our common troubles both from within and outside the country.”
He finds it unfortunate that the help Nigerians are waiting for appears to be either delayed or unavailable. “It is against this backdrop that I bring you a Message of Divine Hope from God, our Only and True Hope,” he says.
Referring to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), Bishop Dugu defines hope as “the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.”
“One of God’s gifts is Hope; the dependable kind and the type the world cannot give. This Hope originates in God, in His power and is anchored on His promises,” says the Nigerian Bishop in his message.
He explains that the theological discourse of the virtue of Hope is based on three truths, which he names as: “God is almighty, God loves each person immensely, and God is faithful to his promises.”
“Hope expresses the journey of faith by a believer sustained by God’s providence. Ultimately, our hope looks towards the culmination of time. This is attainable with the help of God’s supernatural grace,” he says.
Bishop Dugu says that “This kind of hope is found not in the avoidance of storms of life but in trusting the God who walks with us through them. These storms produce perseverance, character, and hope.”
He goes on to explain that the Christian hope is rooted in things that are good as against things that would bring pain, suffering, and anguish, saying, “If one hopes for a present good, it is properly called joy. If the good one hopes to attain is impossible of attainment, it is called despair.”
The Nigerian Bishop explains that “If some good is possible to attain through one’s own strength, then it is called natural hope. If it is possible to attain only with God’s help, it is called a theological virtue.”
“Our human cravings are prefixed on many things, good health, freedom, success in daily strides, among others. This simply points to the highest ideal which we intend to highlight in this message, that which is attainable only through God’s grace,” he says.
As Nigerians seek solutions to the country’s many challenges, including insecurity, Bishop Dugu, who has previously attributed the progress made in combating insecurity in his Episcopal See to the power of prayer, particularly through the Holy Rosary, encourages them not to give up.
“I urge you to anchor your lives on the hope in Christ that never disappoints. In our daily lives, our hope in Christ helps us to keep our gaze on Him. Hope defines our purpose of existence and gives meaning to our lives,” he says.
He says that “hope also helps us to aspire towards our ideals and plans in life. One begins to die the moment they begin to lose hope in everything.
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