Nigerian Catholic Bishop Decries Dire Situation of Displaced Persons, Urges Government Support

 “If you go back to why governments are put in place, it is to secure lives and property. People give their rights to the government, and it becomes its duty to protect them,” he said.

The Catholic Church leader warned that the government's failure to fulfill this responsibility undermines its legitimacy. 

According to the Local Ordinary of Lafia Diocese, IDPs are not asking for much. 

“What these people are looking for is really not much. Allow them to settle in their places. Allow them to live their normal lives and prevent those who harass them from doing so,” he said. 

Bishop Ajang noted that the political will to tackle insecurity appears weak, saying, “It seems as if the will to prevent those troublemakers is not there.”

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“If there is the will, there will always be a way. When you see the rate at which it happens, you realize there are many things the government should do but is unable to do at the moment,” he said.

Bishop Ajang noted that the Catholic Church continues to engage the government through dialogue and advocacy to promote justice and security. 

“We always engage the government, whenever we have occasions, we talk about it—the need for the government to do what it is supposed to do,” he said.

The Local Ordinary of Lafia Diocese, since his Episcopal Consecration in June 2021, explained that the Church’s humanitarian intervention was part of its mission to care for the needy.

“It’s just the Church being Church. We are doing what we are supposed to do, assisting our members who are in dire need,” he said.

Reflecting on the country’s 2027 General elections, Bishop Ajang, who chairs the Social Communications Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), called on Nigerians to demand accountability from those in positions of power. 

He encouraged voters to keep records of campaign promises and use them to measure performance.

 “When we negotiate, we should not forget in a hurry. Keep notes, take notes, so that if promises are not fulfilled, you can remind them—you promised us this, but you did not deliver,” he said.

Bishop Ajang underscored the importance of civic responsibility in sustaining democracy, saying, “We must learn to hold our leaders to account. They must be accountable.”

Abah Anthony John is a Nigerian Catholic journalist with passion for Church communication and media apostolate. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Benue State University, Makurdi in Benue State Nigeria. He has a background in print, electronic and multi-media production.