The Catholic Archbishop of Kaduna, Bishop Man-oso Ndagoso on Tuesday, appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to change his policies, saying they have failed to uplift the citizens.
The Bishop said insecurity, hunger, multi-dimensional poverty, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and terrorism, among others, have continued to pose a problem for Nigerians.
In a Christmas message in Kaduna, Archbishop Ndagoso said “Some have lost hope in themselves, their country and even in God, leaving them with no option but to end their lives.
He said few people who can afford it, are leaving the country in droves, with hopelessness now everywhere in the land.
“Given the hardship in the land, we plead with governments at all levels, especially, at the federal level to do whatever it takes by way of policy change or redirection to cushion the effects of the policies that brought us to where are.
”The hunger and poverty in the land is better imagined. Even at harvest time, the prices of essential food items have not changed for the better. Little wonder then that wherever people hear of palliative distribution huge numbers gather to get whatever they can leading to the tragic experiences we have had in recent times.”
The Bishop applauded farmers who put their lives at risk by going to the farms to harvest for the poor masses, adding that “despite serious security challenges during the last farming season, many people braved it and put their lives on the line to cultivate their farms. We thank all those who did that. As usual, the harvest is a mixed bag.”
” Reports coming from different parts of our Archdiocese indicate that while some areas have bumper harvests of some food and cash crops some were not that lucky. It is therefore pertinent to remind our farmers of the need to be careful and prudent in the use of farm produce.
”As already noted, the season is a festive one that calls for celebration. The usual temptation this time of the year is to sell farm produce at giveaway prices to celebrate. As always, we caution our farmers especially in the rural areas to be careful in the management of their farm produce, mindful of the fact that, though all we possess is for the common good, we know also that charity begins at home.” He said
Catholic Archbishop of Kaduna, Ndagoso decries poverty, insecurity in Nigeria