Catholic Bishops blame Nigeria’s challenges on poor leadership

…Decry Trillions Lost to Illegal Mining

By Peter Oyedele, Abuja

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has blamed Nigeria’s persistent economic and security challenges on poor leadership, warning that the country continues to lose trillions of naira annually to crude oil bunkering and illegal mining.

The bishops also expressed concern that proceeds from the illegal exploitation of minerals such as gold and lithium are often used by criminal groups to finance terrorism and other organised crimes across the country.

These concerns were contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the bishops’ first plenary meeting in Abuja. The statement was signed by the outgoing CBCN President, Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, and the Secretary, Donatus Ogun.

According to the bishops, poor leadership has contributed to widespread corruption, deteriorating infrastructure, rising unemployment, and a growing erosion of public trust in government institutions.

They noted that although democracy and elections are designed to allow citizens choose their leaders, Nigeria’s electoral process has been repeatedly undermined by irregularities.

The communiqué stated that many of the country’s challenges stem from what the bishops described as a flawed understanding of politics.

“Where politics is erroneously understood as the rigging of elections and the stealing of other people’s mandate, leadership is unfortunately reduced to the amassing of illicit wealth and other fraudulent activities,” the bishops said.

The CBCN stressed that the consequences of poor leadership are reflected in Nigeria’s struggling economy, persistent insecurity and widespread poverty, despite the country’s abundant human and natural resources.

They also warned against the misuse of state institutions during elections, alleging that governments in power often become partisan by supporting particular candidates.

The bishops therefore urged authorities to avoid manipulating institutions such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and the judiciary for political advantage.

On economic sabotage, the bishops lamented that Nigeria’s rich mineral resources have been poorly managed and exploited by illegal operators, sometimes allegedly with the support of government collaborators.

“With good leadership, these resources would have contributed significantly to national economic growth and development,” the communiqué noted.

While acknowledging the federal government’s efforts, including the deployment of Mining Marshals to protect mining sites, the bishops said the initiative has not fully addressed the challenge because illegal mining often occurs in remote and difficult terrains.

Addressing the country’s security situation, the bishops expressed support for the declaration of a national security emergency by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the recruitment of additional security personnel.

They acknowledged that the military has intensified operations against terrorist groups but stressed that insecurity remains a major concern, with many communities still experiencing violent attacks.

The bishops cited reports of attacks in Woro and Nuku villages in Kwara State where more than 200 people, including Christians and Muslims, were reportedly killed by suspected Islamist extremists.

To address the worsening security challenges, the CBCN urged governments at all levels to invest in modern surveillance technology and strengthen intelligence gathering to enable security agencies respond more proactively to threats.

They maintained that only decisive leadership and stronger security strategies would help restore stability and unlock Nigeria’s vast economic potential.

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