… Archbishop Ugorji, Omeri, bishops, call for leaders rooted in integrity, service, common good
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has spotlighted the urgent need for moral, servant-oriented leadership and credible elections, delivering hard-hitting warnings on government inconsistencies, while urging citizens to champion the common good. Speaking at the 2026 First Plenary Assembly in Abuja on February 22, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, President of CBCN, accused the National Assembly (NASS) of “talking out of both sides of the mouth,” highlighting a troubling disconnect between the government’s digital tax drive and its reluctance to implement real-time, technology-driven safeguards for the nation’s democratic process.
“The honourable members of NASS should not allow themselves to be perceived as expressing inconsistent positions,” Archbishop Ugorji said, contrasting the 2025 Tax Act, which mandates digital filings, with the continued analogue handling of elections. He warned that only mandatory real-time transmission of results from BVAS to the IReV portal can restore citizen trust and safeguard the people’s mandate. Archbishop Ugorji also decried the nation’s faltering security response, citing the Woro and Nuku massacres and the alarming losses from illegal mining, which fund arms used by kidnappers and extremists. He described government reactions as “reactive interventions” and questioned the wisdom of reintegrating repentant terrorists, warning that such actions risk giving the impression of complicity.
In anticipation of the 2027 elections, the CBCN President urged Nigerians to elect “holy politicians” — leaders who view office as service to the common good rather than a tool to “steal other people’s mandates.” “The world is watching. Above all, God is also watching,” he said. Adding international weight to the plenary, Papal Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, commended CBCN and Archbishop Ugorji for steadfast leadership. He highlighted the bishops’ 2025 press release, Peace in Nigeria: Moving from Fragility to Stability, praising their call for unity, justice, and dialogue as essential to national recovery. Archbishop Crotty reminded bishops of their upcoming Ad Limina visit to Rome, urging them to share Nigeria’s pastoral challenges and aspirations with the Pope and Roman Curia. The plenary also emphasised spiritual renewal and faithful service.
Bishop Felix Femi Ajakaye of Ekiti called on Christians to embrace conversion, reconciliation, and the common good, describing Lent as a “special spiritual expedition” demanding genuine introspection and transformative love. Similarly, Bishop Isaac Bundepuun Dugu of Katsina-Ala reminded the faithful that the effectiveness of ministry depends not on human strength but on God’s faithfulness, urging believers to uphold prayer, thanksgiving, and forgiveness as foundations of life and leadership. Highlighting the civic dimension of the gathering, Dr. Mike Omeri, former Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), challenged Nigeria’s leaders — both religious and political — to adopt “courageous servant leadership.” Speaking on the plenary theme, The Common Good and Leadership in Nigeria, he stressed that leadership is defined by purpose and character, not power, and called for a new generation of leaders to bridge the widening gap between the “haves and have-nots” in society.
The CBCN plenary, therefore, emerges as more than a spiritual assembly; it is a clarion call for accountability, moral governance, and citizen-centred leadership. From election reform to public morality, the bishops’ message is clear: Nigeria needs leaders of integrity, institutions that enforce the rule of law, and citizens committed to the common good.
