Catholic Archbishop of Kaduna, Most Rev. Matthew Ndagoso has lamented increasing cases of poverty and insecurity in Nigeria. The cleric who regretted that the country was ranked globally among nations with the largest concentration of the poor called on the President-elect, Bola Tinubu and incoming governments at states and local council levels to give priority to security and poverty alleviation projects. He stated this in his address, yesterday, at the 2023 Pastoral Council/General Assembly of the Kaduna Archdiocese. “The situation in which we carry out our mission remains the same if not worse than before. banditry, insurgency, kidnappings for ransom, herders/farmers multi-dimensional poverty are on the increase. Regrettably, our country is still leading the world with the largest concentration of the poorest of the poor, namely, people living below the poverty line. “It is our sincere hope that the incoming administrations at all levels will give priority attention to nagging issue of insecurity and tackle the hydra-headed monster head-on for the citizens to once again live normal lives. Meanwhile let us take to heart the security advice, if you see something, say something. We are collectively saying that kidnappings, banditry and insurgency cannot separate us from spreading the kingdom of God, a kingdom of love, justice and peace”.
Ndagoso, who is also the Vice President, Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), acknowledged the dissatisfaction and disappointment of Nigerians with the outcome of the 2023 general elections. “However disappointed as we are with the outcome of the elections, the gains and lessons must not be lost on us. The 2023 general elections have thrown up so many things and hopefully changed, to a very large extent for good, the way the political establishment have always conducted political activities in our country. Whatever it was that we did to shake the system to its very foundation must be strengthened and improved upon, moving forward. “I share the view that what is important learning from the election is that it is possible to generate hope, even enthusiasm about the future of Nigeria. We must continue to dream big about our country and never lose hope and give up on it,” he said. Ndagoso also urged the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to allow live broadcast of it’s proceedings in line with the desire for openness and transparency in the electoral process.
