The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has urged governments at all levels to intensify efforts to tackle insecurity, poverty and poor infrastructure, warning that the challenges continue to undermine human dignity and national unity.
The bishops made the call in a communiqué issued on Thursday at the end of the Second Plenary Meeting for 2026, held in Osun State.
“We call on everyone to work together in building a nation that promotes integral human development,” the bishops said, expressing concern that “insecurity, poverty, poor infrastructure, bad governance, and assault on human dignity have continued to ravage our nation and its citizens.”
On insecurity, the bishops welcomed moves to decentralise policing but warned that the reform must serve the common good rather than “personal, ethnic, political and religious interests.”
They called for stronger intelligence gathering, improved security operations and accountability for perpetrators, while demanding urgent action to stop banditry and reclaim territories occupied by criminals.
“We demand Government to do all that is necessary to stop banditry and recover the vast portions of land used for this criminal activity,” they said.
The bishops also urged government to facilitate the safe return of displaced Nigerians to their ancestral homes and ensure that migrants and refugees are treated with dignity.
On poverty, the CBCN called for job creation, support for local businesses and economic policies that would ease hardship.
“We demand that government at all levels create more job opportunities, provide enabling environment for growth, support local businesses, and manage economic policies that ease the financial burden on the poor,” they said.
They also urged government to improve roads, electricity and water supply, while calling for nationwide railway infrastructure to boost economic activities.
The bishops opposed further progress on the Foreign Aids (Regulation, Transparency and Disclosure) Bill 2026, warning that it could impose excessive government control on churches, mosques and humanitarian organisations.
They argued that such organisations were already regulated under existing laws and urged the National Assembly and Federal Government to protect freedom of association, religion, thought and conscience.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the CBCN called for free, fair and credible polls and urged citizens to vote according to their conscience.
It directed dioceses and parishes to conduct civic education, mobilisation, fasting and prayer from October to December, declaring December 8, 2026, a special national day of prayer and fasting for the success of the elections.
The bishops also urged politicians to deploy technology and Artificial Intelligence responsibly during the electoral process, stressing that technology “is never neutral.”
They concluded by calling for “a renewed politics that focuses on moral principles, the promotion of human life and dignity, and the pursuit of the common good.”
