Catholic Bishops to Tinubu: Return fuel subsidy

THE SUN

Catholic Bishops of Kaduna Ecclesiastical Province (KEP) have urged President Bola Tinubu to consider reversing what they described as hasty policy on fuel Subsidy removal which plunged Nigerians into economic crisis, saying its reversal is not a sign of weakness but depicts responsible leadership if he can return the fuel subsidy.

Rising from the Second Plenary  of the Kaduna Ecclesiastical Provincial Bishops’ session on Tuesday in Kaduna, KEP Chairman, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso said: “We have been with subsidy for the past 25 years and we all knew it was eating deep into the finances of the nation and definitely had to go but the hasty manner in which the president announced the removal had a lot of implications on the psychology and economic well being of the people.

“People should have been given notice; for instance, subsidy will be removed by 25 percent in the next six months. He could remove the subsidy in phases alongside provision of palliatives and others. It’s about the people. Even if the president spends 10 years removing subsidy in phases without inflicting severe hardship on the people, that will be better.

“We propose that he decongest the Presidential fleet, suspend or rethink the idea of purchasing a new plane for himself, and continue to tighten the belt on public expenditure. Looking inward, we encourage the President to liaise with local industrialists to widen the net for employment and self-sufficiency. In the medium and long term, the President should ban the use of foreign cars by all public officers. These policies can inspire confidence in our people. Rather than hiring non- state actors to pacify people, politicians must engage their people directly.”

On the recent nationwide hunger protest, the chairman said: “We encourage the president to focus on the ideals of democracy by building consensus rather than the temptation to search for enemies. Having come from a tradition of protest, the President should appreciate that these protests do not undermine a country. However, leaders of faith communities and civil society must also sharpen their tools and capacity for advocacy.

“The value of protests is in direct proportion to the quality of the social fabric of a given society. When we have a social fabric weakened by illiteracy, poverty and corruption, these protests can provide a cure that is worse than the disease. So, we must seek other options for engaging the government as the need arises.”

On the pattern of protest, Ndagoso revealed that “the protests exposed the fault lines in the life of our nation. They exposed our politics, our ethnic or regional challenges, our religious differences and indeed, the depth of our appreciation of the meaning of democracy and its ideals. The protests exposed the levels of our maturity, our willingness to make sacrifices and our decision to put national interests above other personal; religious or regional interests.

“In all, we note that a majority of Nigerians across the states decided not to participate in the protests. Yet, the minority had their way, suggesting that there were no winners and losers as such. Everyone and every side asserted their rights. Without the deaths and the destruction, this could have counted as a sign of the slow maturity of our democracy. Yet, we can still learn.”