The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, is calling for a return of regional government, saying 25 years of presidential system was not beneficial to the country.
Besides, they also lament the alarming rate of corruption in Nigeria, the needless huge debt burden that could have been repaid by recovered stolen monies by politicians in foreign accounts and existential threat of hunger in the land.
The Bishops made this known at the opening ceremony of the 2nd CBCN plenary meeting in Auchi, Edo State.
In his welcome address, President of the CBCN, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, also criticizes the killing in the recent #EndBadGovernance protest which it agreed went violent but insists that the constitutional right to protest must not be criminalized.
Ugorji said, “The socio economic problems of our nation are unmistakably beyond what economic reforms alone can effectively resolve, no matter how well though-out and how meticulously implemented.
“When all is said and done, we must admit that the cost of running our military- imposed presidential system of government with so many elected officials assisted by numerous support staff is staggering and unsustainable.
“We must also acknowledge that corruption level of many Nigerian politicians has gone beyond scale and measure and that controlling our resources at the federal government level creates more opportunities for corruption to flourish.
“Having experimented with the presidential system of government for 25 years and having grouped in the dark in search of solutions to our socio-economic problems, now seems to be the opportune time to heed the advise of some of our best minds canvassing our return to the former regional system of government, as envisaged by the wise founding fathers of our nation to devolve power to the present six geopolitical zones”
He added that, the current reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration were similar to the Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP, of General Ibrahim Badamosi Babagids, back by the International Momentary Fund, IMF, which failed to yield fruits.
-9News Nigeria.
-9News Nigeria.
