Amidst the persistent social and economic hardship facing the nation currently, the Catholic Bishop of Ilorin, Most Rev. Anselm Pendo Lawani, lamented that a greater percentage of Nigerians are living below the poverty line amid the superabundance of human and natural resources the nation is blessed with. He decried the increasing pain and frustration most citizens are currently going through due to inflation, the high cost of living, and resultant poverty in the land.
Bishop Lawani stated this in a press conference to mark the 2024 Democracy Day celebration on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. He further noted that despite the government’s efforts with the palliative distribution to cushion the effects of the hardship occasioned by subsidy removal, he maintained that the palliative measures have not yet yielded any significant result.
“It is unfortunate that the palliative measures being distributed by the government have not significantly mitigated the effect of the subsidy removal policy. We appeal therefore that the government should do more to bring succor to the impoverished citizens.
“Many are living in squalor and slums, unable to have three square meals a day. The incessant increase in the pump price of gasoline, occasioned by the subsidy removal from petroleum products last year, has continued to impact other sectors adversely.
“Prices of services and goods in the markets, including agricultural commodities, keep soaring in geometric progression. The situation is indeed gruesome and painful, even as governments at different levels continue to grapple with some recovery initiatives for the nation’s economy.
Reacting to the security challenges in the country, the Bishop of Ilorin commended the Kwara State Government for the various measures taken to address security problems facing the state. He, however, noted that in order to significantly handle issues concerning national security, more should be done in the areas of intelligence gathering and surveillance, even as he sued for citizens’ collaboration with security operatives.
“Citizens too, must support security operatives by volunteering valuable information that is useful for preventive, rescuing, and restorative purposes. It is our belief that a workable approach that can better enhance security requires collaboration among government agencies, traditional and community leaders, as well as other stakeholders, including the Church.
“Collaborative efforts on this will facilitate and promote sharing of information and experience towards suppressing potential security threats.”
While appealing to the government not to impose unnecessary taxes that would be burdensome and overbearing for individuals and corporate organizations, the Prelate charged the citizens to pay their taxes promptly to enable the government to deliver dividends of democracy to them. He added that concerning the ongoing debate on the minimum wage, that the church’s position remains that a living wage that will be commensurate with the current economic tide should be paid to workers so as to afford them a decent and comfortable living condition.
