The Bishop of Yola Catholic Diocese, Most Reverend Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza has tasked the federal government to seek help from outside to be able to contain the rising hunger, food insecurity, headline inflation and other economic challenges bedeviling the land.
Mamza who made the position during the closing of 2024 Assistant Pastoral Meeting at St Theresa Catholic Church in Jimeta on Sunday thanked all the various groups within the church for making the meeting to accord the desired success.
“We thank God it is one year since we had the last pastoral council. For this year, the delegates arrived on Friday we had a full day session yesterday and then this morning we officially closed the council meeting.
“The turn up was hundred percent, every parish in the Diocese was well represented, the chairmen and secretaries of the different associations and organizations, the deans and the representatives of religious affairs were duly represented. The event was very fruitful and successful,” he said.
Talking on the state of the nation, the cleric said Nigeria is currently suffering from multidimensional ailments ranging from insecurity, galloping inflation and absolute economic crisis tasking the leadership to be in charge of the affairs of the nation.
“The people are really going through though times. The government has to device better means of alleviating the suffering of the people, if not, the way we are going, there is no clear light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
While calling on the government to rise up to the twin issues of food and social insecurity, the Bishop said currently Nigerians are dying of hunger and social insecurity urging the government to stamp its feet to contain the two challenges.
“Everything has come to stand still, especially when it comes to finances in the church. And it has affected a lot of projects because of the difficulties and inflation, even food has become a luxury. A bag of cement is beyond the reach of the common man as it goes for between N8,000 – N10,000.
“Things are very expensive different parishes are bearing the burnt. There are those dying of hunger; so many have withdrawn their children from school because they cannot afford to pay school fees. So many have been ejected from their houses because they cannot pay house rent; so many cannot go to hospital because they cannot foot the medical bills. Nigeria is really sick people are dying because of the hardship,” he lamented.
He called on the government to get experts with the know how to resolve things economically and otherwise for the general good of all.
“They should seek the assistance of other countries. We should be humble enough to request for help from others,” he added.
But despite all odds the cleric expressed optimism that country will survive all its woes charging Nigerians to seek the face of God to survive the current challenges.
