₦airaland Forum

ABUJA – Amid fresh concerns over killings and collapsing voter turnout, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has urged the Federal Government to urgently halt the nation’s worsening insecurity and guarantee credible elections in 2027, warning that the twin crises threaten Nigeria’s democracy.

The position was presented at the opening of the CBCN’s 2026 First Plenary Meeting in Abuja by its president, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji.

The session also featured a keynote address by Dr. Mike Omeri and a homily at the opening Mass delivered by Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama.

Ugorji described the country’s security situation as deeply troubling, citing repeated kidnappings and mass killings across several states.

“Our country has continued to experience rising security challenges. We continue to hear sad tales of senseless massacres, mass burials, endless tears and grief. Nigeria continues to bleed endlessly,” he lamented.

He particularly condemned the reported killings in Woro and Nuku communities of Kwara State. The CBCN president said gunmen were exploiting gaps in the nation’s security architecture and striking communities with little resistance.

“In all, the gunmen operate boldly, freely and unchallenged… Yet, they are not arrested through their digital footprints,” he said.

While acknowledging steps taken by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, including the declaration of a national security emergency, Ugorji said the current response remains largely reactive.

“To effectively tackle insecurity, government must go beyond declaring a national emergency on security and reactive interventions to invest more in modern technological equipment for surveillance,” he said.

He warned that delays in prosecuting suspects or reintegrating repentant insurgents could erode public confidence.

“Delaying the prosecution of arrested terrorists or pardoning and reintegrating perceived repentant Boko Haram members through the Operation Safe Corridor gives the impression of complicity on the side of government,” he stated.

Concern over elections

The bishops also raised alarm over declining voter turnout and called for urgent electoral reforms ahead of 2027.

“This decline says a lot about citizens trust in the electoral process and calls into question the legitimacy of elected officials in a democratic dispensation,” Ugorji said.

He urged the National Assembly to review the recently amended Electoral Act and make real-time electronic transmission of results mandatory.

“This is the will of the people and has to be respected,” he added.

Warning on tax reform impact

On Nigeria’s 2025 Tax Act, which took effect January 1, 2026, the CBCN acknowledged potential benefits but warned of possible hardship.

“When all is said and done, there are widespread fears that the reforms could raise the living cost for consumers, aggravate hardship and push more jobless youths into criminality,” Ugorji warned.

Illegal mining linked to insecurity

The bishops also described illegal mining as a major driver of insecurity and revenue loss.

“Criminal groups use proceeds from the sale of minerals, such as gold and lithium, to buy weapons and fund terrorist activities across the country,” he said.

Ugorji called for tougher enforcement and the deployment of drone technology and artificial intelligence to monitor remote mining sites.

Omeri: Leadership must serve

In his keynote presentation, Dr. Mike Omeri stressed the need for purpose-driven leadership anchored on service to the common good.

“Leadership of purpose is courageous and does not seek power. Rather, it seeks to serve,” Omeri said.

He added that Nigeria needs leaders who put people first.

“We need leaders who will bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots, who will champion justice, equity, and compassion,” he said.

Kaigama warns leaders

In his homily at the opening Mass, Kaigama cautioned political and religious leaders against the misuse of authority.

He expressed hope that the next general election would reflect the true will of Nigerians.

“We fervently hope that the 2027 elections will be different and every single vote… will count, and the genuine will of the people, respected,” Kaigama said.

The cleric also warned against materialistic distortions of the Christian message.

“Some so-called powerful men of God preach a distorted message that God will make people rich,” he said.

Jubilee Year and transition

Earlier, Ugorji announced the Special Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV, describing it as a call to deeper spiritual renewal and peace.

He also disclosed that he would step down as CBCN president at the end of the plenary.

“I take advantage of this opportunity to thank you for the cooperation and support I received from you all during my tenure as your chief servant,” he said.

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, is a fearless clergy, activist and active voice against injustice. As he has been doing even under military rule in Nigeria, Bishop Kukah has continued to speak truth to power and appears undaunted by what frightens others. He does not hide under the table when the need arises for him to counsel, chastise or rebuke all in the quest for a better society for all. In this interview, Kukah examines what works and does not work in Nigeria and offers some ideas to move the country forward.

Are you worried about the way things are going in the country?


There can be no satisfaction. A great man of the church, St Augustine, once said that we, human beings, our hearts are restless until they rest in God. As long as we are humans, we’ll always continue to aspire to new things. You started in your newspaper as a reporter, then you aspired to become other things, then you became a copy editor, sub-editor and editor. After some time, you may want to be either Director or Managing Director. That’s the way the human mind is constructed. And I think that for us, even as citizens of Nigeria, I think that is also one of the things that is missing, our failure to understand that this is a journey. I delivered a lecture in Federal University Oye Ekiti, precisely on the seventh of this month and I titled it, ‘They crawled so we can walk: the imperative of inter-generational compensation in Nigeria’. And the point I tried to make was that a similar issue became prevalent during the Obama administration when it was pointed out that the Africans that came to the U.S as slaves crawled in their suffering so that their children would walk. They ensured that these children could walk so that their next generation could run and the next generation could fly. Unfortunately for us in Nigeria, that logic doesn’t have coherence. But if you tell your son now about when you came to Lagos, how you were sleeping on the floor, he would say, “Daddy, are you mad?” That is because he doesn’t understand the sacrifices that were made. I made the point that we have to develop a much more positive outlook in terms of what we have accomplished because we have accomplished quite a lot.


Are you happy with the progress Nigeria has made as a country?

We are nowhere near where we ought to be. But the past is the past. There’s nothing we can do about it except to use it as a building material for a greater future. I’m not happy that we have been so slow. I’m not happy that corruption still continues. I’m not happy that despite the fight for democracy, people still feel that the political elites are insensitive to their needs. I’m not happy with the political arrogance that I see. I’m not happy that there is no sense of urgency of fixing the problems of Nigeria but I’m happy that Nigerians are still patiently on this path, realising that the only option we have now is democracy. Now, I am saddened that the political elites have not realised that sense of urgency in order to reward Nigerians for fighting for democracy but I can only appeal to Nigerians and to plead with them to remain restrained. Agitation will continue, but let’s develop enough maturity to know that breaking down the glasses doesn’t solve anything. Yes, to that extent, I remain quite impressed that Nigerians have continued to relentlessly focus on a future that is not here, but without necessarily becoming collective victims of a violence that is not within our control.


Could we have fared better if Nigeria had adopted a different form of government other than federalism?

You live in Lagos, if you married a Yoruba woman in Lagos, and there is trouble, you might be saying, “Why didn’t I marry from my village? It could have been better marrying from home”. It’s not like that. First of all, we have to take the mistakes we made as part of our history. When I spoke at Rueben Abati’s 60th birthday, President Obasanjo was there, and I raised a few issues, and the next morning, by seven o’clock, there was a call. Chief Obasanjo was on the phone, and he was talking about the issues that I had raised because I had raised some really serious issues of concern about the system we are running now, which is not a system we contrived. We had almost literally no hand in Lancaster House agreements and so on. The British had fixed what they wanted. But guess what? It’s like the choice between a woman you married and chose yourself or the one that your parents chose for you. You have to develop the maturity. This is what you have. It requires sacrifice. We can’t do much about whether it was right from the Westminster parliamentary system. We weren’t consulted before it was given to us. We weren’t consulted when it was taken away from us by the military. But we’ve got something here. We have to try and see how best we can work with it. It appears to me that we have missed our way again since 1999 when democratic governance was reintroduced. We still claim to be a fledgling democracy instead of making steady progress in all facets of national life. Many politicians keep saying that Nigeria is not ripe for most of the things that would make this country to flourish.


But when it comes to the issue of corruption, we are ripe. Yes, that one didn’t take us time to mature. We didn’t have to learn the ropes. We matured very quickly. It is also to say that no country is ripe for democracy, no country in the world. The Americans, if you listened to Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, last week, he admitted that America has been 250 years old but are still working on their democracy. Americans are wondering, seeing Trump in the horizon and perhaps asking the question: Is this what we bargained for? There’s no country in the world that is ripe enough in terms of democracy. Everything is like that. The priesthood is like that. Marriage is like that. When you look at other people, you say, “Oh, I wish my life were as easy as theirs”, and it’s not like that. Everybody is battling with their own problems. If I ask you now, which country would you want to be like? I’m sure you have an answer. If you wanted to live in America, you’ll be living in America today. This country, with all these chaos, I’ve had alternatives. I could have been living somewhere else, but I will never trade this country for any other country. I would rather see myself labouring to make this country better than go elsewhere because I have to remind myself that this country has been extraordinarily fair to me. It is because of this country that I have a green passport. It’s because of it that I had my education.

The Catholic Church and my country, I can’t trade them for anything. We have to just develop the maturity to appreciate the fact that the followers are better educated now than those who are ahead of them. The questions are harder, you know. We are having a situation which we, the followers, are better equipped. We are richer. We are better than those that are leading us, as such we have a responsibility of pointing at different directions and different alternatives. That is the essence of governance. You are occupying that chair, but you don’t know everything. Even if you are the the Editor-in-Chief of Vanguard Newspapers, you have to listen to the views of other people. That’s why I said as the media, your contribution is unquantifiable. My contribution is unquantifiable. Everybody has a contribution to make. No country in the world outsources its obligations to other countries. Political office holders should take responsibility play their roles. I just want to continue to encourage Nigerians while we hope that the next generation will be better than ours and benefit far more than from the sacrifices we have made.

What is your honest expectation about 2027 election?

I’m happy with this agitation, but the problem with us is that when one single issue comes, we will all shout and, after that, everybody goes mute. I can proudly say that I was on the front line in 1995, all through the Abacha years. In the last election, it was ‘glitch’; we never heard that word before. The next thing now, we don’t know which other word we are going to hear in 2027. Our people must remain vigilant. All politics is local. Make sure you have a voter card to be able to vote. Finally, pray that we are counted among the living. Otherwise, we can start killing ourselves now.

Nigeria is a faith-based country. But can we beat our chest and say that the church has done enough in raising the awareness of what the people and government should do?


Whether you like it or not, if you didn’t benefit from a church, you benefitted from a missionary school. Second, I said to a radio journalist who asked me about a similar issue that my responsibility every Sunday, every morning, is to preach. I preach, I encourage you and give you options about how to live a good life. Everything on Sunday lasts for about an hour and a half. After that, you are on your own for about 22 and a half hours. I’m not responsible for what you do with the moral expectations I’ve given you. As I said, if I preach to you, lecture you about the value of keeping the law, and you step out there and you go and steal somebody’s phone, or you beat traffic light, is it my fault? So many of us, Nigerians, like to outsource our responsibilities. Who will say to me, “Bishop, you know, you people are not talking”. Luckily for me, I’ve been talking for a long time. I have seen many scenarios in this country and it amuses me at times. For example, when Obasanjo was President, his enemies said that I was putting my mouth in politics. When Obasanjo left and they took over, they accused me of doing the same thing. When they come to power, they tell me, “Go back to your church. Leave us alone”. Where are the people who were with Buhari? It is very interesting because for a very long time when Buhari became President, we had nothing personal. I had no less than six meetings with him but there was nothing personal between us. But he always said to me, “I respect your views, because I know you are honest”.

The truth is that my business is not to abuse any government or the leader of government. Now, some people are saying that I’m not talking because those in power are my friends. My business is not to abuse government, but to critically present things as I see them. I’m not grandstanding because I want people to clap. This is the mistake people make. There is a difference between speaking truth to power and diplomacy, or even counselling. At the realm of diplomacy, I can say all the things I want to say, for example, about the need for teachers to have more salary and so on. I can shout about the electoral system. But at the end of the day, I have to find a way of being able to access those who matter to say, “Look, this is an alternative”. It’s an engagement we are not doing. It’s about fixing our country. There’s always nothing personal. It is the greatness of our country that we seek.

Sometime ago, you were quoted as saying that there is no Christian genocide in Nigeria and it generated heat across the country. Were you misquoted or what?

Your paper was one of the papers that led with the story. It was very interesting. I don’t want to talk about it because, first, nobody can say he asked me a question. What do I think about genocide? Nobody asked me that question. What do I think about the persecution of Christians? Nobody did too. People took words from my mouth and I think it was convenient because we are at a very combustible stage now in power. People are looking for anything to say and credit Bishop Kukah for reasons best known to them. And, of course, if you say, Bishop Kukah has said there is no genocide in Nigeria, would that not sound like madness? Unfortunately, there is a text because where that conversation came from, I wasn’t talking about genocide. I wasn’t talking about persecution. If it is about that, like I say to people, I would like one Nigerian to tell me if you know where he is, let them stand up. Who has written a fraction of the things I’ve written about the situation they were in? And I said if not madness, how will I say that there is no genocide? I will share with you the text of what I presented, which is where all these conversations that I presented in Rome when I was invited for the release of a 1,270 page report on the persecution of Christians around the whole world. You will see what I said. And my argument then, as now, people say, “Oh, but Bishop Kukah, you were saying that there is genocide and then you stopped”. I said I didn’t stop. People say, “Oh, you have changed”. I said, “Changed to what?” If you go through and read the things I was talking about, my greatest agony with Buhari was not only the amount of blood that was being shed, but a skewed process of distributing power that favoured only the Muslims, in my view, the data is there, the facts are there. In the case of Tinubu, what we have now, we must also understand where we have come from. All of us as Christians, people were saying how can we have a Muslim-Muslim ticket? Okay, give Christians credit. We didn’t stop it, whether we fought it or we didn’t fight it, the fact of the matter is that we have embraced the outcome without fear, without anxiety. It is now left for Muslims in Nigeria to ask themselves whether in good conscience they can accept a Christian-Christian ticket, but we don’t measure by the default or failures of others. And my argument about Muslim-Muslim ticket was that we are aspiring to a country where one day, we may not be alive. Like Martin Luther King said, it is the content of your character as opposed to the mosque you’re worshipping, as opposed to the church you’re worshipping, as opposed to what you believe in. People say, “Oh, you know, Tinubu gave Bishop Kukah position as a Chairman of a Governing Council”. I was Vice Chairman of Governing Council of an America university for six years.

I was Chairman of Governing Council of Nasarawa State University, I mean, at the time of this appointment, I’m Chairman of the Governing Council of Veritas University here in Abuja. I was carrying burdens I didn’t need to carry, but that’s not the point. The most important thing for me is that whatever will help in the improvement of the quality of lives of ordinary people, I will be there. But to answer your question, I never, I repeat, I never said there was no genocide.

alanto:
Not one lie in his posts.

seunmsg:
Gwari people really took this election personal and I like it. ADC’s disrespect for the indigenous people of Abuja is so disgusting. Big congratulations to Maikalangu and other APC candidates.

yarimo:
oya APC 9 SDP 45 ADC 20,000 PDP 9

DoctorAyukebot:
Are you not bold and big enough to glue him to one spot. The level of stupeedeety some of you spew on this forum is crazy

Wike, a former governor and a key federal official, was speaking after visiting several polling locations, including in Garki, Karu, Karshi, Wasa, Apo, and Ketti, as part of his oversight of the polls.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he did not impose a curfew across the FCT ahead for Saturday’s area council elections on his own, but acted only with the approval of President Bola Tinubu.

Wike, a former governor and a key federal official, was speaking after visiting several polling locations, including in Garki, Karu, Karshi, Wasa, Apo, and Ketti, as part of his oversight of the polls.

In his remarks, he pushed back against criticisms from the FCT’s representative at the National Assembly, Senator Ireti Kingibe, who had condemned the movement restrictions as undemocratic.

Wike said: “It is unfortunate, I thought as a Senator she should be able to read. I never imposed a curfew on my own. I said with the approval of Mr. President.”

Ahead of the elections, Wike had announced in a broadcast — aired on national television and radio — that Friday would be a work-free day in the capital to prepare for the council polls.

He also declared that movement of people and vehicles across the FCT would be restricted from 8pm on Friday to 6pm on Saturday.

Senator Kingibe had strongly criticised this move, calling it “unacceptable in a democratic society” because, she argued, it was done without adequate consultation with stakeholders and restricted residents’ freedoms.

In response to the senator’s comments, Wike appeared dismissive, saying he did not want to “join issues” with Kingibe.

He added: “When you hear someone’s speech, why not take time to listen to what was said? She has her problem, I don’t want to join issues. At the end of the election, when the results come out, then we will know.”

Wike also commented on the broader conduct of the council elections, noting that some areas experienced low voter turnout, especially in the FCT city centre.

However, he praised voters for their orderly behaviour, as well as officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies deployed across the territory.

He expressed gratitude that, according to reports available to him, “no violence has been recorded yet.”

The minister also commended INEC for its use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and urged residents to remain calm and orderly until the election process was fully concluded.

press9jatv:
it's not fake news, check twitter and Facebook now. It is there. Why can't you post your own results.

Obiedun:
Did he vote?
Did he intimidate anyone?
Did he buy vote?
What is your problem about his movement?
Accept defeat and stop complaining

The African Democratic Congress on Saturday condemned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for visiting polling units in Abuja during the Area Council elections, describing his actions as “direct interference” and a potential source of voter intimidation.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said Wike’s tour, which followed a curfew imposed on potential voters, represents direct interference in the election.

“The African Democratic Congress strongly condemns the movement of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, around various polling units in Abuja under the guise of monitoring.

“Wike’s monitoring exercise, after unilaterally imposing a curfew on potential voters, represents direct interference in the election,” the statement reads.

The party added that Wike “is not a registered voter in the FCT, and as a known partisan and cabinet minister, he has no constitutional role in the exercise.”

The statement highlighted reports of voter suppression and intimidation, including “alleged collaboration between APC agents and some security personnel,” and urged all ADC party agents and voters to “remain calm but vigilant, and to document all incidents.”

The party also flagged disruptions to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, noting it “has remained inaccessible even as results are being collated,” and called on the electoral commission to “urgently restore full IReV functionality, with a clear public explanation of the disruption.”


ADC described Wike’s presence during active voting as “vexatious and meddlesome” and said it “risks intimidating voters and officials,” while urging citizens to report all irregularities to safeguard the integrity of the elections.

It was earlier reported that videos shared by Wike’s media aide, Olayinka Lere, showed the minister at polling stations in Karu, Karshi, and Garki.

Speaking after monitoring the exercise and interacting with voters, Wike said the elections were peaceful, security personnel had performed well, and turnout was “quite impressive” in satellite towns, though low in the city centre.

garykoeman:
Stale

Atiku, tambuwal amechi T.a orji and co were never invited by Efcc but that does not exempt them from corrupt practices.

garykoeman:
How can a former governor of a state be a private citizen.

Did he return all the funds he looted as anambra governor.

The money kept in his daughter offshore account.

Anambra stolen funds channel to build next supermarket in FCT.

Wickedfact:
We will criticise and drag Obi as long a we please. We can criticise Tinubu, criticise Atiku but when he comes to Obi, you Ibo Obidients will be crying that we shouldn't criticise him.

Obi's ideas are unintelligent and outdated. He is inferior in thinking and his thoughts can't stand the tests of commonsense and sanity.

garykoeman:
But the same man refused to conduct lga election in Anambra state.


What a shame.

Exousiang01:
You mean Obi was jumping around all for nothing?
He is still laboring in vain after leaving the Labour Party

Franklyspeakin:
Benjamin Kalu's candidate becomes vice chancellor of Abia federal universities the headline should read. 2027 election go rugged. What God Cannot Do Does not exist.

Melezenawii:
Nigerians Rush To Sell Off Dollars Read more: https://www.legit.ng/business-economy/money/1697944-nigerians-rush-sell-dollars-naira-hit-exchange-rate/

ImoleNaija:
Your worst mantra is never ending.

Even in 10 years, you will still call whosoever is the IGP the worst, as long as he's not who you want or not working with the govt you want.