The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria has criticized the federal government’s reliance on food imports, warning that the policy is merely postponing the country’s “evil days” while urging the adoption of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results.
Outgoing CBCN President, Lucius Ugorji, made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing journalists at the conclusion of the 2026 First Plenary Assembly Mass in Abuja.
Mr. Ugorji expressed concern that importing food to temporarily reduce market prices undermines local farmers, many of whom have taken loans to invest in their farms.
“The CBCN frowns at the intervention that consists of the importation of food in order to reduce prices.
Rather, the government should encourage farmers by giving them subsidies. In most countries, governments give subsidies to farmers to help them buy fertilisers, equipment, and tools. If they produce at a low cost, they will sell at a low cost,” he said.
He added that failing to protect farmers and give them the opportunity to produce food is “like postponing the evil days.”
The cleric also decried the loss of trillions of naira to illegal mining and bunkering, which funds terrorism, while the wealth from natural resources fails to benefit the majority of Nigerians.
He called on the government to deploy advanced monitoring tools and mining marshals to secure extraction sites and ensure that resource wealth is used for the common good.
On national security, the CBCN mourned the recent massacre of over 200 people in Woro and Nuku villages in Kwara State and the continuing wave of mass kidnappings in Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna, and Kogi states.
“We call for more investment in modern surveillance technology, stronger intelligence gathering, and swift prosecution of terrorists and their sponsors. Delay or pardon breeds complicity,” he said.
Turning to electoral reforms, the CBCN demanded the mandatory real-time transmission of results from polling units to collation centres using BVAS and IReV, warning that without such transparency, the will of the people could be subverted by “human interference.”
The conference also announced its new leadership. Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, Archbishop of Kaduna, was elected CBCN President, while Alfred Adewale Martins was named Vice-President, Peter Odetoyinbo as Secretary, and Peter Chukwu as Assistant Secretary.
Highlighting the unique spiritual significance of the 2026 Lenten season coinciding with Ramadan, the bishops described it as a “divine invitation” for Nigerians of all faiths to work together in harmony.
“A better Nigeria is possible. We must never give in to despair. Our faith calls us to serve the least among us and work for social transformation rooted in the common good,” Mr. Ugorji stated.
