Nigerian President Says Government “will continue to support Church in freedom of worship”

Nigeria has been grappling with insecurity since 2009 when the Boko Haram insurgency began targeted attacks with the aim of turning Africa's most populous nation into an Islamic State.

Members of the Islamist group have been organizing random attacks on various targets including civilians, political and religious leaders.

On September 12, Bishop Peter Kayode Odetoyinbo of Nigeria’s Abeokuta Diocese invited the people of God to pray for their political leaders involved in campaigns ahead of the 2023 elections to “always turn to God”, submitting to His will.

Bishop Odetoyinbo who was preaching during Holy Mass on  day four of the 2022 second Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) challenged Nigerians to contribute to progress in their respective communities in the example of the Centurion, saying, “Let us be dedicated in contributing to the development and unity of our social and ecclesial community.”

In his opening remarks at official opening of the CBCN Plenary Assembly on September 11 with Holy Mass, the CBCN President, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, spoke about insecurity in Africa’s most populous nation, saying, “We are passing through what might be deemed as the darkest chapter of our history as a nation.”

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Archbishop Ugorji highlighted other challenges Nigeria is facing, saying, “Extreme poverty, soaring unemployment rate, spiraling inflation, a collapsing economy with ever increasing debt burden and worsening insecurity have combined to complicate the plight of the average Nigerian, who appears condemned to a life of intolerable hardship and undeserved misery.”

The Local Ordinary of Nigeria’s Owerri Archdiocese advocated for “good governance that aims at common good” as “the best way to guarantee security” in the West African nation.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.