The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) on Friday in Abuja bemoaned the high level of corruption at all levels of government in Nigeria.
The body said the situation is responsible for poverty and insecurity in the country.
A communiqué signed by Arch-Bishop Ignatius Kaigama, President of CBCN at the end of the first plenary conference titled “Faith and the Dignity of the Human Person”, noted that failure of the President, state governors and other officials to judiciously use public funds should be regarded as human rights abuse.
Part of it reads: “To respect the dignity of a person is to concede his rights to him as fully human.
“We cannot fail to point out that the pervasive lack of accountability and transparency in governance in Nigeria has become a serious abuse of human rights.
“A government that is negligent in this regard, assaults the intelligence of the citizen; this, too, is a gross violation of human dignity.
“We call on leaders in every sphere of our society to be more accountable and more transparent in the conduct of public affairs.
“The lack of accountability, especially in the oil industry in Nigeria continues to give our country a bad name, impoverishes the citizenry, and threatens national security.
“It is a gross violation of human dignity that Nigerians, citizens of a richly endowed land, live in dehumanising poverty.
“That is why the government and the governed must renew sincere efforts to fight corruption and the theft and wastage of public funds in Nigeria,’’ it said.
It called on relevant arms of government to adequately provide for the welfare of the men and women in the police, the army and other security agencies, who risk their lives to ensure security in the country.
“We, therefore, condemn the sad novelty of our government spending public funds on an artificial family planning programme that sacrifices morality on the altar of techniques of population control.
“We again call on our leaders and government to be wary of adopting policies and strategies, which compromise cultural and spiritual values as a solution to challenges, no matter how serious those challenges may be.”
The body of Catholic Bishops had equally declared the Diocese of Maiduguri a “Pastoral Emergency Area”.
The conference also initiated plans and strategies to directly support and sustain pastoral life in the Diocese of Maiduguri without neglecting to help other affected areas.
CBCN reiterated its commitment to the unity of Christians and reconfirm its membership of Christian Association of Nigeria.
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