By Arnold Neliba
OWERRI, AUGUST 1, 2023 (CISA)–Most Rev Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji Archbishop of the Catholic archdiocese of Owerri has cautioned the decision by the government to remove fuel subsidy saying it risks putting the country on the brink of collapse.
In his homily at the Maria Assumpta Cathedral, during the reception of the Supreme Subordinate President of the Knights of St. John International, Prof. Remy Uche, in Owerri said Nigeria lifting the subsidy without cushioning its effects will have a huge risk on the stability of the economy in Nigeria.
“Government has not ceased to inundate citizens with it’s fabled palliative measures to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal. I am sure those running the nation’s affairs at all levels know that palliative measures can never be a cure for any economic or health challenge,” the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria admonished.
According to him, continuous suffering in the country is going on uncontrollably and the growing economic crisis due to the withdrawal of petrol subsidy by the government puts the nation on the brink of collapse.
“If Nigerians are given food items as palliatives, we will definitely go hungry again, after consuming the food. So, I ask: Why waste resources on palliative measures, instead of attacking the problems frontally? Provision of a constant source of energy remains the driving force in all developing and developed economies. Why is ours different? Why should we not subsidize fuel?” he quipped.
The government cited that some people have been enriching themselves from the commonwealth through petrol subsidy, but according to the archbishop, the argument “does not hold water.”
“Why has the government failed, is unwilling or incapable of identifying the supposed culprits and bringing them to account for their sordid act?” he questioned.
The archbishop blamed “a lot of deceit and corruption” in Nigeria among the problems facing the country and how its leadership is aiding the culprits avert their dealings. For Nigeria to survive, he calling for a collective fight against corruption.
“There is a lot of deceit and corruption in the land. How can anybody explain why and how the former administration hurriedly commissioned the Dangote refinery, which is yet to start production? So, why the haste in commissioning an unfinished project?” he said further stating that “There is also the fabled story of the supposed Nigerian airline and how an aeroplane was hired or borrowed to flag off its operation. Where is the airline today? Has anyone been asked to account for the act? This is not a good national testimonial.”
Archbishop Ugorji has seemingly asked the not to punish the entire Nigerians for corruption tendencies by few individuals
