The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has expressed worry over the persisting hardship and insecurity across the country, saying the future of the nation remained bleak despite some recorded progress.

Worried by the state of affairs of the nation, CBCN cautioned against abuse of human rights, perpetration of injustice and corruption, stressing that leaders who loot public coffers should be mindful of the dangers of provoking the populace to effect change through violent uprising.

Speaking at the opening plenary of the first meeting of the CBCN in 2025, President of the Conference and Archbishop of the Owerri Archdiocese, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, expressed worry that the country has continued to face various challenges.

According to him, these include harsh socio-economic situations, heightening insecurity, rising youth unemployment and the deplorable state of federal correctional centres.

He said: “While the economic reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration aims at stabilising the economy in the long term, they have significantly triggered sky-rocketing inflation, drastically reduced the purchasing power of Nigerians, and plunged millions into poverty.

“The World Bank projects that 129 million Nigerians now live below the poverty line. The 2024 Global Report on Food Crisis lists Nigeria as the second globally in terms of acute food insecurity, with 24 million people categorised as food insecure”.

On insecurity, he said that more and more communities are being terrorised, traumatised, displaced, impoverished and their ancestral homes taken over by their conquerors.

Ugorji said the bishops are concerned that the government has not fully deployed technology to complement the efforts of security agents in tackling crime in the country.

Ugorji who led the audience to observe a minute silence in honour of priests and other Nigerians who lost their lives in the hands of terrorists and kidnappers said: ” Gruesome tales are told of the kidnapping and cruel slaughtering of Nigerians for harvesting human parts for sale or rituals undertaken by criminal gangs.

“Enough of this senseless brutality! Enough of this barbarism! This carnage must stop! While we appreciate the efforts of the security operatives, who put their lives on the line to fight the criminals and put an end to their savagery, we wonder why the government has not deployed high technology to complement the efforts of security operatives”.

Ugorji also spoke of rising youth unemployment, adding that where youths constitute 70 per cent of the population, youth unemployment in the country has remained a major concern.

As the country grapples with multifaceted challenges, the president of the Bishops Conference urged Nigerians not to give up the struggle for good governance based on free, fair and transparent elections.

He lamented the level of injustice and inhumane treatment being meted out to persons under extended custody without court hearing, saying that such actions amounted to violation of fundamental rights of the affected individuals.

Ugorji drew attention to the situation in Nigeria’s federal correctional centres which he described as deplorable.
Apart from the inhumane condition of the correctional facilities, the Bishop said that the manner in which suspects are thrown into the detention centres without trial, undermine the judicial process and perpetuate injustice.

“To reverse this sad trend, there is a need to uphold fundamental rights. We should tirelessly insist on good governance that is rooted in free, fair and credible general elections. We should continue to empower our people through civic education and the church’s social teaching.

“Furthermore, we should continue to appeal to corrupt leaders, who loot public coffers to be mindful of the dangers of provoking the populace to effect change through violent uprising. They should learn from the history of revolutions,” he said.

In acknowledging that some measure of progress had been recorded by the present administration, the CBCN president said there have been rehabilitation of some dilapidated roads and the construction of new ones across the nation.

He also highlighted the introduction of the student loan scheme, the new minimum wage, and the reduction in revenue to debt servicing from 97 per cent to 68 per cent.

“We have also learnt of some of the positive effects of the economic and fiscal reforms embarked upon by the government.  Despite all these, the state of the nation remains bleak, as dark clouds of uncertainty and despondency continue to gather,” he said.

Earlier in his homily at the opening mass celebrated at the St. Gabriel’s Paris, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria in Abuja, the Host-Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama said that no matter how difficult the country’s present circumstances may be, God’s saving power can lead Nigeria to a future filled with hope and abundance.

In a goodwill message, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Archbishop, Daniel Okoh expressed hope that with the interventions of good spirited persons and bodies like the Catholic Church, Nigeria will rediscover itself and chart a new course for society.

Some chairmen of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory have expressed full support for the newly elected executives, calling on the outgoing leadership to promptly hand over all association properties.

Speaking at a meeting of CAN state chairmen, youth, and women leaders on Sunday, Apostle Shina Ibiyemi, representing the Kwara State CAN chairman, emphasized the need for a smooth transition.

He said, “Seated here are chairmen of CAN from different states and Youth and Women Leaders of CAN 19 Northern States and FCT. Rev. Yakubu Pam and Elder Sunday Oibe’s leadership have remained in office for nearly three years after the end of their tenure in May 2022.

“We officially affirm that Rev. Pam and Oibe are our former leaders. It is time for them to hand over to our newly elected leaders.”

Ibiyemi highlighted that an election was conducted on February 25, 2025, in Abuja, during which new leaders were elected.

He stated, “On February 25, 2025, we met in Abuja and elected new leaders for our esteemed association, an election that ushered in: Rev. Joseph Hayab as the Chairman, Rev. Dr. Jonah Samson as Vice Chairman, Bishop Mohammed Naga as Secretary General, Special Apostle Tajudeen Afolabi as Assistant Secretary, Rev. Father Dr. Polycarp Lubo as Treasurer, Pastor Dr. Simon A.S. Dolly as Director of National Issues, Grace Kaka as Director of Legal and Public Affairs, among others.”

Expressing confidence in the new leadership, he pledged unwavering support for their administration and its four-point agenda focused on uniting Christians in Northern Nigeria and safeguarding their rights.

Other leaders who voiced support included Ambassador Elizabeth Azizi, chairperson of the Women Wing of CAN in the 19 Northern States and FCT; Evangelist Musa Misal, chairman of the Youth Wing of CAN in the 19 Northern States and FCT; Rev. Fr. Maurice Koli Hassan, CAN chairman in Jigawa State; and Apostle Joshua Michael, Secretary of Borno State CAN.

CAN chairmen from Kaduna, Kwara, Sokoto, Jigawa, Zamfara, Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, Benue, Gombe, Yobe, Kano, FCT, Borno, Adamawa, Kogi, and Katsina also backed the newly elected executives.

However, in response to allegations of refusing to vacate office, Rev. Yakubu Pam denied the claims, insisting that his tenure was still valid.

He argued, “My tenure has not expired. The last time the NEC met, we all agreed to reconvene in May this year to fix an election date.

“So the issue of expiration of tenure is not in question. Who called for the meeting, and under what authority was the election conducted? Do they have the constitution or the bylaw to organize the election?

“Can another body call for a meeting and conduct an election for another body? Can they dissolve an executive without its members being present? There was no election.

“Northern CAN has never conducted an election in Abuja. In our history, we have never held an election outside our headquarters in Kaduna. There was no circular announcing an election.”

Neda Imasuen, chair of the Senate Committee on Ethics that recommended the suspension of Natasha Akpoti, has been stripped of his bar licence in New York, U.S., over allegations of multimillion-dollar fraud and gross misconduct.

A document obtained by Peoples Gazette showed that Mr Imasuen had been disbarred for life in New York after he swindled his client, absconding with representation fees without making an appearance for her in court.

The Gazette spoke with a court officer who said Mr Imasuen was permanently disbarred after collecting money from a client and failing to represent her. He also refused to comply with the disciplinary panel’s attempt to investigate his misconduct.

Daphne Shyfield hired Mr Imasuen to represent her on a matter in 2009 and paid him tens of millions of dollars for legal fees.

Instead of appearing for Ms Shyfield, Mr Imasuen absconded with the money, a move that triggered a morass of petitions, given that his actions contravened existing New York bar code and rules.

Despite being served with petitions on multiple occasions in the U.S., Mr Imasuen failed to respond to any of the petitions and did not ask for an extension of time to file a response.

The Edo South senator, instead, fled to Nigeria with Ms Shyfield’s funds to lay low and escape disciplinary actions from the Grievance Committee, the body responsible for issuing rulings for the infractions of jurists.

Following several failed attempts to obtain a response to petition files, the Grievance Committee for the Second, Eleventh, and Thirteenth Judicial Districts terminated Mr Imasuen’s licence to practice law in New York.

“Neda B. Imasuen, admitted as Neda Bernards Imasuen, is disbarred, and his name is stricken from the roll of attorneys and counselors-at-law,” reads a decision of the Grievance Committee on May 10, 2010.

“Neda Bernards Imasuen is commanded to desist and refrain from (1) practicing law in any form, either as principal or agent, clerk, or employee of another, (2) appearing as an attorney or counsellor-at-law before any court, judge, justice, board, commission, or other public authority,” reads a notice of his disbarment.

Meanwhile, in Nigeria, Mr Imasuen, 66,  rode on the waves of the Labour Party to win the Edo South senatorial poll in 2023 and wormed his way to becoming the chair of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions.

That the same man with a 15-year-old history of disregarding petitions was now heading the Senate Committee on Ethics and Public Petitions called into question the integrity —if any, of the people in the nation’s leadership positions.

Last Wednesday, Mr Imasuen was quick to dismiss Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio on the ground that it did not follow due process.

The Edo senator dismissed the petition as “dead on arrival” because Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan signed the document, which he said violated the Senate rule book. He later accepted it on Friday after the female lawmaker resubmitted it with the signature of her constituent’s member.

Mr Imasuen did not immediately return comments on his New York disbarment.

His disbarment is typical of many Nigerian politicians who commit crimes on foreign soil and flee to Nigeria with fraud proceeds, with which they contest elections.

Former speaker and the president’s chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, got his law licence terminated by the State Bar of Georgia in the U.S. over his corruption and ethical lapses. He admitted to stealing $25,000 from his client.

Mr Imasuen’s disbarment by the New York Supreme Court adds yet a new name to the growing list of individuals with tainted pasts occupying high-ranking government positions in Nigeria.