The Archbishop of the Metropolitan and Primate of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Henry Ndukuba, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime to find a lasting solution to the fuel crisis in the country, stressing that corruption is tearing the nation apart.
“The great monster of corruption is endemic, and it has killed our nation. As Christians, we must rise to make a difference in our nation. We certainly cannot afford to be accumulating debts capable of enslaving our future generations,” the Anglican primate warned.
Mr Ndukuba stated this while speaking on the state of the economy at the Church of Nigeria Standing Community Meeting on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said it was saddening that Nigeria, unlike other oil-producing nations, could not benefit from increased oil prices despite OPEC’s increase of her output quota.
”We call on the relevant authorities to expeditiously address this sharp fall in remittance by NNPC. We re-emphasise the urgent need for a lasting solution to the lingering abused fuel subsidies and persistent oil theft of our national oil infrastructure,” the Anglican spiritual head stressed.
He urged Mr Buhari’s regime to show determination in resolving the issue.
“Government must show the political will to curb this malaise and leverage on technology to protect these assets,” the clergy stated. “We demand more transparency and accountability by NNPC in the management of this key national wealth.”
He further charged Nigeria’s monetary authority to utilise necessary monetary policy tools to stem inflation.
The Anglican Church leader reiterated the need for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to rise to its responsibility by defending the value of the naira.
The primate urged relevant authorities to tackle insecurity in the country, adding that it “is impacting negatively on foreign investment” in the country.
Mr Ndukuba also decried the seeming collapse of the nation’s educational system. He said the future of Nigerian youths was being jeopardised and urged relevant authorities to address it.
”We encourage our dioceses to invest in the education of our people. The church of God must rise to give quality education that is rooted in sound Christian faith and morals that will transform our society,“ he said.
(NAN)
