Naira crunch, petrol scarcity worsen plight of Nigerians – Catholic Bishops

…urge FG to increase circulation of new naira notes

By Precious Oham

The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria said that the continued scarcity of naira notes and petrol has aggravated the cost of living in the country.

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the First Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, in Abuja, jointly signed by its President, Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji, Archbishop of Owerri and Secretary, Most Rev. Donatus Ogun, Bishop of Uromi.

According to them, the uncertainty, fears and concerns from the naira and petrol scarcity is significantly having a telling effect on the citizens.

While calling on the Federal Government to speedily ensure that the new naira notes are in circulation, they admonished those hoarding the new naira notes and petroleum products to desist from such act.

On the forthcoming general elections, they vehemently condemned the practice of vote buying and selling while urging the Independent National Electoral Commission to be transparent, honest and beyond reproach in their conducts.

“Our crumbling national economy has continued to make life difficult and hard for our people. As the value of the naira continues to decline, the high cost of goods and services, including food items, continues to soar.

“Still more, the flawed implementation of the cash swap policy, which resulted in a cash crunch, has added to the ordeal, hunger, anger, and frustration of the people.

“Again, on account of the persisting fuel scarcity, our people spend many hours in long queues under harsh conditions trying to buy fuel at exorbitant prices.

“As a result of high unemployment and hard-biting economic conditions, many of our brothers and sisters wallow in abject poverty, and many either flee the nation in search of better living conditions or resort to crime and begging to survive.

“We, therefore, urge the Federal Government and its relevant agencies to immediately increase the circulation of new naira notes and make and implement adequate monetary and other relevant policies that will reduce the suffering and hardship experienced by our people.

“We urge the Independent National Electoral Commission and its officials to ensure that their conducts in the entire electoral process are transparent, honest and beyond reproach.

“One ugly trend and unfortunate phenomenon that has characterized the electoral contests in our nation is that of vote buying and selling aimed at frustrating and compromising the free choice of the people.

“We vehemently continue to condemn this practice and urge all politicians and the electorate to avoid this unlawful and sinful practice and embrace the values of human dignity, integrity and decency in other to have free, fair and credible elections.”