Catholic Bishops of Kaduna Ecclesiastical Province (KEP) have said that President Bola Tinubu took hasty decision on removal of fuel subsidy.
The bishops, in a statement signed at the end of their meeting on Tuesday in Kaduna, asked the president to consider reversing his decision.
The statement signed my Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso said the President’s rash decision has plunged Nigerians into economy crisis.
In a statement issued at the end of the second plenary of KEP on Tuesday in Kaduna,
Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso chairman of the bishops said Tinubu’s rash decision has brought about untold hardship to Nigerians.
“We have been with subsidy for the past twenty five years and we all knew it was eating deep into the finances of the nation and definitely had to go but the hasty manner in which the president announced the removal had a lot of implications on the psychology and economic well being of the people”, Ndagoso said.
He added the president should have removed the subsidy in phases by giving a six months’ notice to Nigerians.
He stressed that palliatives should have been given side by side with the subsidy removal.
“It is about the people even if the president spends 10 years removing subsidy in phases without inflicting severe hardship on the people that will be better”, the clergy man said.
The clergy man further urged the President not to listen to those “hawks” who see the protests as an affront to his government.
“The President should should, by appointments, find a way of bringing in competent Nigerians across party lines to help further national cohesion.
“We propose that he decongest the Presidential fleet, suspend or rethink the idea of purchasing a new plane for himself, and continue to tighten the belt on public expenditure.
“Looking inward, we encourage the president to liaise with local industrialists to widen the net for employment and self-sufficiency.
“In the medium and long term, the President should ban the use of foreign cars by all public officers.
“These policies can inspire confidence in our people. Rather than hiring non- state actors to pacify people, politicians must engage their people directly.
“We encourage the President to focus on the ideals of Democracy by building consensus rather than the temptation to search for enemies.
“Having come from a tradition of protest, the President should appreciate that these protests do not undermine a country. However, leaders of faith communities and civil society must also sharpen their tools and capacity for advocacy.
“The value of protests is in direct proportion to the quality of the social fabric of a given society.
“When we have a social fabric weakened by illiteracy, poverty and corruption, these protests can provide a cure that is worse than the disease. So, we must seek other options for engaging the government as the need arises.”
