The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has raised alarm over the worsening conditions of hunger, disease, and despair across Nigeria, urging President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the suffering of citizens.
In his Easter message to the nation, Bishop Kukah acknowledged the federal government’s decision to remove fuel subsidies, describing it as a necessary policy. However, he noted that despite the increase in government revenue through domestic reserves, millions of Nigerians have yet to feel the impact in their daily lives, while experiencing hunger, daily.
“For over ten years now, farming has become one of the most hazardous pre-occupations in our country,” Kukah said. “I restate the obvious by warning that mere palliative distribution diminishes the dignity of citizens.”
He warned that Nigerians remain trapped “between the rock of self-doubt and the hard place of hopelessness,” and called on the President to make food security a constitutional right for all citizens.
“Mr. President, hunger, sickness, and desolation stalk the land. Please, bring us down from this painful cross of hunger,” he pleaded.
The cleric’s remarks come amid rising inflation and food insecurity, which have worsened following economic reforms.
Kukah’s message is one of several recent calls from religious and civil leaders urging the government to take bolder steps toward alleviating the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
