The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has urged Nigerians not to lose faith and should hope and work for a better Nigeria in the comity of nations.
President of the CBCN and Archbishop of Kaduna, Most Rev. Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, made the call on Sunday in his 2026 Easter Message titled: ‘The dawn is coming, don’t let go now, hold on to hope!’.
The CBCN President noted that the Lenten season just concluded, which partly coincided with the Ramadan period, offered citizens a solemn time of self-examination, repentance, and conversion.
“Even as we celebrate today, many Nigerians still bear crosses of grief and heartbreak caused by unabating insurgency, incessant kidnappings, and armed banditry. These are unarguably the consequences of many years of bad leadership; leadership marked by selfishness, greed, nepotism, tribalism, sectionalism, and a total lack of commitment to the common good.
“For the disciples of Jesus, the harrowing journey from the darkness of Good Friday through the long Holy Saturday of emptiness, silence, and disbelief was shattered by the rejuvenating news of the rolling back of the stone.
“In this same vein, it is our fervent prayer that just as the stone of darkness and limitation was rolled back on that first Easter Sunday, bringing hope to the hopeless and the forlorn, so too may the heavy stone of anguish and pain caused by the excruciating burden of bad leadership be rolled back from the hearts and lives of Nigerians,” Most Rev. Ndagoso said.
He also noted that with the 2027 General Elections some months away and the INEC timetable already released, everyone must recognise that each hour of citizens’ life is loaded with consequences.
He said, “We cannot afford to let the “gold” of our opportunities be trodden underfoot. Hence: To the electorate, we say, it is not unexpected that many of you are disillusioned, feeling that your votes do not count. This has led to dangerous voter apathy.
“However, you cannot choose to abandon your moral duty to promote the common good. Faithful citizenship means becoming informed, active, and responsible participants.
“We therefore appeal to all eligible voters to ensure that you get your voters cards ready and verified. All well-meaning Nigerians must use the eyes of faith to ensure that only people with competence and integrity are elected.
“To INEC as the electoral body, we admonish you to do all within your power to assure Nigerians that their votes will not only count but be seen to count. No willing voter should be disenfranchised due to distance or surmountable administrative challenges or any form of glitches. The Church stands ready to collaborate with you to ensure that justice prevails.”
The CBCN leader urged majority of Nigerians who feel the fatal sting of bad government, banditry, instigated and politically-motivated communal attacks, loss of dear ones, hardship and joblessness that their scars make the promise of the resurrection even more meaningful.
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