Former Secretary-General of the Anglican Communion Worldwide, Bishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, has urged the Federal Government to acknowledge the hardship confronting Nigerians instead of denying its severity.
Idowu-Fearon, who is also the founder and director of the Kaduna Centre for the Study of Christian-Muslim Relations, said many Nigerians were struggling to afford food and other essential needs.
The Punch reported that the former Chairman of the Kaduna State Peace Commission spoke in Kaduna on Monday while addressing journalists on the economy, President Bola Tinubu’s recent meeting with Catholic archbishops, the 2027 elections and the role of religious leaders in politics.
His comments came against the backdrop of concerns over the effects of the government’s economic reforms, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and foreign exchange reforms.
While the government has defended the measures as necessary to stabilise the economy and boost revenue and investment, Nigerians have continued to complain about rising food prices, transportation fares, electricity costs and other household expenses.
Speaking about the situation, Idowu-Fearon said his interactions with ordinary Nigerians had shown him how severely the economic difficulties were affecting households.
“To say people are not suffering as a result of what is going on in our country, I think we are being economical with the truth,” he said.
He said some Nigerians could barely afford food and had resorted to cutting down the number of meals they ate.
“You can see suffering. There is no doubt about that.
“A good number of people just have one meal a day. They can hardly even have a balanced meal,” Idowu-Fearon said.
According to him, the hardship had also affected church attendance, as some worshippers could no longer afford transportation to religious services.
“It’s not that the people themselves can afford to take either taxis or buses to the church. So, there is poverty,” he said.
The bishop also questioned what was happening to the increased revenue being distributed to the different tiers of government.
“I also heard the Minister of Finance talking about trillions coming in, trillions going to the state governors, going to the local government chairmen. And I ask, where is the money? Where is this money?” he asked.
He cited the rising prices of household commodities as evidence of the severity of inflation, recalling that an item previously sold for about N500 was now being quoted at N5,000.
“Something that we were paying about 500 Naira for, 5,000! Tomatoes, anything you ask, they tell you thousand, thousand. What do we do?” he said.
Idowu-Fearon also complained about poor electricity supply, revealing that his residence had been without public power for several days.
“Since Friday, we have not had electricity.
Since Friday,” he said.
He called on the government to recognise the difficulties facing citizens and clearly communicate the steps being taken to address them.
“Instead of denying, government should say, ‘We are aware. This is what we are doing, this is what we are doing,’” he said.
The cleric further warned religious leaders against becoming too dependent on politicians, saying such relationships could weaken their ability to hold political leaders accountable.
“As religious leaders—whether an Imam or a priest, a Sheikh or a Bishop, whatever—when you begin to frequent politicians, you get corrupted,” he said.
He added, “If I give you money, if I make sure that you are very comfortable, you cannot challenge me. You’d rather become economical with the truth.”
On the 2027 elections, Idowu-Fearon advised Nigerians to focus on the character and values of candidates rather than their religion.
“Nigeria, honestly, this country does not need a Muslim or a Christian president. What we need is a president who is Christian or Muslim. There is a difference,” he said.
He maintained that neither Christianity nor Islam supported corruption, tribalism or dishonesty.
“Neither Islam nor Christianity encourages tribalism, stealing, telling lies, exploiting people,” he said.
Commenting on Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani’s decision to return the state to a Muslim-Christian political arrangement, the bishop said the move was consistent with the state’s political and religious realities.
“However, the political terrain in Kaduna supports what Governor Uba Sani has done. The terrain supports it,” he said.
He also opposed attempts by religious and traditional leaders to dictate voting choices to their followers ahead of the 2027 elections.
“I don’t subscribe to a traditional ruler, a Bishop, or whoever telling members what to do. We should have debates. We should encourage debates!” he said.
On insecurity, the former peace commission chairman acknowledged some improvement in Birnin Gwari but urged the authorities to sustain the pressure on criminal elements.
“The government is trying, but… they should not relent. They should keep the pressure on those who are committed to creating problems.
“Birnin Gwari today, as far as I’m concerned, is a part of the state we can flag, because things have really gone down a bit,” he said.
