Nigeria’s Catholic bishops have sounded the alarm on a looming national crisis, warning that the country’s worsening youth unemployment and widespread frustration with governance could push the nation towards chaos.
The bishops made this warning at the opening of the 2025 first plenary meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in Abuja.
The CBCN President, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, painted a grim picture of the country’s economic and social challenges, stressing that the high rate of youth unemployment—currently at 53 percent—is a ticking time bomb. According to Ugorji, the surge in criminal activities such as kidnapping, armed robbery, internet fraud, drug abuse, cultism, and ritual killings is directly linked to the despair faced by millions of jobless young Nigerians.
Ugorji warned that if the government fails to take decisive action to address the crisis, the consequences will be dire. “We cannot be tired of urging the government at all levels to take youth unemployment seriously. Until there is a massive, ongoing creation of jobs, the government may continue to lose the war against insecurity and violent crime,” he said.
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama, called for a shift from mere religious displays to genuine spirituality and national transformation. He condemned the competition for religious supremacy, extravagant places of worship, and empty symbols that have done little to address the country’s moral and economic decay.
Kaigama urged religious leaders to lead by example in honesty, service, and love. “We must demand justice, advocate for the poor, and reject all forms of oppression. A new Nigeria is possible if we, as God’s people, take responsibility for building it,” he said.
The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, lamented that many Nigerians have reached their breaking point due to hunger, poverty, insecurity, and disease. He urged religious leaders to rekindle hope and provide courageous leadership in addressing the country’s moral and economic decay.