Insecurity, neo-paganism, others worry Catholic Bishops

<p>The Catholic Bishops of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province have stated their worry over the resort to neo-paganism by Nigerians, worsening Insecurity, 2023 elections with many pitfalls, sit-at-home and the south-east and moving beyond the present precipice among others.</p>, <p>In a communiqué, they issued after their meeting at Umuahia Diocesan Secretariat, Wednesday, where they described the year, 2023 as a rough year for Nigerians, noting, “The year 2023 started with the promise of a fresh start for our nation, especially with the transition to a new democratic dispensation.</p>, <p>Thus far, that promise has not come to fruition. Over the last couple of months, Nigerians have continued to battle poverty, misery, high cost of living, and inflationary pressures exacerbated by the ripple effects of government policies”.</p>, <p>According to the communique signed by the chairman of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Lucious Ugorji, the Archbishop of Owerri and Secretary, Most Rev. Augustine N. Echema, Bishop of Aba, and read by the Catholic Bishop of Umuahia, Most Rev. Michael Kalu Ukpong, the Bishops expressed their shock over “the controversial Naira redesign policy that crippled businesses and made life and access to one’s own funds so difficult for many”, removal of the subsidy on petroleum, the Central Bank of Nigeria unification of all segments of the foreign exchange market as part of efforts to engender transparency in the markets and boost investors’ confidence, the ugly sight of our people toiling under excruciating economic conditions is not only frightening but heartbreaking, though the Federal Government has announced a series of “palliative” measures to mitigate the impact of these policies.</p>, <p>They also noted that “in the midst of these hard economic realities, Nigerians have seen their freedom to move about and hustle for their daily needs hampered by rising insecurity that has led to scores of deaths of innocent citizens, members of the security personnel, traditional rulers, priests a