New constitution will avert ‘doomsday’ in Nigeria, Anglican Primate tells Tinubu

Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev Henry Ndukuba on Thursday said that the only legacy that President Bola Tinubu can lay is to give Nigerians good governance.

He stated that shying away from giving the country a new constitution would “amount to postponing the doomsday”.

At the 2024 Standing Committee Meeting of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) held at the St. Andrew’s Basilica Anglican Church, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu, Ndukuba, explained that the country is confronted by several issues threatening its existence, the majority of which was expressed by Nigerians during the recently held #EndBadGovernance protest.

“This new Constitution will take into consideration the concerns already expressed in the Sovereign National Conferences and the various calls for the restructuring of Nigeria. Shying away from doing this amounts to postponing the doom’s day,” he said.

Ndukuba, who lamented the near loss of confidence of Nigerians in the leadership, noted that the #EndBadGovernance protest was held despite lacking an identifiable leadership or clear set of demands, in spite of efforts of the federal and state governments to stop it.

“This was a clear indication that the people are tired of constant but failed promises by the government to stem the rising cost of living which has imposed severe hardship on most households in the country.

“Furthermore, the often-amplified calls for understanding and sacrifice by those in authority while their lifestyle, actions, and display of affluence and luxury amid scarcity for most people, do not help matters.

“The protest is a clarion call to governments at all levels, especially the federal, to heed the cry of the people, and not scapegoat anyone, as no government can legislate or stop people who are hungry from protesting,” he said.

He, however, described the act as unacceptable, insisting that it negates the norms of protest in Nigeria and appeared to be a play at the unconstitutional change of government which the church strongly condemned.

“We believe that this ill-advised gambit if not checked, can lead to a breach in our democracy. This incident should be fully investigated to ascertain and deal with the causes and the instigators of this crime.

“Unfortunately, it could be that there are some sacred cows behind this incident, as it seems to have been swept under the carpet. We call for action to mitigate future occurrences,” he said.

The Church, however, felicitated with President Tinubu and the Nigerian workers on the signing into law of the new minimum wage of N70,000, saying that it is a commendable development.

He called on the government to extend the scheme to cover pensioners, saying many of whom are living on starvation wages.

“The constant verification of pensioners makes them the most ‘verified’ demographic in Nigeria. Yet, pensions are not paid or are interminably delayed.

“This anomaly should be addressed to save those who have given their all in service to the nation and who the government has abandoned in their times of need,” he said.

Meanwhile, Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah called for the Church’s and citizens’ continued support in the task to reinvent Enugu State, even as he ruled out political correctness in the war against insecurity in the state.

He also reiterated his commitment to revamp social infrastructure, banish poverty, and grow the state’s economy exponentially.

Mbah, who was a guest at the 2024 Standing Committee Meeting of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, held in the state capital on Thursday, stated that his administration would not spear any effort in moving the state to a new height.