Nigerians witnessed unprecedented hardship in 2024 — Bishop Ike

The Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rt. Revd. Samuel Ike, on Tuesday, reviewed the country’s situation in 2024, stressing that it witnessed unprecedented hardship in every facet of national life.

Bishop Ike, who reeled out a catalogue of misadventures that challenged the country in 2024, urged Nigerians to return to the fear of God and righteousness in their daily living, dealings, and governance in 2025.

He stated: “The World Food Programme reported that Nigeria had an increase in those with acute hunger, from 18.6 million at the end of 2023, to a staggering 26.5 million by August 2024. The hunger in the land was so severe that by the last two weeks of December 2024, there had been reported needless and sad loss of lives and injuries from stampedes occurring as people were hustling and queuing up for palliatives in the FCT, Ibadan in Oyo State, and Okija in Anambra State, respectively.

“The youth restiveness, with high levels of unemployment, culminating in the nationwide ‘End Bad Governance Protests’ of August 2024; the high cost of living for essentially every basic and vital item, with the floating of the naira and the constantly changing exchange rate; the continued destabilizing effect of the removal of the fuel subsidy, resulting in escalated premium motor spirit (fuel), diesel, cooking gas, and even kerosene costs; the increase in electricity tariffs across the board, and yet with an unprecedented number of national grid system shut-downs; the astronomic increase in transportation costs with harrowing, top-of-the-roof, prohibitive costs of food items.”

He continued that the hydra-headed, persistent insecurity in the country had seemingly remained insurmountable to the combined efforts of the gallant Security, Defence, and Intelligence Services and Agencies.

“The kidnappers, the bandits, the terrorists (lately added to the fray are the LAKURAWA terrorists in Sokoto State) have remained unchecked in their lawless and rampaging activities. Since the first week of December 2024, a retired Archbishop of the Anglican Communion and his driver were kidnapped in Anambra State, and nothing has been heard of them till date. A Reverend Father was killed in the same Anambra State,” he added.

Bishop Ike stated that the spate of insecurity was a wake-up call for the Governors of the South Eastern States, as well as the Joint Security and Armed Forces, to act up to their basic responsibility of protecting the lives and property of citizens.

He added that they can effectively deploy both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches, effective proactive surveillance, and intelligence devices such as drones, to stem the ugly situation.

He called on the Federal and supra-national governments at the state level, as well as the National Security Defence and Intelligence forces, to be more honest, dedicated, focused, and synergised in tackling this unacceptable, unsavoury, and national image-denting monster that has seemingly remained the signature identity of Nigeria for years now.

“It is continuously decimating our citizenry, workforce, and food security; drying up the raw materials and incentives for our few surviving industries and medium- and small-scale enterprises; and fast-eroding Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), as well as bleeding our foreign reserves in the humongous amounts spent on National Security and Defence,” he stated.

In his New Year message, captioned: “Another Year Is Dawning,” the Cleric stated that the country could wipe out insecurity, “if we muster the resolve and political will to do so.”

He stated that year 2025 was a challenge to Nigerians to “look forward and look up to God, the Creator of the world, and the Ultimate Controlling force in the affairs of the lives of people and nations,” adding that individually and as a people, they should resolve to return to the fear of God and righteousness in daily living, dealings, and governance.

Quoting profusely from sections of the Bible to buttress the need to return to God, he prayed for a better and greater nation.

“It is another year of keeping hope alive—for improved social wellbeing; improved means of livelihood, resources, and food security; as well as human development index in our dear nation; vastly improved national security and stability; improved peaceful coexistence in all parts of our country; and improved performance in all sectors of our economy,” he added.