The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria has urged the federal government to provide subsidies and security for local farmers rather than focusing on food imports to ensure sustainable food security.

The outgoing president of the CBCN, Lucius Ugorji, made the call on Wednesday while addressing journalists at the end of the 2026 First Plenary Assembly Mass held in Abuja.

Mr Ugorji expressed concern that while importing food might temporarily crash market prices, the move was detrimental to local farmers who had taken loans to invest in their farms.

”The CBCN frowns at the intervention that consists of the importation of food in order to reduce prices. Rather, the government should encourage farmers by giving them subsidies. ”In most countries, governments give subsidies to farmers to help them buy fertilisers, equipment, and tools. If they produce at a low cost, they will sell at a low cost,” he said.

The cleric noted that failing to protect farmers and provide them the opportunity to produce food was “like postponing the evil days”.

He also lamented that trillions of naira were being lost to illegal mining and bunkering, which in turn funded terrorism, while the wealth from natural resources failed to translate into prosperity for the majority.

The archbishop urged the government to deploy advanced monitoring tools and mining marshals to secure sites and ensure that resource wealth was used for the common good.

On the state of the nation, the CBCN mourned the recent massacre of over 200 people in Woro and Nuku villages, Kwara, and the ongoing mass kidnappings in Kebbi, Niger, Kaduna, and Kogi.

”We call for more investment in modern surveillance technology, stronger intelligence gathering, and swift prosecution of terrorists and their sponsors. Delay or pardon breeds complicity,” he said.

Regarding electoral reforms, the CBCN demanded mandatory real-time transmission of results from polling units to collation centres via BVAS and IReV to restore voter confidence.

Mr Ugorji warned that without such transparency, the will of the people remained at risk of being subverted by “human interference”.

The conference also announced its new leadership, with Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, Archbishop of Kaduna, elected as the CBCN’s new president. Other elected officers include Alfred Adewale Martins (vice-president), Peter Odetoyinbo (secretary), and Peter Chukwu (assistant secretary).

The bishops noted the unique spiritual significance of the 2026 Lenten season coinciding with Ramadan, calling it a “divine invitation” for Nigerians of all faiths to work in harmony.

”A better Nigeria is possible. We must never give in to despair. Our faith calls us to serve the least among us and work for social transformation rooted in the common good,” Mr Ugorji stated.

(NAN)