The Catholic bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province have criticised federal and state ministries in their state of the nation and evangelical address on Tuesday.

“While many relevant federal ministries continue to underperform, many correlating ministries at the state levels remain comatose and even moribund,” said the Catholic leaders. “In spite of many commendable initiatives from the federal government to kickstart and energise many critical sectors in Nigeria, much more needs to be done overall to truly bring Nigeria back onto the path of progress and peace, as a country where everyone can call home.”

This was disclosed in a communique jointly signed by their chairman, Leke Gabriel Abegunrin, and secretary, John Akin Oyejola, after a meeting on Tuesday of the Ibadan Archdiocese, comprising Ilorin, Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, and Osogbo dioceses.

“Rebuilding a welfarist society in Nigeria,” the bishops said, would require the cooperation of all segments and sectors of society.

“The government and sundry authorities must, however, play the roles for which they occupy their exalted offices. These include security of life and property, provision of basic healthcare, critical infrastructure like stable electricity, water supply, motorable roads, incentives for agriculture, employment facilities, and so on.

“For example, the government must quickly address the strike of the health workers in Nigeria, which has lasted for almost two months, and which has subjected the common people to considerable suffering and to scant access to healthcare, causing needless deaths and suffering.

“Anything short of this is unacceptable and tragic. Nigerians surely deserve better than what obtains at present, whereby major road arteries between major cities, especially in the South-West, remain deplorable and often impassable.