Cardinal John Onaiyekan warns that mass poverty, insecurity, and failed governance are deepening Nigeria’s social crisis and threatening unity.
Newsroom (12/05/2026 Gaudium Press ) Nigeria is facing a deepening social and humanitarian crisis driven by worsening poverty, insecurity, and systemic governance failures, according to John Cardinal Onaiyekan. The Nigerian Cardinal warned that unless these interconnected challenges are addressed urgently, they could undermine national unity, peaceful coexistence, and the country’s long-term stability.
Speaking on the sidelines of the May 9 graduation ceremony of the eighth cohort of the Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace (COFP) Fellowship Programme, the Archbishop emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja described the conditions confronting millions of citizens as “mass impoverishment.” He attributed this situation not merely to economic pressures, but to failed systems, harmful public policies, and weak accountability structures.
Beyond visible acts of violence, Cardinal Onaiyekan emphasized what he called a less recognized but equally destructive phenomenon. “We also face another form of violence that many people fail to recognize immediately — the silent violence of poverty, exclusion, and bad governance,” he said.
According to the Cardinal, Nigeria is grappling with multiple, overlapping forms of violence that reinforce one another. These include terrorism, communal conflicts, unemployment, hunger, forced displacement, and growing hopelessness among citizens. Together, they create an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty that touches nearly every part of society.
“People are living in fear. Many families cannot feed themselves. Communities are displaced. Young people are frustrated and unemployed,” he lamented, painting a stark picture of daily life for ordinary Nigerians.
He stressed that widespread poverty is not an accident of fate but the consequence of deliberate policy choices and systemic failures. “People have been impoverished; many citizens became poor because of policies, systems, and structures that have failed them,” he said.
Cardinal Onaiyekan underscored the direct connection between governance and citizens’ quality of life, insisting that issues such as food security, healthcare, education, and safety are inseparable from leadership decisions. “We cannot continue pretending that economic hardship is disconnected from governance,” he warned, calling for greater accountability from those in positions of power.
The Catholic Church leader also challenged religious institutions to move beyond rhetoric and become more engaged with the social realities facing Nigerians. Faith communities, he said, have a responsibility to defend justice, protect human dignity, and promote the common good in tangible ways.
A central theme of Cardinal Onaiyekan’s remarks was the urgent need for deeper cooperation between Christians and Muslims. He argued that Nigeria’s religious diversity should be a source of strength rather than division. “Christians and Muslims in Nigeria have many common grounds. Instead of emphasizing our differences and competing for domination, we should focus on those shared values to confront our common challenges together,” he said.
He strongly rejected efforts to define Nigeria as belonging exclusively to one religious group, warning that such narratives only fuel exclusion and conflict. “Christians cannot drive Muslims away, and Muslims cannot drive Christians away. So why can’t we accept the fact that Nigeria is both Christian and Muslim and then work together to make this country a better home for everybody?” he asked.
Cardinal Onaiyekan said he envisions a Nigeria where religious and ethnic diversity becomes a foundation for solidarity rather than rivalry. “My vision is a Nigeria where Christians and Muslims stop seeing each other as rivals and begin to see each other as partners in nation-building,” he said.
Beyond Nigeria’s borders, the Cardinal also expressed alarm at what he described as the global normalization of war and violence, echoing concerns recently raised by Pope Leo XIV. “War is becoming fashionable instead of being regarded as the tragic human failure that it truly is. Once society normalizes violence, humanity is in danger,” he cautioned.
Turning again to Nigeria’s internal security challenges, he cited violent extremism in the Lake Chad Basin, farmer-herder clashes in the Middle Belt, widespread kidnappings, and rising political tensions ahead of the 2027 general elections. “These are not mere statistics that we discuss in conferences; these are lived realities affecting millions of Nigerians every day,” he said.
In a separate interview with ACI Africa at the same event, the Vice-Chancellor of Veritas University Abuja, Fr. Hyacinth Ichoku, offered further insight into the roots of Nigeria’s divisions. He pointed to intense political competition and struggles over access to state resources as key drivers of conflict, describing the phenomenon through the concept of “prebendalism.”
“The intense competition for political power has caused many people to use religion and ethnicity as instruments for accessing authority and influence,” Fr. Ichoku explained. He noted that Nigeria’s situation is particularly troubling given that other African countries with similar levels of ethnic and religious diversity have managed to coexist more peacefully.
Drawing from his travels to countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, Fr. Ichoku observed that Nigeria’s challenges are not inevitable. “In Nigeria, however, almost everything is interpreted through the lens of conflict and division,” he said.
He expressed concern that many Nigerians now identify themselves primarily by religion or ethnicity rather than as citizens of a shared nation, warning that this trend poses a grave threat to national unity. Still, he maintained that peace remains possible. “Wherever there is conflict, there should also be voices advocating peace, reconciliation, and coexistence,” he said.
Together, the reflections of Cardinal Onaiyekan and Fr. Ichoku underscore a common message: Nigeria’s future depends on accountable governance, social justice, and a renewed commitment to unity across religious and ethnic lines.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACI Africa
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