ANGLICAN CHURCH BEMOANSEFFECTS OF SUBSIDY REMOVAL,CALLS FOR TRANSPARENTMANAGEMENT OF ACCRUED FUNDS
(By Alex Uzoigwe)
The Anglican Communion (Church of Nigeria), Anambra State, has raised her voice against what she described as very excruciating effects of the recent subsidy removal, pitying vulnerable Nigerians for the attendant hardships of the policy.
According to the Church, "the effect of the subsidy removal is on everyone and every sector", and expressed deep apprehension that as the people were already feeling the heat, increase in crime might be inevitable.
The Archbishop, Ecclesiastical Province of the Niger, His Grace, the Most Rev. Alexander Ibezim, raised the alarm in the Presidential Address he presented to the one-day summit of the province held at the All Saints' Cathedral, Onitsha, recently.
In the 12-page address, the Most Rev Ibezim, had while bemoaning the subsidy removal and its corresponding hardships remarked, "The current situation in our nation is very challenging considering the removal of subsidy".
He advised the Federal Government to design plausible ways to cushion the effects of the subsidy withdrawal and also urged her to endeavour to maintain absolute integrity and transparency in the management of resources accruable from the subsidy removal.
The archbishop specifically charged the government to channel proceeds from the subsidy removal towards the implementation of rolled out projects, job creation and skills development in order to protect the vulnerable citizens from undue hardships.
He also advised the government on ministerial appointments, saying that such appointments should focus on upholding the principles of good governance, federal character, accountability and inclusiveness.
To him, the candidates must have records of integrity and accountability so as to ensure the preservation of the people's aspirations and confidence, regretting some irregularities which he said were noted by the National Assembly.
----####----
