— Highlights Gains of Economic Reforms
– Tasks Church to Preach Patience, Progress
By Chris Ugwu
The Deputy National Leader (Southeast) of the Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN), Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, has waded into the raging national debate following the recent visit of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insisting that Nigeria under the President is moving decisively in the right direction and only requires the patience which the church itself teaches as a Christian virtue.
Ngoforo spoke in Enugu on Tuesday when he received clerics and members of the Apostolic Church of God, led by Pastor Ephraim Onwumere, on a courtesy visit. The visit came days after Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, disclosed on Arise News that President Tinubu had disagreed with the bishops’ assessment of the economy and security situation during their meeting at the State House, an exchange that has since triggered heated arguments between defenders of the church and defenders of the government.
Ngoforo began by insisting that President Tinubu, even as a Muslim, remains one of the greatest defenders of religious freedom in Nigeria’s history, and commended the Catholic Bishops for discharging their moral obligation of speaking truth to power.
He noted that the Bishops, like the CBCN leadership under Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso, who had raised concerns bordering on insecurity, economic hardship and governance, were well within their rights as spiritual leaders to share their assessment with the President. However, he maintained that their concerns, while sincerely held, did not reflect the full picture of a country he insists is on the path of genuine recovery, and urged the church to exercise patience, a virtue it consistently preaches to its own congregations.
On the economy, Ngoforo pointed to what he described as widespread commendation of the administration’s fiscal policy, arguing that the monetary environment is steadily recovering from shocks inherited from the previous administration. He said the removal of the fraudulent fuel subsidy regime, a decision he noted past administrations avoided for political convenience, has freed up substantial resources now being deployed to transform infrastructure across states of the federation. He acknowledged that reforms of this magnitude naturally come with early inconveniences for citizens, but insisted the worst days of adjustment are already behind the country, with health, education, infrastructure and foreign policy sectors all recording notable progress under the administration.
Speaking on security, Ngoforo conceded that occasional breaches still occur but argued that the government has consistently responded with urgency and competence whenever such incidents arise. He cited the rescue of the Oyo State schoolchildren and teachers as clear evidence of the administration’s proactive disposition, referencing the operation in which a well-coordinated intelligence-led operation involving the Nigerian Army, working alongside other security agencies, rescued 44 pupils and teachers kidnapped from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. He argued that this outcome, achieved without any ransom payment, demonstrated the sincerity and capability of the security architecture under President Tinubu.
Ngoforo further pointed to the state police initiative, which he said is at its final stage of implementation, as proof of the administration’s commitment to permanently addressing Nigeria’s security architecture rather than offering temporary palliatives. He described the transformation of the security situation in the Southeast as perhaps the most compelling testimony of the government’s resolve, noting that normal life and business activities have returned to almost every part of the zone, a sharp turnaround from the years of killings, kidnappings and disruption that once characterized the region.
The RHGN chief appealed to the church to continue supporting and praying for the administration, urging clerics to consistently remind their congregations of where Nigeria was before President Tinubu assumed office and the direction in which the country is now headed. He stressed that the support of the church remains vital in helping ordinary Nigerians understand the rationale behind difficult but necessary reforms, particularly at a time when public debate over the CBCN’s engagement with the President continues to generate divided opinions nationwide.
Responding on behalf of the visiting clerics, Pastor Ephraim Onwumere assured that the Apostolic Church of God would continue to pray for President Tinubu, stating that all power belongs to God and that the church remained committed to interceding for the nation’s leadership.
