Reduce Frequency of Borrowing, Anglican Communion Advises FG, States

James Sowole in Akure

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) at the weekend advised governments at all levels to as a matter of top priority reduce the frequency of borrowing, which it said might lead the country into bankruptcy.

The church’s warning was contained in a six-point communique issued at the end of the third Session of the 13th Synod of the Diocese of Akure Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)hosted by St Andrew’s Anglican Church, Alade Idanre, Ondo State.

The Synod was attended by clergies and delegates from all Anglican churches in the Akure Diocese, who discussed reports and progress of the diocese and issues bothering on Nigeria’s economy and the polity.

Reading the communique, the Bishop of the Akure Diocese, Rev Simeon Oluwole Borokini, said the church noted with rude shock the sporadic rise in the Nigeria’s public debt to N32.9 trillion recently published by the Debt Management Office (DMO).

According to the communique, “The Synod notes with rude shock the sporadic rise in the Nigeria’s Public Debt to N32.9trillion in recent times as published by the Debt Management Office (DMO). The government is therefore urged to as a matter of top priority reduce the frequency of borrowing, which might lead the country to bankruptcy.”

The cleric also said the church was concerned with the runaway inflation ravaging the country at the moment, which has increased the cost of living with the attendant rise in the poverty index.

Quoting the recent report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Borokini said 33.3 percent of the labour force in Nigeria or 23,189,389 persons are either doing nothing or working for less than 20 hours a week.

He, therefore, urged the governments at all levels to take drastic measures to tame the ugly trend.

The bishop said: “The government is urged to tackle seriously the issue of poor electricity supply, which, if addressed, will help to generate more employment, particularly for our teeming unemployed youths, and thereby improving the economy of the country.”

Borokini also flayed the worsening insecurity in Nigeria, especially cases of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, cultism, agitation for secession, and killer herdsmen scourge.

While commending the efforts of security agencies in the fight against insecurity confronting the country, the bishop urged them to improve further on their efforts to tackle this monster called insecurity.

On restructuring, Borokini urged the federal government to listen to the yearnings of the people by embracing true federalism, which he said is believed would stem the agitations for secession by those who felt marginalised in the country.