Archbishop Henry Ndakuba, the primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), has called for a state of emergency on social welfare in the country.

Mr Ndakuba, who made the call on Thursday while inaugurating a standing committee meeting of the church, urged the National Assembly to criminalise delay in pension payment.

He said there was an urgent need for special programmes for the most vulnerable segments of society, particularly the unemployed and the aged.

The cleric decried the continuous verification of pensioners and the non-observance of the constitution’s provision that mandated a review of pensions every five years. 

He commended President Bola Tinubu and all Nigerian workers for signing the new N70,000 minimum wage into law. Mr Ndakuba, however, called on the government to extend the scheme to cover pensioners, many of whom are living on starvation wages.

“We urge the National Assembly to criminalise the non-payment of pensions to entitled persons as and when due. Attention should also be paid to the most vulnerable segments of society, particularly the unemployed, the aged, young unemployed or skilled male and female adults.

“The latter is the engine room of every society. There is, therefore, an urgent need for an articulation of appropriate policy and programmes to cater for this often-forgotten segment of the population or imperil the future of the country.

“When you see the numbers on our streets, you will agree that the need is urgent. A declaration of emergency in social welfare in Nigeria may not be out of place,” he said. 

The primate advocated for a new constitution that would be people-oriented and address the nagging issues bedevilling the country.

He said the National Assembly had done well in several constitutional amendments, saying that Nigeria was due for a new constitution, which the sovereign assembly would make of the peoples of Nigeria.

He said the new constitution will consider the concerns already expressed in the sovereign national conferences. The cleric said that the various calls for the restructuring of Nigeria should be considered as well, as shying away from doing so is not helping the nation. 

He said the #Endbadgovernance protest was a clear indication that the people are tired of failed promises by the government to stem the rising cost of living, which has imposed severe hardship on most households.

Mr Ndakuba added that the protest was a clarion call to governments at all levels, especially at the national level, to heed the cry of the people.  According to him, the government should not victimise anyone, as no government can legislate or stop people who are hungry from protesting.

He said that the epileptic power supply, despite privatising the power sector and tariff reviews, and the astronomical rise in the cost of petroleum products had made life much more difficult.

The cleric urged the federal government to prioritise Nigerians’ interest in the ongoing engagements between Dangote Refinery and NNPCL.

Mr Ndakuba commended the Supreme Court’s pronouncement on local government autonomy, saying that there will be a multiplier effect in education, health, and food security across all LGAs of the nation.

He said that it should also be able to arrest the rural-urban migration, calling for a whole-society approach in monitoring its implementation, as the project should not be left alone in the hands of politicians. 

(NAN)