The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has painted a sobering picture of the nation’s challenges, highlighting the heavy toll of economic hardship, insecurity, displacement, and widespread violence.
In a Christmas message released on Friday, the CBCN said these crises have left many Nigerians anxious, weary, and uncertain about the future.
The message, titled “A Message of Hope for Nigerians at Christmas”, was delivered by Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, President of the CBCN and Archbishop of Owerri.
Archbishop Ugorji said the country’s wounds extend from disrupted families to livelihoods destroyed by lawlessness, and the lives lost to persistent violence.
He recalled the tragic abduction of students and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, as one of the many incidents that have heightened fear and suffering across communities.
“Christmas reminds us that suffering is not synonymous with abandonment,” Archbishop Ugorji stated.
“Through the birth of Christ, God entered human history, embracing vulnerability and pain.
”This truth challenges us to read our nation’s struggles with hope, even when answers are delayed and outcomes uncertain, ” he added.
The CBCN message emphasised that while corruption, injustice, and violence have wounded Nigeria, these patterns are not permanent.
Archbishop Ugorji urged Nigerians to embrace integrity, service, and courage, noting that acts of honesty and selflessness continue to emerge across communities.
“The moral heart of our nation is still alive,” he said, “and renewal is possible even in difficult circumstances.”
Archbishop Ugorji called on all Nigerians to see Christmas as a moment to imagine not only what the country is today, but what it is meant to become.
He encouraged a renewed commitment to justice, reconciliation, and peace, stressing that hope must guide efforts to heal fractured communities and restore dignity to victims of violence.
The CBCN prayed that the light of Christmas and the message of Emmanuel—God with us—would bring consolation, foster unity, and open new paths toward lasting peace in Nigeria.
