As part of measures to stem the surge in prices of food items, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has enjoined governments at all levels to support farmers with subsidies, soft loans, modern technology and improved seedlings, but not genetically modified seedlings.
In addition, the bishops sought support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), struggling to add value to raw local food products, through processing, preservation and packaging technology.
This is as they called on government to ensure the security of farmers and their crops, offer incentives to private-sector agribusinesses, and take urgent and decisive steps to achieve food self-sufficiency in our nation.
The bishops who made this call in a communiqué issued at the end of its second plenary meeting of the year 2024 at the weekend, also tasked families and individuals to be involved in farming.
The conference also noted that multiple taxation burdened business enterprises and individuals, urging governments at all levels to take urgent measures to harmonise taxes and address multiple taxation.
They said addressing multiple taxation will not only stem the tide of businesses collapsing in Nigeria but also help investors cope with challenges of high production costs, low sales, insignificant profit margin and depletion of business capital.
Federal, state and local government agencies come up with different names to collect the same taxes from business enterprises and even voluntary agency institutions with threats, intimidation and blackmail. All these contribute to the poor ranking of Nigeria in the ease of doing business index and cause disincentive in the business community.
“We appeal to governments at all levels to take urgent measures to harmonise taxes and address multiple taxation, in order to stem the tide of businesses collapsing in Nigeria with its consequent unemployment,” the communique read.
The bishops also expressed worry over the nation’s huge debt burden, noting that the burden is compounded by the unsustainable cost of running governments.
They urged President Bola Tinubu’s government to reconsider its economic reform policies with a view to lifting the burden of hardship from the citizens and engendering people-oriented and progressive development.
“We are aware that these reforms have triggered a galloping inflation that has reduced most Nigerians to a life of cruel suffering and wretchedness. The majority of Nigerians is now stuck in living conditions that detract from human dignity. Thus, the debt burden has turned out to be a new form of enslavement for present and future generations.
We note that the socio-economic difficulties of our nation are clearly beyond what economic reforms alone can effectively resolve, no matter how well thought-out and how accurately executed. We must admit that the cost of running governments with many elected and appointed officials is stunning and unsustainable.
“We therefore urge the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reconsider its economic reform policies with a view to lifting the burden of hardship from the citizens and engender people-oriented and progressive development.”
