The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo, Most Rev. Emmanuel Badejo has urged governments at all levels to embark on more people-oriented projects to make more progress in 2026.

Mr Badejo made the call on Tuesday in his New Year message made available to journalists ,titled: “In 2026 persist in good works: rescue Nigeria from evil” .

Mr Badejo called on the government to improve security at every level.

The Catholic bishop urged leaders to stop exploiting religious sentiments for political gains and diving the populace along religious lines.

He enjoined leaders and followers in every sector of national life to work anew for peace and justice.

“These will create the harmonious coexistence needed for development which will in turn enhance the quality of our living. I commend the federal and some state governments for the impactful policies being implemented in the oil, agriculture, education, youth empowerment and finance sectors.

“But these must be constantly monitored and optimised in a transparent manner so that the intended gains can percolate down to the people in the streets of Nigeria.

“Our political leaders must acknowledge the damage caused by poor political leadership in our country; whether at the level of parties or in the area of governance, their performance has been poor.

“The allegations of corruption, lack of discipline and lack of transparency which Nigerians see and hear of political leaders have largely eroded public trust and confidence in politics; this is a dangerous situation,” he said.

According to him, the chaos of party defections and court cases and the current fiasco about the new tax regime law are just two items of the general confusion inflicted on the public.

He added that “such an environment creates frustrations in the public and can be an incubator for truancy, banditry and other crimes.”

Mr Badejo emphasised that the erosion of public trust through bad governance could become a self-inflicted coup if political leaders did not become more reliable and trust worthy in the eyes of the people they govern.

“In the New Year, our leaders must have a change of heart and embrace truthfulness, transparency and honesty which build public trust and confidence and show respect for Nigerians in their decisions.

“Accountability and equal application of justice continue to be a blackspot of Nigerian political leadership that needs to be tackled through courageous leadership. Propaganda and media hype must have limits in governance, Nigeria belongs to all and all have a stake in it,” he said.

Mr Badejo urged the national orientation and mobilisation agencies to do more to inform and educate the public about their rights and duties as well as government policies and action.

The cleric explained that an uninformed and ignorant populace would always be extremely difficult to serve or lead.

“Finally, Nigerians as a religious people must themselves be honest and follow the tenets of their religion by the practice of solidarity, righteousness, honesty, hard work and Godliness.

“Thus shall we all channel our common energy towards building a better Nigeria and the New Year brings us joy and good times anew,” Badejo stressed.

(NAN)