The National Assembly legislators are saboteurs, say Catholic bishops in Nigeria, accusing them of having “perfected the art of sabotaging” Nigerians’ progress.

Under the Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, the Catholic clerics advised the federal legislators to prioritise Nigerians’ interests above party and selfish interests.

“With the National Assembly at various occasions prioritising party and privileges over people’s rights and interest, relief and progress continue to elude Nigerians,” said the bishops. “Simply put, those who claim to represent the people seem to have perfected the art of sabotaging the progress of their (sic) same people.”

They urged Nigerians to challenge their representatives “by all legitimate means,” asserting that they must not accept the parliament’s “non-representative decisions.”

“Indeed, the time may have come for Nigerians to no longer simply roll over and accept non-representative decisions of the assembly, but to challenge them by all legitimate means,” stated the bishops.

The bishops from Ibadan Archdiocese, Ilorin, Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, and Osogbo Dioceses, said this in a communique after their meeting at the Domus Pacis Pastoral Institute, Igoba, Akure, on Wednesday evening.

The clerics condemned the passage of the amended Electoral Act and the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and urged Nigerians to challenge the Senate and the House of Representatives’ decisions.

They appealed to Nigerians not to lose hope in the possibility of a peaceful, united, and prosperous country, urging the media and civil society groups to sustain the momentum on increased public awareness and education on the importance of political participation at all levels of governance.

“We say stand firm and never lose hope for God cannot be defeated. We call on Nigerians to continue to pray and work for a better nation, for we have no other country than this.

“If we do not give up doing good and believing in God’s promise, we shall see better days…. We also urge our people to register and obtain their voters’ cards; only this grants them the power to exercise their rights to determine who governs them from time to time.

“Our country will greatly benefit from this,” added the Catholic bishops.