When the Shepherds Finally Speak – By Rev. Fr. Angelo Chidi Unegbu

When the Shepherds Finally Speak – By Rev. Fr. Angelo Chidi Unegbu

I have been critical, repeatedly, of CBCN’s silence in the face of what is happening to Nigeria. So when they speak, I say so too.

On 28 July, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, newly elected President of CBCN, stood before President Tinubu and said what many have been afraid to say aloud:

That fears of a one-party state are real,

That INEC’s credibility is collapsing,

That insecurity has made nowhere safe and that “Renewed Hope” cannot survive on words while the people bleed.

I know the feeling of many reading this now. Yes, many have given up hope that mere words can do anything to a government that has shown itself to be anti-people.

In such a mood, one doubts the effect of even the most powerful voices. But our bishops still deserve to be acknowledged.

I have said it before: our bishops carry more moral authority than any institution in this country, and their silence would cost us.

Today I say: keep speaking, Your Grace. And to every religious leader still watching from the sidelines, this is what it looks like to be a shepherd, not a spectator.

And to you reading this: free yourself from whatever keeps you silent in the face of evil. No nation has ever developed because good people chose to remain silent.

Fada Angelo Chidi Unegbu
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