By Muh’d Shafi’u Saleh As part of activities marking the Catholic Church’s World Communications Week, Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of the Catho...
By Muh’d Shafi’u Saleh
As part of activities marking the Catholic Church’s World Communications Week, Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of the Catholic Diocese of Yola has called on journalists to remain objective, courageous, and truthful in their reporting, stressing the critical role of the media in nation-building.
Speaking to journalists in Yola on Sunday, Bishop Mamza acknowledged the challenges journalists face but urged them to uphold ethical standards and avoid fueling further tension in the country.
“Your work as journalists is dangerous and sensitive. We always keep you in our prayers,” he said. “But it’s not enough to rely on prayers alone. You must also remain committed to truthful reporting—report the facts without stirring further crisis in our communities.”
Bishop Mamza also addressed Nigeria’s worsening economic condition, warning against the federal government’s plans to secure new foreign loans. He described the country's current debt burden as “suffocating” and appealed directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to halt further borrowing.
“We have heard about the billions of dollars the government is planning to borrow again. My appeal to President Tinubu is: don’t borrow money again,” the bishop stated.
Instead, he urged the government to focus on accountability, particularly regarding funds already recovered by anti-corruption agencies like the EFCC. “There should be proper accountability for the huge sums already recovered. Nigerians want to know the whereabouts of such monies,” he said.
Bishop Mamza warned that continued dependence on foreign borrowing, rather than boosting internal revenue and plugging financial leakages, would only deepen economic hardship and compromise the nation's future.
He lamented that many Nigerians have lost faith in the system due to poor leadership and bad economic decisions, noting that this year’s World Communications Day theme—“Sharing with Gentleness the Hope in Your Heart”—is especially relevant to the country's present realities.
“This year was declared by the late Pope Francis as the Year of Hope. And in a nation like Nigeria, where so many feel hopeless due to insecurity, poverty, and political instability, the Church is encouraging everyone not to give up,” he said.
Bishop Mamza also disclosed that Nigerian Catholic Bishops will have an audience with the Pope during their Ad Limina visit in March 2026—a periodic consultation where bishops report on the state of their dioceses. He noted that Nigeria is among the first four countries approved by the Pope for the visit, highlighting the Vatican’s concern for the country’s situation.
“Despite everything happening around us, hope must be renewed. Things can change. God is with us, but we must also take responsibility and demand accountability from those who lead us,” he emphasised.
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