The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, has called on Nigeria’s political leaders to move beyond “managing poverty” and instead pursue policies that end it, warning that persistent inequality and neglect could deepen social instability.
Kaigama spoke on Sunday during a homily at St. Catherine’s Pastoral Area, Giri Gauta, to mark the Fifth Sunday of Easter.
Drawing from Acts of the Apostles, 1 Peter, and the Gospel of John, he compared injustice in the early Church to what he described as current governance failures in Nigeria.
He said Nigeria’s widening inequality stems from a leadership culture that has “normalised neglect” while presenting “token gestures as governance.”
The Archbishop identified unemployed youths, underpaid workers, struggling farmers, unpaid retirees, and internally displaced persons as Nigeria’s “modern Hellenist widows distribution of national resources.
He criticised the response of some public officials to citizen complaints about hardship. “Our leaders must stop reacting with anger when citizens speak about hunger, insecurity, and poverty,” Kaigama said.
He also faulted the diversion of resources intended for vulnerable groups, noting that many receive only occasional assistance framed as acts of generosity.
Kaigama said weak oversight of welfare systems has allowed mismanagement in the distribution of aid to displaced persons, prisoners, and other vulnerable populations.
He warned, those in public office risk becoming “exploiters of the very people they are meant to serve.
The Archbishop warned that ignoring inequality and exclusion could worsen national fragmentation.
While acknowledging the resilience of Nigerians, Kaigama cautioned that faith should not be used to excuse poor governance. Referencing John 14:1, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” he said spiritual endurance should prompt action, not resignation.
The homily, delivered during a parish anniversary that included 93 confirmations, adds to a series of recent interventions by senior Catholic clerics on governance and social justice.
Though rooted in scripture, Kaigama’s remarks framed poverty as a policy outcome rather than an inevitable condition.