Key Points

• Cleric says Nigeria’s economic challenges part of global crisis.

• He urges citizens to show patience and resilience.

• He warns against politicizing the nation’s economic problems.

Pastor Samuel Oladele, the General Overseer of Christ Apostolic Church, has told Nigerians to see the country’s economic problems as part of a larger global crisis instead of as a failure of government in Nigeria.

Oladele spoke at the church’s convention in Ibadan on Sunday and said that Nigeria’s inflation, unstable currency, and rising unemployment are all signs of bigger problems that are affecting economies around the world.

He says that while there are problems with leadership at home, it would be wrong to think that Nigeria’s problems are unique. Oladele said that the COVID-19 pandemic, the long-running war between Russia and Ukraine, and problems with the global supply chain are still affecting both advanced and emerging markets, making food and energy prices go up.

Nigeria’s problems are linked to the global economic crisis

According to a report by Vanguard news, the cleric said that Nigeria’s economic problems are part of the global crisis that has made it hard for governments in Europe and Africa to make ends meet. He said that inflation was almost 30 percent and the naira was losing value quickly on the foreign exchange market as proof that problems outside the country were making problems inside the country worse.

Oladele pointed out that Nigeria’s problems are not unique by pointing to rising energy costs in Europe, food shortages in North Africa, and rising prices in Asia. “We shouldn’t keep our own pain separate from the rest of the world,” he said.

People were told to be patient and tough

Oladele asked for patience and strength, saying that every country goes through hard times. He told Nigerians to be creative and work together as the government works to make changes. He said that businesses should change by making more goods locally and relying less on imports, which are still vulnerable to changes in foreign exchange rates.

He told his church that Nigeria had gotten through tough times before, like the oil price crash in the 1980s and the global financial crisis in 2008, and had come back stronger through reforms and strength. He went on to say, “This too shall pass if we are patient and smart.”

A cleric warns against making Nigeria’s economic problems political

Oladele also warned against making Nigeria’s economic problems into a political issue during the global crisis. He said that blaming current leaders for every problem could lead to ignoring what is really going on outside. Instead, he called for policymakers, business leaders, and civil society to talk to each other in a positive way to find solutions.

He ended by asking the government to protect weak groups with safety nets and put more money into agriculture and energy, which he called “anchors for future stability.” Oladele said that Nigeria can bounce back from today’s problems once the global economy improves and domestic policies take hold.