Former President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed confidence that Nigeria would overcome its current economic, social, and security difficulties through focused leadership and collective determination, even as the Church of Nigeria used its 13th Synod in Abuja to issue sharp warnings about rising public debt, the absence of meaningful opposition politics, and political leaders prioritising 2027 power calculations over governance.
Jonathan spoke at the First Session of the Synod of the Diocese of Abuja at St. James Anglican Church, Asokoro, alongside former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon, Senator Ireti Kingibe, and a gathering of bishops, clergy, and government officials. He described the church as one of the strongest institutions holding Nigeria together during difficult times and lamented a deepening moral decline in society, warning that the country faced growing social pressures partly driven by the misuse of technology and social media.
Drawing lessons from the transformation of Singapore and the Asian Tigers, Jonathan said national development required 30 to 40 years of consistent and focused leadership, and expressed faith that Nigeria would ultimately follow a similar path if it invested in the kind of patient, committed governance those nations had demonstrated.
The Anglican Church’s State of the Nation address acknowledged signs of macroeconomic stabilisation under Tinubu, including a decline in inflation from 27.6 percent in April 2025 to 15.38 percent in March 2026 and naira stabilisation around N1,380 to the dollar. However, it warned that public debt of N159.28 trillion remained a grave concern capable of undermining long-term growth, and that 133 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty had yet to feel any meaningful relief from the macroeconomic improvements.
The Synod also warned INEC against partisanship, urged electoral commissioners to demonstrate neutrality in all processes leading to the 2027 polls, and criticised the growing wave of party defections as evidence that the political class was jostling for personal survival rather than the service and welfare of the people.
