The Secretary-General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Michael Banjo, has emphasised civic responsibility ahead of the 2027 general election, urging Nigerians to resist ethnic sentiment, religious bias, and financial inducements when making political choices.

He also urged Nigerians to integrate faith with everyday civic responsibility consciously. In his new year’s message, Banjo said: “Our identity as children of God also shapes our conduct at critical moments of civic responsibility.

“As we prepare for the 2027 elections, citizens must be guided by conscience, truth, and the common good, rather than by money or divisive rhetoric.”

According to him, national transformation begins with renewed consciousness. He said: “Much of what afflicts our nation today flows from a separation between faith and ordinary life, where belief remains private while daily decisions are shaped by other values.

“Living authentically as sons and daughters of God heals this division and allows faith to shape the very spaces where our common life is formed.”

Speaking on the economic hardship, insecurity, and social tension in the country, the cleric urged Nigerians to see 2026 not simply as a change of date but as a call to renewed responsibility. He said: “For the Christian, time is not merely a sequence of passing days. It is the sacred space in which God meets us, calls us to conversion and fidelity, and patiently leads us towards eternity.”