Bishop of Ekwulobia, Cardinal Peter Ebere Okpaleke has condemned the recent government cash policy which he said got many Nigerians stranded.

The cleric, in his 2023 Easter message made available to newsmen , also described the 2023 general election as a “dirty joke”.

Okpaleke said people are going through the valley of darkness and surviving issues that threaten life – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

He mentioned the “unknown gunmen”, violent herdsmen, other criminal elements, galloping inflation, unemployment, dilapidated infrastructure, among others.

The Bishop said the “badly implemented” cash policy worsened matters, as Nigerians wasted time and energy in banks or waited in markets for cash transfer to be confirmed.

Okpaleke highlighted PoS (Point of Sale) operators exchanging physical cash for electronic cash at a higher rate to compensate for their effort to get money.

The height, according to the statement, was the controversial 2023 general election, which “people hoped and worked to make a turning point for a better Nigeria”.

“Through criminal negligence, if not willful collusion of a few, this key element in a democracy was turned into a dirty joke that sullied the high hopes people had”, he said.

Cardinal Okpaleke, however, believes a new Nigeria “shall rise and shine in Easter glory through the power of God”.

“A new Nigeria…where the citizenry live decently; a new Nigeria where justice shall flow like water and righteousness like a never-failing stream,” he added.