SAT 12 MARCH, 2022-theGBJournal- The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, held their First Plenary Meeting for the year at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria Resource Centre, Durumi, Abuja, from 5 – 11 March 2022, reflecting on issues affecting the Church and the Nigerian State.
A Communiqué was issued at the end of the conference, calling for fair and equitable treatment of all those displaced by avoidable conflict, regardless of their origin, race and nationality.
The Communiqué touched on issues such as the State of the Nation viz, Promoting Fraternity through Good Politics and Governance, Constitutional and Electoral Reforms, viewed as Recipe for Peace and Development and Need for Dialogue and Friendship to Counter Violence and Insecurity.
The Catholic Bishops noted that politics is a noble vocation for the common good, and equally affirmed that political office holders have a fundamental role to play in providing good governance.
According to the Bishops, ‘’although political parties are the platforms through which political offices are sought in Nigeria, elected officials should build fraternity among all citizens irrespective of differences in creed, ethnic group, sex, and political opinion. In our nation today, we observe that there is no evident fairness in the distribution of social amenities or in making appointments to offices despite the Federal Character principle enshrined in the Constitution.
Excerpts of the Bishops’ Communiqué:
There is also no functional, stable, qualitative and affordable educational system that should be the bedrock of development. Currently, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is on strike with the consequent closure of our public universities, thereby leaving our young people roaming the streets. We urge the Federal Government to quickly and permanently settle the dispute in the interest of human and national growth.
We observe a gross lack of job opportunities, equity, gender balance between male and female, good moral standards, an adequate justice system, transparency and accountability.
We, therefore, call on governments at all levels to respect and protect people’s fundamental rights and shun all forms of ethno-religious favouritism. We also urge political office holders to embrace a better kind of politics by proper application of the principles of equity and subsidiarity for programmes of development; and by “promoting an economy that favours productive diversity for job creation” in the interest of respect for human dignity (FT 168 & 175).
‘’We encourage all citizens to participate in the forthcoming national population census exercise to help Government have the data needed for proper policies that will aid development.
‘’We are aware that the Constitution of any nation is the primary law that provides for the organization and direction of the actions of governments about the welfare of citizens. We also know that a faulty Constitution can breed rancour, discontent, and maldevelopment. We thank the Government for initiating processes towards reforming our national Constitution handed down by the military Government.
We urge the legislature and the executive to exercise their relevant roles to give the nation an adequate Constitution that reflects our common aspiration to live in unity, justice, and peace. We commend the efforts of the National Assembly, the President, and all who made it possible for our country to now have a reformed electoral law, the Electoral Act 2022. If well and sincerely implemented, we believe that this law will engender a better democracy in which there would be free, fair and transparent elections, through which people choose their leaders who would serve the common good. We gladly welcome the adoption of modern technology to improve the quality of our electoral process. However, in and of itself, technology may not necessarily guarantee free and fair elections.
We, therefore, draw attention to the need for sincerity and vigilance over the accuracy and objective use of the technology being adopted. We encourage good and qualified people with the right intention to vie for political offices. We ask all eligible citizens to secure their voter’s cards and come out en masse to vote for those who can lead our people to a better life.
We demand that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) register only qualified people and ensure that people’s votes count and their mandates are respected. We also urge the electoral commission and other relevant bodies to organize and promote appropriate voter education.
Need for Dialogue and Friendship to Counter Violence and Insecurity
We have in our past Communiqués, press releases, and other relevant documents condemned the spate of violence and insecurity in our land. Yet, violence and insecurity have continued to rise unabated to our greatest disappointment. We are deeply saddened that kidnapping, abductions, armed robbery, assassinations and other incidents of shedding innocent blood have continued often without prompt and adequate response from the Government and the security agencies.
We condemn these killings and call on Government to bring these to an end. In addition, we request the Governments at all levels to do more, especially by exploring the path of dialogue even with those opposed to its policies. For dialogue and friendship in society is “the desirable mean between selfish indifference and violent protest.”
We firmly acknowledge the role and power of the media for influencing and creating a fraternity of humanity and serving as tools of positive social friendship. The media in themselves are gifts from God for the good of society. However, the media are sometimes manipulative and destructive.
Today’s realities call for a new media approach, which can help people listen to one another and resolve differences and conflicts. The willingness to listen to others is foundational to the readiness to accept and welcome those who are different from us. Together, therefore we must seek the truth in dialogue, for “the process of building fraternity, be it local or universal, can only be undertaken by spirits that are free and open to authentic encounters.”
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