Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, has reiterated the need for the country to move beyond sophistry and rhetoric and work towards a tradition of love that transcends the barriers of race, nationality, culture, ethnicity, religious or political affiliation and geographical distance.
This was contained in a Communiqué issued at the end of its First Plenary Meeting at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria Resource Centre in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The body also urged the legislature and the executive to exercise their relevant roles to give the nation constitution that reflects common aspiration to live in unity, justice, and peace.
It say: “WE ALL ARE BROTHERS AND SISTERS. On 4 February 2019, Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, published a joint document, Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. Following that publication, on 4 October 2020 in Assisi, the Holy Father issued the Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti on Fraternity and Social Friendship. Inspired by these two documents, we invite all to a sincere acceptance that we are brothers and sisters and embrace the things that unite and bond us together irrespective of differences. By virtue of our being created by One God and our descent from a common ancestry (Gen. 2:4), we must go beyond sophistry and rhetoric and work towards a tradition of love that transcends the barriers of race, nationality, culture, ethnicity, religious or political affiliation and geographical distance. We call on our fellow countrymen and women, as well as all persons of goodwill to recognize that our common humanity is a gift and a challenge. We earnestly join millions of Catholics around the globe to pray for unity and peaceful dialogue between nations and communities, without which the deeply divided world cannot find the much-needed healing.”
The Communiqué, signed by the immediate past President of CBCN, Most Reverend Augustine Obiora Akubueze also called for “peace in Ukraine and Russia and other war-torn regions of the world as well as for fair and equitable treatment of all those displaced by this avoidable conflict, regardless of their origin, race and nationality.”
The body amongst other things tasked Nigeria’s political office holders on good governance and affordable educational system, urging the Nigerian Government to quickly and permanently settle the current strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities. “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”
It also commended 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. ” 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”
On the need for Dialogue and Friendship to Counter Violence and Insecurity, it says: “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 the Government to bring these to an end.”
It further described the Media as God’s gifts to Humanity “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. In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis calls for the use of media in a manner that not only connects people but also builds bridges, develops authentic interpersonal relationships and therefore builds community. He nevertheless cautions against the inappropriate use of digital media platforms.
