Nigeria: The role of Catholic lawyers in the Church and nation

English Africa Service – Vatican City

The lawyers issued a communiqué at the end of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and colloquium, held recently at the Catholic Resource Centre, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN); Durumi, Abuja.

The gathering was held under the theme, “The role of Catholic lawyers in the Church and the nation.”

In the communiqué, the Catholic lawyers call upon the Federal Government of Nigeria to revitalise the entire security structure of the country that is technology driven in order to curtail rising insecurity in the country.

“The visible level of insecurity is a fall out of social injustice, mismanagement of our collective patrimony and resources due to lack of accountability, transparency and paucity of good governance in the Nigerian State,” reads the message in part.

Let us promote good governance and the common good

“The country is currently experiencing poverty, insecurity, youth restiveness, contraptions, illiteracy, deprivation, hunger, unemployment, primordial sentiments, ethnicity, nepotism, marginalisation, religious bigotry that are inimical to the optimal growth and development of Nigeria,” the Catholic lawyers say.

Catholic lawyers say they would like to see a stakeholders interface meeting that would holistically address challenges working against the promotion of good governance in the country. They challenge narrow ethnic cleavages that contribute to retarding Nigeria’s progress as a nation.

The communiqué signed by the association‘s President, Chukwuma Ezeala and National Secretary, Angela E. Odunukwe also observed that government and citizens need to do more to promote the common good.

Noticeable lack of accountability at all levels of society

“Accountability and transparency is a far cry amongst politicians, civil servants and unfortunately noticeable within the churches, mosques, the three arms of government and the society at large. This scenario has made it difficult to effectively combat the war against endemic corruption in the country,” reads the communiqué.

The Catholic lawyers further decry the widespread abuse of human rights in Nigeria. The abuses, they say, undermine the dignity of the human person.

Nigerian Bishops attend Catholic lawyers meeting

President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Augustine Akubeze, the Metropolitan of Benin City; John Cardinal Onaiyekan of Abuja Archdiocese; Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso the Kaduna prelate and Chairman of the Department of Church and Society at Nigeria’s Catholic Secretariat graced the meeting. Others in attendance were Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, of Sokoto Diocese as well as Bishop Anselm Umorem, the Auxiliary Bishop of Abuja.

Many of Nigeria’s senior Catholic lawyers and Professors also attended the meeting.

(Source: Catholic News Service of Nigeria)