The Church and State Policy Making in Nigeria
COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF AN ONLINE PANEL DISCUSSION ON CHURCH AND STATE ORGANIZED BY DOMINICANS FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE, NIGERIA AND GHANA ON 10TH FEBRUARY 2023
1. Over the past year, the Justice and Peace arm of the Dominican Province in Nigeria has been discussing a project focusing on "Citizenship Education". With her rich tradition of over 806 years and in line with her motto “TRUTH”, the Dominicans in Nigeria, through this project, seeks to conscientize Nigerians to their rights and responsibilities as citizens of the state, to mobilize them to be active participants in the governance of their country, and to enable them work for the welfare and common good of all.
2. On February 10, 2023, to launch this project to a wider audience, Dominicans for Justice and Peace (DJP) Nigeria and Ghana organized an online seminar moderated by Dominican Father Aniedi Okure, General Promoter for Justice and Peace and Permanent Delegate to the United Nations, on the theme: Church and State: Policy Making in Nigeria. The panellists included a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, a socio-political analyst, a Scripture scholar, and an educator, namely, Barrister Femi Falana, SAN; Rev. Fr. Dr. George Ehusani, Sr. Prof. Teresa Okure, SHCJ, and Prof. E. Adenike Emeke.
3. These experts, with enriching insights from their fields, discussed concrete roles citizens and the Church in Nigeria could play to affect policy making that works for the common good of all Nigerians. Among the concrete roles highlighted were to (a) implement this in schools and in townhall gatherings; (b) revive the a proposal to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) for National Catholic Bureau for Nigeria; (c) study the Child’s Right Act (2003) and see to its promotion and implementation and hold defaulting states accountable to ensure that every child has the right to free, compulsory and universal basic education from primary school to junior secondary education; (d) use the lawyers in our
4. parishes to attend to the needs of their local community and the legal implication of this process.
5. The collective inputs from panellists and participants while emphasizing the responsibility of all citizens, highlighted the inadequate role of the Church in state policy making. The establishment of National Catholic Bureau for Nigeria, as in other countries (South African “Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office; Ghana Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office), would serve the church in its prophetic mission, and the people of Nigeria regardless of religious affiliation. Participants noted further that the lack of such unit points to the reason why there is not much advocacy on the part of the bishops as a body, given the lack of structure, serious research to inform reports based on facts. It further noted that such explains (a) the ineffectiveness of the pleas and communiqués from the CBCN, which often seem to fall on deaf eyes; (b) why some legislation, policies which are clearly designed to benefit members of a particular religious affiliation are enacted long before the CBCN notice and begin to cry foul.
6. While the role and influence of the Church cannot be totally denied, there is need for intra and inter denominational collaboration, consolidation, and networking with civil society organizations towards creating an advocacy structure that has a national outlook and is effective in countering policies that benefit a few and undermine the welfare of Nigerians.
7. As part of the measures to ensure a well-structured advocacy group that has a national outlook:
• There is need for the coordination of lawyers within the household to form a team that would address the legal needs of the community, especially that of the young people and the disadvantaged.
• There is need for a Catholic Bureau which shall serve as the Church’s Parliamentary/Governmental Liaison Office, as well as the Political Think Tank for the Church in Nigeria.
• The Bureau shall draw up guidelines for Christians going into politics and shall conduct Seminars and Workshops for those in leadership towards meeting their obligation to the people in line with the signs of time.
• The Church should hold the government at the national and the state levels accountable in fulfilling their obligation of seeing to the education of our children from primary school up till their junior secondary education.
• In the spirit of synodality, the Church should collaborate with civil societies towards creating a research based advocacy group that would help look critically into the moral, ethical and religious implications of government policies.
8. In conclusion, to achieve our set goals towards (a) reviving the proposal for Catholic Bureau office in Nigeria; (b) studying and implementing Child’s Right Act (2013); (c) coordinating a team of lawyers in parishes, Dominicans for Justice and Peace Nigeria has set a committee to study, draw up implementation guidelines towards achieving these objectives.
For and on behalf of Dominicans for Justice and Peace,
Nigeria and Ghana.
FREDERICK IFEANYI OBANANYA, OPDIRECTOR, DJP NIGERIA & GHANA
