It was Sunday, May 29, 2022. It was yet another World Communications Day, a day Vatican sets aside for the World to draw attention to the essence of communications and reflect on how best its opportunities can be utilised to promote gospel values as well as improve communications across all spheres of life for the common good. As is the tradition of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, members of the Catholic Media Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria (CAMPAN), Lagos Archdiocese and their counterparts across the print and electronic media once again had an interactive session with His Grace, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos on the theme of the annual event, ‘Listening with the ear of the heart’ and current burning issues in the country. And the Archbishop spoke to the issues. The Editor, NETA NWOSU and CONSTAINCIA URUAKPA report.
Listening with the ear of the heart
There is a big deficit in the area of listening to one another. It’s only right and fitting that those of us who have responsibility of communicating to others values and virtues, call attention of people to the need to listen to one another. Our Holy Father mentioned the fact that in these days we hardly have dialogue, what we have most times is duologue; each person saying what he needs to say and the other one waiting for that person to finish what he needs to say so that he can just impose his own thoughts and ideas. So, it is two voices speaking at different times, not listening to one another, rather than two people speaking and listening to each other in order to find common ground.
And I thought that is a very good way to characterise what is happening in our time; duologue rather than dialogue. And when there is duologue, our Holy Father reminds us that there cannot be communication because communication can take place only when we listen to the other person, not only hear the person, but listen to the content of what he is saying, consider it, approach it with openness, approach it with the disposition to hear what he has to say and then learning from that, in order to be able to put one’s own points across. That is very much lacking in the world today as our Holy Father has said, and he calls our attention to it very, very vividly. I can see that even in the situation of our own country, we can see that there is more of duologue than dialogue.
There is hardly any communication because everyone is speaking and no one is listening. Very often, we don’t listen to one another. And we find examples of these in families in which the husband has his point of view that whatever the wife is saying, he declares, ‘well, after you have heard me, I will see’; or the other way round, between parents and children. This in no dialogue and this does not really help to bring out the best in everyone. Of course, we see it in ethnic troubles in our country where on the internet, on the social media you will find horrible things being said by people of one tribe against another; many times, terrible, terrible things, very uncharitable, completely unchristian things that are being said about one another. The Pope is saying that we need to bring that to an end by actually trying to listen to one another. And I think that this is a lesson that we need to take to heart in our country, so that this inter-ethnic conflicts that we are constantly experiencing can be reduced and perhaps, eventually ease out of our system.
We see it even in the religious areas of our country, even among Christians; in the different denominations and then between inter-religious; Christian and Islam. The kind of thoughts, prejudices we have with one another many times stop us from listening to one another. Perhaps, if we just created time to listen to one another, and hear one another and feel the dispositions, perhaps the religious problems we have in our country will not be happening as much as it is happening. I think that is why the Holy Father calls us to prayer for religious harmony and for peaceful coexistence among peoples of the different religions; we need it in our country. We have many examples of this lack of respect for one another’s religion and lack of listening as to be able to understand what the other is saying; we look at the world at large and we hear Ukraine and Russia doing their own things, no one is listening to the other. So, the failure to listen, openness and disposition is a matter of concern because of the misunderstanding and the conflict that exist. I therefore plead that this is a true point for our interaction so that if we are speaking around this issues, asking one another, sharing thoughts and opinions around issues that arise from this lack of understanding and lack of ability to communicate effectively, I believe we have set this day in a fruitful way.
Direct and indirect primaries of political parties
I think with the issue of direct and indirect primaries, I know that the majority of Nigerians would want that there will be a situation in which the members of the party rather than delegates elect those who are going to vie for political positions. And I think that if we are going to follow the right true spirit of democracy that is what should be worked towards. And I am sure that if we are able to follow that position of members of the party electing those who will represent and bear their parties’ flags, we would have people that are more favoured than just a few people that are sent to the primaries’ grounds. Certainly, the whole issue about monies being exchanged will be a lot more reduced. Well, of course, obviously politics always involves exchange of money among people, but if the field was thrown wider and open to the members of the parties to elect those who will represent their parties at elections, certainly the exchange of monies in the way that it’s being done will be a lot reduced. And we are hearing of 15,000 dollars and much more than that being offered to delegates.
Meanwhile, the people who really, truly are going to do the voting, who are going to do the legwork in ensuring that the party flag bearers are sold to people are left out there in the cold. So, I think that legislators need to look again at that aspect of electoral law and see what to do in order that true spirit of democracy both at the primaries and as well as the elections themselves are truly followed and truly observed. That is the way it appears to me, and I think that is the way most people in Nigeria are thinking towards at this time.
Issues of power shift; Nigeria seems to be divided at this time than any other time
I think that there are many indicators to show that that is the fact of the matter. There are policies that have been made which lead people to a situation which they feel sidestepped. Politics has given people the impression that they have been side-stepped. For instance, you talked about power shift from one region to another, from one part of the country to another. We see here that there is not much listening going on among politicians with regard to that aspect of life, otherwise, the kind of trouble we are having in the South-East for instance certainly will not be there or at least it will be reduced in many, many ways. And I think that the act of really actually listening to one another is still very seriously lacking and needs to be learnt. But whether the ordinary indicators of people’s own ideas and their own personal agendas will make the listening to happen is another story entirely.
There is this whole talk about true federalism. This is arising only because there has not been adequate listening to one another. And if the component parts of this nation are asking that true federalism should be observed, and yet we have people within the same federation who are constantly pushing against it, naturally, the division that is there will continue to widen, and people will continue to feel that they are being left out in the scheme of things. So, I believe that we can truly say that there are many indicators in our country which gives the impression that people are much more divided now than they have ever been. We have had situations that they talk about the activities of herdsmen that enter into people’s farmlands and destroy their farmlands. We haven’t heard adequate steps being taken to bring that to an end. And so, it just expands the gap that is between different parts of this country and the herdsmen. And I think that there is absolutely no doubt that we can conclude that there is more division now than has ever been in this our country.
Political leaders placing their children at points of advantage
Certainly, this is able to happen because we do not yet have a political system that is properly structured such that it is the quality of persons that matter rather than where the person comes from. I think that in our country Nigeria, we should be able to really push and push and push, to ensure that it is the personality that matters when you want to decide who to vote for rather than the families from which the person comes or the area of the country from which the person comes.
At this point in time, I believe that our Civil Society Organisations and nongovernmental organisations have a lot of work to do in order to sensiitise the polity such that we begin to look differently than we are looking now. Of course, we know too that the poverty in the country makes it difficult for people to do what exactly they should be doing. However, the point must come in the life of this nation that these aberrations will have to come to an end. And I hope that with the press continuing to harp on the need for a change in this attitude, and with the civil society organizations harping for a need and pushing, and doing a lot of awareness creation, am sure that with the grace of God, things will change in the years as we progress into the future.
Allegation of blasphemy, death of Deborah Samuel and killings of Christians
Well, the issue of allegation of blasphemy that led to the death of Deborah is something that is very, very sad. Very sad because we can see that the common humanity that is there in us has simply disappeared; has simply disappeared in that particular instance, and we see it in other instances in our country today. And a situation in which the one who brings an allegation is also the judge and the executor of the sentence is certainly not the kind of thing that we expect in a human society. It is obviously a mob action, and unfortunately, even the security agencies did not do the right thing in that circumstance. And so, blasphemy obviously is something that should not be tolerated, either towards Christianity or towards Islam or towards any religion.
However, we should not allow jungle justice to reign if there are allegations of blasphemy. The law should be able to take its course and be implemented on whoever goes wrong. Happily, we are hearing many leaders of Islamic religion saying that that is not the way it should be, that the law convicts the person of blasphemy and goes ahead and kills him. We are happy to hear that. But it is important that it goes beyond saying that, to ensuring that they actually create this awareness in the masses of Muslims all over the country, all over the world because we hear the same thing in other parts of the world, in Afghanistan and so on and so forth.
There is a major need for Islamic leaders to really do an aggressive education of their followers, in order that this sort of thing will not be bringing shame to the religion itself. So, certainly as I said, we cannot tolerate blasphemy, but at the same time, there must be processes by which allegations of blasphemy are treated. And whether it’s directed towards 2023 or not, I do not know, my analysis is unable to reach that. However, blasphemy should not be tolerated.
Muslims attitude to dialogue
Well, you are right about the fact that sometimes there is a belief that Muslims do not believe in dialogue. There is that allegation that is sometimes proposed. But we as Christians, it is part and parcel of our faith, it is part and parcel of what makes us Christians to be open to others. To be ready to dialogue with others, to be ready to continue to tell them what our idea of humanity is and what our idea of brotherhood and solidarity is. In any religion there are always those on the right and those on the left and there are those who are moderate.
We have lots of Muslims who are ready to listen also and maybe their voices are drowned. And so, that is why it is important to continue to push for dialogue and the constant communication with the hope and a feeling that the dialogue we hope for will actually come to pass. As for killing Christians, this is a problem that we are facing in our time, and this is a problem that we expect that government should take responsibility because government has responsibility for ensuring the welfare, the safety of life and property. And any government that is not able to guarantee that, obviously, that government does not have a right to exercise governance over the people.
If they cannot safeguard the lives and properties of people, then resign and let somebody else who is in a position to do so or who is more willing to do so, do the needful to protect the lives and properties of citizens. When impunity is allowed to reign, naturally people will take advantage, but where there is a consistent effort of those who have responsibility not to allow impunity; to stop it, then am sure we shall have people who will go back on the kind of attitude we have now.
Nigeria does not having listening leaders
Indeed, several things that happen in this country gives us that impression and make us to draw that kind of conclusion. I have mentioned, for instance the issue of the discussion around having a true federation. At a point in time, when Nigeria was structured in such a way that different parts of this nation had adequate authority to carry out and take decisions on certain aspects of the life of their people. We all know that things were much more progressive. We know that in the western region, in the eastern region, in the northern region, people were governed with an eye to their different circumstances, and that helped a lot to ensure that development took place, though there was not as much money and as much material and human resources as we have now. Now, infrastructure is declining, infrastructure is going down.
Now, the very fabric of human relationship is being pulled apart. I believe that if we have listening leaders, there will be a much more proactive listening to the discussion around arranging Nigeria according to the true federation that we are supposed to be. Many people have said it, and it is indeed true that we just bear the name Federal Republic of Nigeria without it being truly implemented in action. And this is an instance that shows that our leaders are really not listening to the people. It would seem that there are other agendas that are not geared towards the will of the people that are being played out. And certainly, we have to change, otherwise, the downward trend that we are experiencing now, God forbid that it will continue to go in that direction, to the south as they say. So, I agree that we can have leaders that listen better than we are having now.
They sometimes pretend to have village forums, including gatherings around discussing issues. Often times those gatherings are just camouflage; nothing happens from those type of gatherings. So, that is why the idea of running a government that is truly federal is really the way out of this our problem. If we had police formations that are to the states for instance or are organized differently than it is now, certainly, things will be a lot better as far as security is concerned. I agree that our leaders are not listening well enough to our people.
Role of Nigerian youths in transforming the nation
There is absolutely no doubt that our young people need to be given more latitude for participation in the governance of this country, more latitude for taking part in the whole process of decision making in our country. Many of our youths are well educated. Many of our youths are well motivated, many of our youths have had interactions with youths of other parts of the world and therefore, their horizon has been widened in such a way that it’s at our own risk and the risk of our nation that we sidestep the contributions that the young people can make. Recently, in getting to contest for positions, the kind of amount of money that is being asked of aspirants is obviously completely way out of the line of many of our youths. And of course, we know too that many of those who pay that money, it is not all of them that you can say paid from the sweat of their brows.
So, it is certainly important that we give more roles to our youths. I think that they have a lot that they can offer to our country, even their exposure and the kind of interaction that happens among them. So, one can only appeal to those who have political power to recognise the fact that they are not doing the nation any good by hoarding that power and not allowing the young people to have access to it. We have the not-too-young-to run bill that was passed to law sometime ago. It seems it is now in the archives. it‘s not really making any difference. And so, I believe that we have to continue to impress upon the entire nation’s psyche that our youths need to be given better chance than they are having at this point in time.
Looking towards 2023
Talking about the fact that the nation is divided, the appointment to critical positions is certainly one of the indicators that show that this country is really, truly divided. And we are just hoping and praying that as we look towards 2023, those of us who are going to vote, we will look at the track records of those whom we are going to vote into power. We will look at track records of how much they have been in the forefront of promoting unity, not by word of mouth, but by action, by decisions, by what they say and by what they do. I believe that this absolutely is necessary in deciding upon those who will lead us into the future.
Certainly, at this point in time, the concern that we have at this time has been expressed by so many that the leadership positions have not been evenly distributed, have not been shown to be inclusive of the different parts of this nation. So, my own idea would be let us look towards the future and ensure we put it in our minds as we decide on whom we shall be voting for.
Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia of Gboko Diocese suspended for participating in politics
Yes, indeed, there was a priest of Gboko Diocese that was suspended because he decided to engage in partisan politics, and not just engage in partisan politics, seeking political office through a political party. Well, the discipline of the Church is that anyone who has Holy Orders, anyone who is a priest or who is a religious cannot participate in partisan politics without undermining the position that he holds as a religious leader, as a spiritual guide. First of all, it is a discipline that comes out of the experience of the Church, even in our own country, we have had situations where priests took part in politics and it ended in tears, as we have seen it in the past. So, for anyone to think that things are going to be different simply because he believes he is able to manage it better, well, the future will tell. We can only say that the discipline of the Church does not permit it because it undermines his position as a religious leader that is available equally to people of all parties.
You are supposed be a leader that is blind to the political parties to which your people belong. And therefore, when you make a commitment towards one, by that fact, you also exclude some of those you are suppose to lead. So, that is the idea behind it. You are father of all and not father of a part. Of course, we are supposed to take part in governance as priests. Indeed, it is our responsibility to be interested, if we are not interested, we are not playing our roles well. All that is important is that we are not partisan. Indeed, it is our responsibility to create awareness in our followership for them to seek political appointment, to seek political offices. It is our duty to give them the kind of values that the Church wants to find in those who hold political offices; to make it available to them so that they can do it. The lay person cannot be a priest and cannot do the functions of a priest. Why will the priest want to do the function of the lay people? So, it’s better that we just respect our different boundaries and do that which is necessary.
Of course, being suspended does not mean that he has been sent out of the Catholic Church, he’s suspended from his role as priest. And you will notice that even in the whole exercise of the suspension, it is until he withdraws himself from the contumacious activity that he has involved himself with now. So, he’s not excommunicated. No. He’s a Catholic, but he cannot practice as a Catholic priest while this situation lasts. So, that is the situation as far as that is concerned.
Using the theme of this year’s World Communications Day to enhance listening
Well, I think that this is one of the things we can do; talk about it, reflect on it. And I think that if associations of lay faithful and different groups are able to sit down together and study this document, I think it will make a world of difference. Eventually, something is bound to stick as a result of the study. So, I think that one of the things we must do is to ensure that we study this document carefully and take note of what is expected of us and do the needful, so that we can ensure that we grow the culture of listening to one another.
Pulling ourselves out from the disunity
Certainly, we must respect one another. If we do not have respect for one another, respect that comes from deep in the heart, naturally, we shall be emphasising more on the things that make us different than on the things that unite us together. So, I believe that one of the major things we must do is to respect one another from the depths of our hearts and to look at the other person as a regular human being before you begin to think of him as an Igbo man, as a Yoruba man or as whatever area of the country he comes from. See this person made in the image and likeness of God, even before you begin to think of what religion he belongs to. I believe that these are the sort of things that we need to do so that our common humanity will be the basis upon which we interact with people and communicate with them. Gradually, if everybody imbibes that kind of culture, surely, things will change.
Interreligious dialogue as part of the Church functioning
Dialogue is when two people are able to sit and say we need to dialogue that dialogue happens. The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) was instituted by government over several years ago. But am not sure, indeed, I don’t believe that NIREC is fulfilling the purpose for which it was constituted. It’s not functional because if it were functional, perhaps we shall have a different way of interacting with one another here. So, when you talk about Interreligious Dialogue Department in the Church, you don’t do that all with yourself, you will do that with others, and that is the basis for discussion. But having said that, I must say that we have among us religious leaders; Christian leaders, Catholic leaders who are engaging very well in this interreligious dialogue exercise. For instance, John Cardinal Onaiyekan is out doing so much at the forefront of interreligious dialogue.
The Archbishop of Abuja, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama has been in several situations where he has been engaged in interreligious dialogue. So, as Church and as leaders in the Church, there are situations in which we engage in dialogue, and we hope that our openness will be reciprocated in such a way that we shall get what we are looking for.
Taking responsibility for your actions, saving the planet
That certainly is necessary because it’s only when one is humble enough to accept that he has done wrong that he is in a position to make right whatever wrong that have been committed. Our Holy Father gave this document, Laudato si that is seven years old now that he is calling us to ensure that whatever it is that we don’t have to use, we should avoid using them, in order that we can help to conserve the environment and keep it from being degraded further than it is. Few days ago, we had a conference on environment and ecology and we are being told very clearly that the use of non degradable substances or material, such as the nylon that we use in wrapping amala and the pure water satchet and thing that we use for table water should be reconsidered.
Obviously, we need to begin to think of how to replace these things because in the first instance they are finding their ways into the ocean and they are finding their ways into the belly of the fish that we shall eat. And therefore, there is a bit of dysfunction that is happening within the ecosystem. And I think that is why it is necessary to begin to look at what we can do in order to ensure that we save our planet, the planet earth from being destroyed even before our children reach there. So, I think it is in that kind of light that we can see non distribution of paper. In fact, many times now, they said we should be using ipad and phone to talk rather than use paper. Well, we shall get there, but whatever we must do, let us try to do it.
