Most Rev. Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo addressed a Press Conference on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral, Oyo, Oyo State. Tagged, “Church and State collaboration in citizens’ welfare and the development of society”, the Bishop spoke on security, education, return of Catholic schools, agriculture, youth and moral challenges and a host of contemporary issues. The Editor, NETA NWOSU reports.
The Church and collaboration with the State
The organisation and management of every society lie in the hands of people who are entrusted with the authority to exercise power and authority for the common good. Such people perform their duties best only when they harness governmental and non-governmental groups in the society and mobilise their resources and goodwill towards common, positive ends. The Church, being one of those segments of society, has the vocation and obligation to collaborate with the State to bring about holistic human development and build a better society. She has done this for centuries, investing her personnel and resources in forming people through her educational programmes, health facilities and other social institutions and especially by inculcating sound moral values in people through the Christian communities. The Church claims an inalienable right to participate in this, without being hindered and especially because she discriminates against no one in her mission, irrespective of language, tribe or status. It is in this light, therefore, and after due consultation, that I address the following issues about Nigeria, with particular reference to Oyo State:
Security
The security situation in Nigeria is still characterised by various challenges, including insurgency, intercommunal violence, kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry, etc. in different parts of the country. We commend the governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde and his government for the bold steps taken to achieve the relative security and peace being currently enjoyed in Oyo State, especially by equipping and keeping active the state Security outfits, particularly the Amotekun corps. We also commend the quick response of the government and the security agencies, to the explosion which caused deaths and destruction in Bodija area of Ibadan a few weeks ago, and to the more recent invasion of the Oyo State Secretariat by the so-called Yoruba nation agitators. We, however, frown on the demolition of the property where the declaration of state takeover was allegedly made.
Whatever happened to the rule of law and the educational, historical value which such an edifice could serve, even if the owner could have been found guilty after prosecution? We therefore look forward to the prosecution of the suspects of both incidents according to the rule of law. The government needs to do more, anyway, in the area of surveillance, security of lives and property. Kidnapping for ransom and killings persist, especially in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, even until few days ago. Thankfully, the victims of the latest kidnapping around Lanlate have reportedly been rescued. Such occurrences threaten to rubbish the good work of government if not urgently curbed. In this regard, we demand that the abductors of Mr. Irenaeus Ogunbayo who murdered him just weeks ago around Iwere Ile in Iwajowa Local Government be brought to book. Same must be said for bandits who attack farmers in their farms in that area and thus endanger food security in the state.
A situation whereby the police claim helplessness when called upon to intervene in crime is simply unacceptable in a democratic society. Tough security concerns need a more comprehensive approach involving collaboration between government agencies, traditional and community leaders and other stakeholders, including the Church. The Catholic Church in Ibadan Archdiocese and Oyo Diocese of Oyo State, through its Justice, Peace and Development Movement is well trained and disposed to collaborate with the state in enhancing security in rural Oyo State through joint efforts in community education and outreach activities, social empowerment education and the sharing of information and resources to prevent and resolve potential security threats. Such collaboration can facilitate and promote initiatives that foster unity and understanding among diverse religious and ethnic groups inhabiting the State.
Education
No government can cater for the formal education of its citizens alone. Formal education is a product that can be given by any number of providers, because education, especially in a non-totalitarian state is an enterprise for the common good. In this regard, the Catholic Diocese of Oyo currently runs 26 primary and secondary schools and four other skill acquisition and empowerment centres in the state, where we provide qualitative education and moral formation for the youths. Many pupils and students of all religious backgrounds, enjoy support and scholarship from the Church without which they cannot afford holistic education. A similar number of such educational institutions under the Archdiocese of Ibadan in the same Oyo State offer similar services. Most of these institutions, located in the most remote parts of the State, cater for thousands of youths who are citizens of Nigeria. Obviously, the Church would do more if she could receive support from the government to help more people in need. We commend the giant effort of the Oyo State government in education.
We, however, submit that the prerogative of government is to treat as partners, individuals and organisations which venture into education and to support them while setting the standards and rules to be followed. Given these tough economic times, we call on the Oyo State Government to provide financial support for educational institutions run by the Church and other credible private organisations since the beneficiaries of those services are also citizens of Nigeria and Oyo State, whose parents also pay taxes and work to develop the state. This is only fair and is not new in Nigeria. Before the take-over of schools in the 1970s, government had a “grants-in-aid” scheme through which it supported faith based and voluntary agency schools and which was largely responsible for the high standard of education during that period.
By that scheme, governments provided funds for capital development, recurrent expenditure and staff salaries in such schools. This ensured that those who went to such schools enjoyed the same rights as their counterparts in government schools and that they were not discriminated against. States where this scheme has been revived in Nigeria today enjoy tremendous improvement in educational performance and healthy competition among their institutions.
Renewed call for the return of schools
By the same token, we reiterate our call for the return of Catholic schools taken over by the state many decades ago in the 1970s without any compensation. This would effectively widen the reach of missionary service, restore ethics in our education system, check delinquency and moral degradation, crime and other social vices and therefore benefit everyone, irrespective of tribe or religion. Similarly, we appeal to the government to see the Church as a partner in the formulation of policy, especially in education. This can enable the Church to provide a foundation for moral and ethical principles, which will infuse in the academic curriculum, such values as respect for the sanctity of human life, compassion, honesty and integrity.
The Church also, being deeply embedded in local communities, can provide valuable support to schools through volunteer programmes, mentoring and extracurricular activities and thereby promote a sense of belonging, of community cohesion and multiculturalism. This kind of educational cooperation can enrich the educational experience and nurture well-formed individuals who are prepared to contribute positively to the society. The return of schools to faithbased organisations will require substantial political will, given the conflict of interests in our society, but will more than compensate for the effort by aiding qualitative education and a value-based system that promotes ethical and moral regeneration which will affect all other areas of national and societal life.
Youth and moral challenges
An increasing number of youths today are engaging in banditry, kidnapping, robbery, ritual killing, and promiscuity, and are getting addicted to substance abuse and gambling. Alleviating such moral decadence requires an all-inclusive methodology, involving families, communities, educational institutions, religious institutions, the media and the government with policies aimed at promoting positive values, positive mentors and positive models with support systems that offer opportunities for personal and social development. Collaboration between the Church, the media and the government in these areas can be decisive in addressing youth moral decadence. Such collaboration can enhance the quality of counselling services, support groups and intervention programmes for youths struggling with issues such as substance abuse, mental health challenges or family problems, in promoting positive values, character development and life skills.
The Church therefore, hereby advocates for more policies and legislation that promote the well-being of youths and address the root causes of moral decadence, such as divided families, poverty, inequity and lack of access to holistic education and job opportunities. We also propose that government at all levels involve the youths themselves in decision-making processes, community development initiatives and youth-oriented projects, thus empowering them to become agents of positive change. The government needs to better monitor the effectiveness of its youth intervention programmes, collect data and conduct evaluation to inform future strategies and actions. By this strategy, families can be motivated to create bonds, including parenting classes, family counselling sessions and pooling of social services to promote a nurturing environment for the youths. The media have a critical role to play in this regard.
Agriculture
We appreciate the commitment of the State Government in upgrading the Fashola Farm Settlement to Oyo State Agribusiness Hub to encourage all, especially youths and women to participate in the agricultural value chain, and enhance food security in the State. It is also commendable that the government has upgraded the Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme (OYSADEP) to Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA). We implore the government to further consider the employment of agricultural extension officers to ensure maximum functionality of these agencies.
The Catholic Church, through her social organ, Justice, Development and Peace Movement (JDPM) would be ready to further utilise its wealth of experience to support the government efforts. We urge all citizens of Oyo State to embrace agriculture. We also urge the government to subsidise the cost of farm inputs and implements so that farmers can have easy access to them. We commend the pronouncement of the State Government to subsidise tractor services in farmers cluster communities. It is necessary to expedite action in reeling out the modalities of the subsidy because the rains are fast approaching. Government should also enforce its pronouncement against multiple taxation on agricultural produce during transportation from the farms to the urban markets in the state, as this adds to the cost of farm produce in the markets.
The Local Government elections
It is commendable that the government of Oyo State held its local government elections on Saturday, April 27, 2024, in line with the democratic ethics. We acknowledge the goodwill of the State Government to stage this important but most neglected arm of government. It must be said, however, that the publicity and public awareness for this important exercise have been poor. If local government elections, which should be of the greatest interest to grassroots people receive so little publicity, then the field could open-up to those who would impute ulterior motives to the government. Future democratic elections really need to be given greater publicity in order not to disenfranchise the public. Be that as it may, the Church charges the state Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a free and fair exercise and demand transparent and credible results.
The social media and digital space
One of the blessings of technology in our time is the emergence of media beyond the limits of the print and broadcast media. Social media, facilitated by the digital space and technology, has taken the management of information to a super-highway where what is sent and what is received have a wider audience and everyone may have access to it. The Church considers these new developments, a blessing from God, yet, we must point out that the democratic mode of the social media and digital space, so to say, by which everyone can manipulate and post just about anything, can be exploited in a frightening manner by some, for ulterior and damaging motives.
In fact, this has already accounted for danger, pain and loss in the lives of many people. We therefore call on all who engage with the social media to promote wholesome values like sanctity of human life, respect for the rule of law, the dignity of labour, the dignity of women, care for the elderly and solidarity with the weak. If we take the opportunity, the digital space can be an opportune place for moral and social regeneration, aimed at the common good. We enjoin all with access to social media to avoid noxious, damaging and injurious activities and language and be more constructive in order to stimulate others towards ennobling and appropriate actions.
The digital space and its gadgets must never be allowed to become toxic to us. It is important to watch out for this, so that we do not lose touch with one another or with our humanity. The government, faith-based organisations and other educational institutions, including the media need not wait for doomsday before exercising their responsibility to offer ethical guidance, especially to the youth in the educational curriculum on the new digital space and Artificial Intelligence.
Road network
The Church commends the efforts of the government in the construction of many roads in Oyo State, such as: Iseyin-Oyo Road, Iseyin-Moniya Road, and most recently, the access road linking Iseyin with Ogbomosho. These roads already promote social cohesion and socio-economic development among the citizens of the state. Nonetheless, it is glaring that township road networks have dilapidated in many towns across the 33 LGAs of the State, hindering free movement of the people, goods and services, social integration, economic growth and security of lives and property. Oyo town, by which name this state is known, deserves special attention from the Engineer Seyi Makinde government as an ancient, cultural, and historic city that can enhance tourism and the economy of the state. I commend Governor Makinde for so far proving to be a politician of integrity, who has made a good effort to fulfil his campaign promises. We urge him not to relent. May God bless the governor, his family and his government and strengthen him to do more for the people of Oyo State and Nigeria.
