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Bishops urge FG to institute anti-corruption policies and strategies

By Ijeoma Thomas-Odia
21 August 2016   |   3:18 am
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has commended President Buhari’s administration for its effort at exposing corrupt practices and people in Nigeria. They, however, urged the Federal Government...
Most Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin

Most Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has commended President Buhari’s administration for its effort at exposing corrupt practices and people in Nigeria. They, however, urged the Federal Government to put in place systemic and institutional anti-corruption policies and strategies to ensure that the campaign outlasts the current administration.

This was contained in a communiqué signed by the President, Archbishop of Ibadan, Most Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin​​​ and the Secretary, Bishop of Ekiti, Most Rev. Felix Ajakaye and made available to The Guardian at the end of the second Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province for 2016, held at the Ondo Diocesan Pastoral Centre, Igoba in Akure.

A statement concerning the forthcoming elections in Edo and Ondo States, read in part: “Our country, by now, has some years of democratic experience and so, must be seen to be gaining positive from that. We urge the electoral umpires to be truly independent and fair. Since democracy is fundamentally about people, we call on all Nigerians to stand up for what is good and beneficial to the common good. Let everyone vote according to their conscience and shun all forms of corrupt practices for the sake of our future and our dear country.”

The clerics tasked government to collaborate with partners and organisations with proven track record for an improvement in the educational sector. “Not only do we need massive structural upgrade, we also need thorough and pervasive moral rehabilitation for government educational administrators, teachers, pupils and students. This latter area is where the Church is best suited to help.

“We call on State Governments within our Province to unconditionally return Catholic Schools, so that we can fully participate in restoring the integrity of the education sector. The people of Nigeria, especially the Southwest, have always cherished holistic education and they deserve the right to receive it from all who have the competence and goodwill to offer it.

“We condemn the recent move by the Minister for Education, Professor Isaac Adewole, in collaboration with some foreign agencies to commit the Federal Government to increasing the culture of contraception and subsequently, abortion among our people, in the name of providing better maternal healthcare and empowering our women.We see such moves as deceptive and harmful to moral values. We ask Nigerians to reject them.”

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