The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has offered to
mediate in the protracted rift between the federal government and the
Academic Staff of Union Universities (ASUU) over the implementation of
the 2009 ASUU/FG agreement between the two parties.
Rising from its 2013 second plenary meeting in Otukpo, Benue State,
yesterday, the bishops observed that the ongoing rift had crippled the
education system in the country, and urged the federal government and
the leadership of ASUU to come down from their stern positions and
resolve their differences in the interest of the students.
In a communiqué, signed by the President of CBCN, Most Reverend
Ignatius Kaigama, who doubles as the bishop of the Archdiocese of Jos,
and the Secretary, Most Reverend Williams Avenga, who is also the bishop
of Gboko, and made available to journalists in Jos, Plateau State, the
bishops expressed regret that university students have been made to roam
about the streets, following the indefinite strike.
The clerics stated that they could no longer afford to remain indifferent, while the future of the youths was being mortgaged.
The communiqué said: “We are disturbed by the crippling effect of the
strike. As stakeholders in the education of our youths, we cannot stay
aloof. We appeal to the federal government and ASUU to take the higher
ground of mutual exchange and shifting of grounds for the collective
responsibility of saving our university education and getting our youths
back to the classrooms.
“We, the Catholic Bishops willingly offer ourselves as a conference to
mediate in order to bring this deadlock to an end and usher in a
harmonious, viable and sustainable environment for university learning.”
The bishops also lamented the denial of Catholics to acquire land to
establish chaplaincy by some university authorities, adding that the
action had contributed to the weakening of sound moral in the lives of
the youths, who are the future leaders.
The clerics called on the federal government to foster religious
freedom by allocating lands and removing all barriers to acquiring lands
for religious worships.
On security, the CBCN congratulated the federal government on the bold
measures adopted in combating the menace of the Boko Haram sect, which
had reduced the acts of terrorism in the country, especially in Borno,
Adamawa, and Yobe States.
While reiterating the need for good governance, the conference noted that the quality of life in Nigeria does not reflect the level of the country's immense human and natural resources.
While reiterating the need for good governance, the conference noted that the quality of life in Nigeria does not reflect the level of the country's immense human and natural resources.
The clerics also called for higher observance in the right and respect
to lives and condemned attempts to introduce unwholesome values to the
society by foreign agencies in their campaign for abortion. Supply of
condoms and promotion of same-sex union and commended the Senate for its
firm stand and outright rejection of the bill on same-sex marriage.
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