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NIGERIA-DIGNITY Feb-20-2008 (360 words) xxxi
Nigerian bishops denounce culture that violates human dignity
By Peter Ajayi Dada
Catholic News Service
LAGOS, Nigeria (CNS) -- The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria has decried a prevailing culture that violates human dignity.
"The rights of every Nigerian as human beings are violated by some policies which are ill-conceived with little or no input from the people," the bishops said. "Even some good policies are poorly implemented."
In a statement released after their general meeting Feb. 11-16 in Abuja, the bishops said, "The flawed federal and state elections of 2007 and the subsequent local government elections represent a brutal reminder that there is a culture of violation of human dignity in our country."
They accused many Nigerian leaders of assuming that they were "omniscient and omnipotent" because they were heading a government office. The bishops also said they regretted that Nigerians had witnessed the many "manifestations of the erroneous presumption that power is knowledge and that to be in office is to monopolize wisdom."
"This kind of thinking encourages arbitrariness in policymaking and execution," they said. "It violates human dignity because it excludes the people from the process of governance."
The bishops said a Nigerian's human dignity is violated when his or her rights as a citizen "are not recognized beyond the boundaries of his ancestral home."
Noting their appreciation of the wisdom behind the quota system in education placement and employment, the bishops said that "the operation of this policy sometimes amounts to making some Nigerians second-class citizens or even outright aliens in their own country."
The bishops also called for reforms in Nigeria's education policies and stressed the need for adequate and qualified teachers. The government should equip public schools and support children in private schools, they said.
They also commended Nigerians for the relative harmony and peace in the country, which they attributed to God's infinite love for the land.
They also commended the courageous decisions of judges in the election tribunals and appeals courts, although the appeals process is slow.
"We see the gradual emergence of a truly free and independent judiciary," they said, encouraging the judiciary to be "continually courageous in establishing the truth and dispensing justice in all matters."
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Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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