Watch and Pray! 
Communiqué at the End of the Second Plenary Meeting 
of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) 
at the Pope John Paul II Pastoral Centre, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State 
September 10 – 15, 2007. 
Preamble 
1. We, members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, held our Second Plenary Meeting for the year 2007 at the Pope John Paul II Pastoral Centre, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, from September 10 – 15, 2007. Our Lord Jesus Christ admonished his disciples to watch and pray (cf. Matt 26:41). Inspired by our Lord’s invitation, we now present our communiqué. 
Blessings to the Church in Nigeria 
2. We welcomed into our conference and congratulated a new Bishop, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, the Auxiliary Bishop of Awka. 
We thank His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI for the creation of Shendam Diocese and congratulate its first Bishop, Most Rev. James Daman, O.S.A., who is also the Apostolic Administrator of Jalingo Diocese. We thank the Holy Father also for the appointments of Monsignor Anthony Adaji, MSP as the Auxiliary Bishop of Idah Diocese and Monsignor Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo as Coadjutor Bishop of Oyo Diocese. The ordination of Monsignor Adaji will take place at St. Boniface Cathedral, Idah on 22nd September 2007, while Monsignor Badejo will be ordained on 20th October 2007 at St. Francis Catholic College Grounds, Oyo. 
Synodal Call for Renewal 
3. Last year, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI convoked the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops entitled: The Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace: 'You Are the Salt of the Earth... You Are the Light of the World' (Matt 5:13,14). The Synod will be celebrated in Rome in 2009. The Synod calls for renewed evangelisation effort which entails conversion of heart and a more in-depth reflection on our Christian life in society, in order to fully respond to the Gospel. For a fruitful renewal and participation, we commit ourselves to prayer and the study of the Synod’s preparatory document known as the Lineamenta. 
A world Synod has been convoked on the Scriptures, entitled The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church, which shall take place in October 2008. By deeply appreciating the Scriptures, reverently contemplating and proclaiming it in both word and deed, members of the Church in Nigeria shall be brought to ‘a new spiritual spring’ to be the light and salt of the nation. 
Glimmers of Hope 
4. We thank God whose mercy guided the transition in Nigeria from one civilian rule to another, despite flawed elections. Recently, we witnessed the remarkable action of the Judiciary in ensuring that justice was dispensed without delay, fear or favour. We ask that the Judiciary continue to play its crucial role, as an independent arm of government, in the development and growth of a more democratic Nigeria. The other arms of government and all government functionaries should also reflect and encourage due process and the rule of law. 
We acknowledge the government’s disposition to dialogue and negotiation. Government should always listen to the people and serve their interests. Justice, development and peace will only come when government personnel become servant leaders of their people. In this vein, we commend the ongoing efforts of the government to address the deficiencies in the various sectors of the economy. We pray that these positive developments be sustained. 
Healing the Wounds of the April 2007 Elections 
5. With regard to the April 2007 elections, we have as a group and as individuals expressed our feelings that the elections were massively flawed. During the opening session of our conference meetings, the final observation report on the April 2007 elections was formally presented by the Justice, Development and Peace/Caritas Nigeria (JDP/ Caritas). It is titled, Observation Report on the 2007 General Elections in Nigeria. It forms part of our vigilance and diligent contribution towards a sustainable democracy. We urge all Nigerians to study this document and to take its recommendations seriously. 
We have had the elections, but the wounds inflicted on the Nigerian people and on our nascent democracy remain deep and painful. Our nation needs to be healed. This healing must involve repentance, truth, pursuit of justice, electoral reform, and moral rectitude. The election petition tribunal, which is the hope of the aggrieved, should dispense justice without delay, fear or favour. While we commend the on-going efforts at electoral reform, which led to the inauguration of the Electoral Reform Committee, we urge that steps taken be thorough and comprehensive. We appeal to all Nigerians to embrace and insist on moral rectitude, which as a basis for true nation-building, should underline our notion of governance and means of coming to power. We mandate the JDP/ Caritas Commission to intensify the civic education programme at all levels. 
Niger Delta Crisis and Security
6. The crisis in the Niger-Delta region has continued to deepen in a gravely alarming manner, especially with the recent outbreak of violence in Rivers State. While the government has demonstrated commendable readiness to address the crisis and made sustained efforts to do so, nevertheless the situation still clamours for serious attention. We urge the government, of both Federal and State levels, to intensify efforts towards resolving the crisis. At the same time, we call upon the various protagonists to lay down their arms and come to the negotiation table. 
The CBCN will continue to show its solidarity to the people of the Niger Delta on their plight and suffering. At the same time, we wholly denounce hostage-taking which not only violates the dignity of innocent victims, but inhibits the freedom of movement as well as dent the image of our country. 
Insecurity is a nationwide challenge to be constantly and systematically addressed. The continuing incidents of armed robbery especially on the highways are a cause for grave concern. We appeal to the government that result-oriented efforts be made to arrest the situation. 
Diversification of the Economy 
7. Discussions on economic reforms at Federal and State levels have stressed the need to diversify the economy and to shift from an oil-based economy to revive other sectors. However, the initiatives to achieve this still remain to be put into action. Not enough attention is being given to agriculture, which is fundamental to sustainable development. Government programmes in agriculture should include the local farmers as stakeholders from the planning to the implementation stage. 
We appeal to the government to initiate and sustain projects, which encourage the development of other sources of revenue. Nigerians need a regular supply of food on their table, as well as employment for their teeming youth population. The oil-industry alone will not do this. 
Integral Education as Foundation of Sustainable Development 
8. Education is identified as a veritable tool to address the many challenges that plague humanity. Where a sound educational system is abysmally lacking, there is poverty of intellect and character with all the attendant moral, economic and social ills. The lamentable collapse of the educational system in Nigeria has remained the bane of the transformation and growth of our nation. 
The Catholic Church in Nigeria has always been at the forefront in the education of our people. We are happy to formally announce that Veritas University of Abuja (VUNA), established by the CBCN, has been authorized and licensed to contribute to the growth of education in Nigeria. We implore all Catholics and people of goodwill to contribute to the project in order to enable it to take off in 2008. 
We commend private proprietors of educational institutions who give qualitative education to our citizens. Government must do more to encourage and support the growing private initiatives in the provision of good education in the nation. Schools taken over by government should be returned to their original proprietors. To sustain the rights and freedom of parents to choose which kind of education to give to their children and which institution to send them, government should endeavour to extend grants to private institutions to better serve the citizens. 
We should now as a nation examine our conscience as to why the reforms in the educational sector are either not implemented or not sustained. The requirements of the Millennium Development Goals and the fact of globalization make proper reform in education all the more imperative. Such reform must take the basic education of all Nigerians more seriously and ensure that pupils and students, in both public and private schools at all levels, enjoy their right to a good and affordable education. 
Commitment to Spiritual and Moral Formation 
9. Nigerians need radical and sustained re-orientation in their value systems. Nigeria, a nation prized as most religious, is often paradoxically rated as one of the most corrupt. Here, the Church senses her great obligation to proclaim the Gospel values in order to usher in the deep moral and spiritual renewal which is needed to sustain discipline and true human development. To be credible witnesses, however, we challenge ourselves to look inwards in order to recover the interiority to radically respond to the divine mandate to make disciples of all the nations (cf. Matt 28:19,20). We recommit ourselves to the spiritual formation of the young and adult, as well as to moral and catechetical instructions. We prioritize and renew our responsibility in sowing and nurturing the seed of faith, hope and love in the hearts of all peoples, through dialogue and proclamation. 
We commend all Christians - the clergy, religious and laity - working assiduously in their various areas of apostolate, especially for children and the youth. If the youth are guided and formed well, they themselves can improve the quality of their lives. 
At this juncture, we invite all to participate in the First National Mission Congress with the theme, You Shall be My Witnesses, taking place in Onitsha from Wednesday 26 – 30 September 2007. The National Youth Day celebrations will start in November in the different dioceses and culminate in Abuja as preparation for the World Youth Day in March 2008. Also, the First National Catholic Festival of Arts and Culture will commence in December 2007. 
Watch and Pray 
10. As we express our gratitude to God for His many favours, we are reminded of the duty to watch and pray always that we may not be put to the test (cf. Matt 26:41). We need to be vigilant and control our human greed and pride which are at the basis of corruption, conflicts and bad governance. We pray for fear of God and respect for other people, fully cognizant that without Jesus Christ we can do nothing (cf. Jn 15:5). We pray for the humility and simplicity to enable us avoid vanity and be conscientious stewards who put their natural and human resources into good use. We pray for the selflessness and generosity necessary for servant leadership at all levels. We urge all Nigerians to continue with Prayer for Nigeria in Distress and Prayer against Bribery and Corruption in Nigeria. 
May our Mother Mary, Queen of Nigeria, guide and guard us on our journey as a nation. Amen. 
Most Rev. Felix Alaba Job Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji 
Archbishop of Ibadan Bishop of Umuahia 
President Secretary