Akpabio pledges strengthening of Catholic schools, hospitals

The President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has announced President Bola Tinubu administration’s resolve to strengthen Catholic schools and hospitals in Nigeria.

He stated this in his address tagged, “Church and State as Partners in National Transformation and Human Development,” at the opening ceremony of the Second Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, held on Sunday in Obot Akara, Akwa Ibom State.

Akpabio, who was the chairman on the occasion, acknowledged the unyielding interest of the Catholic Church in education, which, according to him, trains not only the mind but also the soul, and the hospitals, which serve as refuge to the sick and the poor.

According to him, “Rest assured that the Tinubu Administration shall strengthen your schools that train not only the mind but also the soul. In healthcare, we shall work with your hospitals and clinics, which for decades have been the refuge of the sick and the poor. In justice and human rights, we shall uphold laws that defend the dignity of every Nigerian, regardless of tribe or creed. In youth empowerment, we shall join hands with faith-based institutions to train, to inspire, and to equip our young men and women to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”

Akpabio, who called for more partnership between the church and government, recalled how the church played important roles in holding government accountable and complementing its efforts in terms of social welfare.

He said through such collaboration, the federal government has widened access to education through the Student Loan Act and lifted the hopes of youth. “We restrained tariff hikes, that the poor might not be crushed beneath burdens too heavy to bear. We passed a new minimum wage, affirming the dignity of labour and the rights of the worker. And when war drums sounded in Niger, we chose the harder road of peace over the easier path of conflict,” Akpabio said.

Reeling out the commitments of the Catholic Church in the past in helping government, Akpabio said, “The annals of nations shine with examples. In Poland, the Catholic Church, under Cardinal Karol Wojtyła—later Pope John Paul II—stood shoulder to shoulder with the Solidarity movement, until tyranny collapsed and freedom rose, like a Phoenix, from its ashes. In Latin America, the Church, armed with her social doctrine, carried the burden of the poor when governments faltered—building schools where there were none, raising hospitals where illnesses flourished. In South Korea, the Catholic and Presbyterian voices together rang the bell of liberty, breaking the chains of dictatorship and setting a nation on the path to prosperity.

“Also, when military boots stamped upon the soil of our democracy, voices rose from the pulpit and the sanctuary. We remember Archbishop Gabriel Ganaka of Jos, who reminded us that the Church must ever be the conscience of society. ‘The Church cannot be silent in the face of injustice,’ he declared, ‘for silence in such times is itself a sin.’ In a season of fear, he gave us courage; in a season of tyranny, he gave us hope.

“I recall with reverence the fearless Cardinal Anthony Okogie of Lagos, who, as President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, stood against the storm of tyranny and made all Christians proud. At a time when silence would have been easier, he raised his voice for democracy, for freedom, for dignity. The Church did not covet political influence; the Church wielded the sword of truth, and her moral authority became a lamp for the nation.

“As President of the Senate, I pledge before you that we shall continue to stand with the Church in this sacred work. In the councils of government, we are your eyes and your ears. And let it be said with clarity: your voice is not ornamental, it is essential; your counsel is not optional, it is indispensable.”

Akpabio, while declaring the event open, described Akwa Ibom as the Gilgal of Nigeria and a place of covenant renewal due to the stream of faith-based conventions that gather there.

Akpabio pledges strengthening of Catholic schools, hospitals