General News
Catholic Church, media should serve as Nigeria’s conscience – Fr. Umoh
By Patrick Wemambu
Catholic Church and the mass media have been described as sharing a sacred duty to serve as the conscience of Nigeria. This is moreso in times of socio-economic adversities as currently experienced in the nation.
National Director of Social Communications, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Rev.
His words; “The media and the Church share a sacred duty to be the conscience of the nation, especially in times of socio-economic anxieties, as we are currently experiencing. Let us maintain this frontline alliance for the common good of Nigeria and humanity.”
Enthusing on the auspicious double celebration with the latter marking the triumphant end of the local Church’s week-long grassroots media literacy program, which vibrantly engaged parishes and chaplaincies across the length and breadth of the country – Fr. Umoh thanked the mass media for keeping up with its traditional attendance at the annual event. Their presence, it was explained, signifies a historical testament to the vital partnership between the entities in question towards building a well-informed, just and morally upright Nigeria.
Tributes were paid to the new National Chairman for Social Communications, Most Rev. (Prof.) Gerald Musa, Catholic Bishop of Katsina Diocese. “Bishop Musa is not a stranger to the world of communication; rather, he is a titan within it. He joins us directly from the heights of academia, having served with distinction as a Lecturer at the Centre for the Study of African Culture and Communication (CESACC) at the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt.
“As a consummate communications scholar and a seasoned shepherd, his appointment by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) is a profound blessing. He brings an immense wealth of academic rigour, strategic insight, and pastoral zeal that will undoubtedly propel the Church’s communication apostolate to even greater heights. I am confident you will all accord His Lordship the highest professional regard and collaboration,” the address added.
Using the occasion to bid the gathering farewell in a speech laden with emotions, the Director of Social Communications said he was approaching the finishing line of his mandate. Reminiscing on what he termed a very challenging but deeply rewarding six-year tenure, Fr. Umoh expressed immense gratitude to God for the enablement. Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, also received kudos for his graciousness in releasing the reverend gentleman for the national assignment. This is just as the entire Catholic Bishops of Nigeria got pats on their backs for the trust and opportunity given to the speaker to serve.
“By God’s grace, we can humbly say that we have revolutionised the digital presence of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, notably through the launch and sustenance of the Nigeria Catholic Network (NCN), the institutionalisation of ComWEEK, and the restructuring of our various communication bodies to form a unified, synergistic front. We must not fail to note, that all these are still work in progress, as there are still so much that needs to be done.
“None of these achievements would have been possible without your unwavering solidarity. You, the gentlemen of the press, have been our reliable allies. You carried our voice to the public arena, amplified our structural interventions, and reported on our advocacy for public accountability, national infrastructure reform, and good governance with balance and integrity. For your cooperation over the past six years, we express our profound gratitude,” the audience was told.
Just as he requested for continued solidarity with the media, the veteran journalist prayed that built structures continue to flourish. He earnestly implored members of the fourth estate of the realm to continue to extend even greater cooperation, professional warmth, and solidarity to whoever his successor might be.
Hear him; “Please, continue to stand firmly by the CSN Communications Office and the Catholic Church in Nigeria as a whole…Furthermore, I wish to convey to you the deep gratitude of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN). The hierarchy of the Church greatly appreciates your relentless sacrifices, your courage in truth-telling, and your invaluable service to Nigerian society. Our Bishops constantly hold you and your families in prayer, asking for God’s protection over you in the line of duty.”
Earlier, Fr. Umoh had expressed profound gratitude to immediate past Chairman for Social Communications, Most Rev. David Ajang, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Lafia. He noted that throughout His Lordship’s tenure, he was not just a supervisor, but a pillar of support, a visionary guide, and a father to the entire communications apostolate in Nigeria. The unwavering encouragement of the metropolitan see was viewed as foundational to the achievements recorded in the Social Communications Directorate since 2020.
This is in addition to the vision and goals which gave birth to the Nigeria Catholic Network (NCN), the national institutionalisation of ComWEEK. And the production of an organogram with an aim to synergise the efforts of all Catholic communication bodies with all communication initiatives of the Church in Nigeria.
