Caritas Nigeria and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have promised to work together in the fight against human trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence, and violence against persons to ensure human development in the country.
The director general of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dr. Fatima Waziri-Azi, made this known in Abuja at the Caritas Nigeria Day and symposium organised by the Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (CCFN) with the theme; ‘The Church in the Service of Integral Human Development: The Nigeria Experience.
Waziri-Azi who was represented by NAPTIP’s director of intelligence, Mr. Josiah Emerole, also assured of the federal government’s support for Caritas Nigeria, saying NAPTIP was also engaged in the fight against human trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence and violence against persons.
“These are all part of work to ensure that all those negative vices against human development are caught. We are happy that with Caritas Nigeria on our side, we have always been winners in this area.
“I am using this opportunity to invite everyone to work together with Caritas to ensure that everything that leads to a breakdown of values and hindrance in the way of progress in human development and human security in Nigeria is defeated,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the executive secretary of Caritas Nigeria, Rev. FR. Uche Obodoechina, said the wisdom of the founding fathers in establishing the foundation was yielding positive fruits, thus the responsibility must not be allowed to wean.
He also urged the church to prioritize helping the needy and giving hope to the hopeless to societal and national development.
The Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, while delivering his keynote address, said baptising thousands of church goers does not make them Christians at heart and the leadership of the churches must impact knowledge of faith and sincerity.
Onaiyekan noted that the era of foreign missionary was over as the church was growing both in the clergy, religious, and especially the laity.
“As our churches are getting full every Sunday, we need to put more effort into making sure that these crowds of churchgoers are also Christians at heart. It is not enough to baptize hundreds and thousands of people. They must also receive the knowledge of the faith and be sincere Christians who can give clear Christian witness to the society in which we live.
“The quality of the faith of our members is crucial if the church is to be more than just a social organization. The leadership of the Catholic Church in Nigeria today is well aware of these challenges. Whenever there is a meeting of the bishop’s conference, these issues are always on the front burner of our discussions,” Onaiyekan said.
