ABSTRACT
The social problems of the society is more often than not relegated to the government as their primordial social responsibility to the governed masses, however behind the cover of government intervention in most of these delicate cases, certain corporate bodies come together to spring initiatives primary aimed at not reducing the social responsibilities on the government, but obviously putting up their own quota to the harmonious development of the human society in a more inclusive manner. Unfortunately however, the activities of the dedicated non-governmental or religious at rationalizing developments are offered minimal or very little attention by students, scholars and the wider readership, thus making obscure, necessary details on the enormous roles of these organization, which the Justice, Development and Peace Commission is a fateful victim. Hence, employing the qualitative research methodology, involving collation of basic information from both primary and secondary sources, it is established that the Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC)/Caritas in AkwaIbom State has contributed substantively to the social and harmonious development of not just the state, but the human population of the state, who remains the prime agents of social development. It concludes that, the Justice, Development and Peace Commission has a wider potential of addressing more pertinent issues if there is obvious synergy between the government, the public and the Commission.
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
The problem of poverty, disease, injustice, man’s inhumanity to man is hydra-headed and requires multi-faceted approaches. The Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC)/Caritas is the response of the Catholic Church to these socio-related problems. It is a structural response to the Second Vatican Council appealing for the church’s involvement in the building of a just and peaceful world. It was against this backdrop, and more so, with the urge to meet the social demands of the gospel, that Pope Paul VI created the Pontifical Commission, Justitia et Pax (Justice and Peace) on January 6. 1967.1
Its key objective is the integral development of the human person who is the principal agent and recipient of development work.This role is exercised through engaging in charity/relief efforts aimed at cushioning the effects of problems, while focusing on the fundamental causes, and as well collaborating with grounded structures, governments and organized private sector to address identified social anomalies.
Every branch of the JDPC has its specific function mainly in its particular division.2 However, activities that span beyond a particular function are carried out in collaboration with other agencies and social organizations domiciled in the affected areas. The commission uses the structure of the Catholic Church to reach out to all who need and deserve intervention, and has as policy, not to discriminate against anyone, irrespective of sex, religion and race.3
According to the Organizational Brochure of the commission inUyo Catholic Diocese, the building philosophy of the commission is based on the social teachings of the church, (Catholic Church) which basically sees every human being as a child of God, and abhors discrimination of any sort.4 Also, the commission operates with the cardinal objective of promoting human dignity and fighting with all resources against situations that debases that dignity.
Statement of Problem
The programmes of the Justice, Development and Peace commission as an agency of the Catholic Church charged with the promotion of social equity and balanced social co-existence and peace in AkwaIbom State specifically, and Nigeria in general has been granted less attention and perhaps is less studied.
Also, bearing in mind the age-long role of the church as a tool for promoting equity and peaceful co-existence as well as advocating for dignity of the human person, what is the role of the catholic public relations and the media in advocacy and public enlightenment campaigns to interpret the needs of integrative programmes to the public for the purpose of broadening the base of public understanding and to foster the involvement of the community (beyond the Catholic community) in advancing the development initiatives and efforts within and outside the commission.
A successful implementation of the initiatives and programmes of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission depends to a large extent on adequate funding, existence of infrastructures within the commission to ease the internal problem of funding and facilitating the developmental initiatives of the commission. But the question here however is; are these available?
What are the innovating factors and structures in the general administration of the Catholic Justices Development and Peace Commission, especially as regards institutional personnel,since it is on their integrity, humanity, orientation, professional capacity and personal suitability that the work of advancing the policies, transformational and equitable efforts of the commission depends?
Finally, what is the orientation of the government of Nigeria towards faith-based organizations such as the JDPC, in the process of social reconstruction, human rights promotion, poverty alleviation and interventions in the developmental process of the Nigerian state?Are the necessary policies and incentives to encourage these initiatives set in place or the efforts recognizable within the policy circles of successive governments?
Objectives of the Study
The study aims to undertake in-depth analyses of the roles undertaken by the Catholic Justice, Development and Peace Commission /Caritas in the promotion of social justice and harmony as well as the initiation of developmental programmes in AkwaIbomState. It is also aimed at further highlighting the obvious need for government encouragement through generating a more elaborate public partnership with the commission beyond the confines of the Catholic Church to promote these imperative components of social stability in AkwaIbom State. Finally, it is targeted at bringing to the fore, the multiple undertakings of the JDPC in AkwaIbom State, which have corroboratively worked to the advancement of social harmony and inclusiveness in AkwaIbom State, as a indication to other faith-based organizations in the state and beyond to obviously emulate.
Methodology
Adopting descriptive and analytical approaches, this research will employ primary sources from sourced interviews with the two divisions of the Justice Development and Peace Commission/Caritas in Uyo and IkotEkpene Dioceses of the Catholic Church in AkwaIbom. Information will also be sourced from secondary materials like documents and reports of the commission(s) on it activities, conference papers, communiqués, magazines and quarterly publications. Also, sources comprising related literatures on justice, development and the role of faith-based organization in promoting social conformity as well as other relevant materials on Catholicism in AkwaIbom will also be consulted. However, where information lapses are obvious, focus will be turned to archival materials with relevant inputs on the role of the JDPC in the promotion of social harmony in AkwaIbom State.
Significance of the Study
This research work upon completion, it is hoped will provide scholars, students, the people of AkwaIbom State, and the general reading public with ample information and reference materials on the role and activities of the Catholic Church towards the promotion of human rights, social developments and democracy, as well as poverty alleviation in AkwaIbomState. It is also hoped to aid relevant agencies and NGOs towards reviewing existing policies on the imperative of synergizing with the commission to further the entrenchment of these inevitable virtues in AkwaIbomState,as the first step towards achieving the widely anticipated and expected inclusive development and social harmony.
Also, it is hoped to offer the public a cluster of information regarding the obvious non-political role played by the Catholic Church in the development of the state, and as well, assist government in policy formulations that will help the commission and other concerned NGOs and agencies to successfully implement their programmes, as they are more closely associated with the grassroots in the social political strata.
A HISTORY OF JUSTICE DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE COMMISSION IN AKWA IBOM STATE, FROM 2004-2005
