Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, has called for stronger collaboration between the Church and government to promote quality education, moral responsibility and inclusive development, stressing that knowledge must be matched with conscience to build a prosperous society.
Mbah said education alone could not guarantee responsible leadership, warning that the absence of moral values could lead to the mismanagement of public resources, weakened institutions and the concentration of opportunities in the hands of a few.
He spoke on Wednesday in a Keynote address on the ” The role of the church in shaping education and development in Enugu state, ” he delivered at the 38th Annual Convention of the Canon Law Society of Nigeria (CLSN), and the 95th birthday celebration of the founder of the CLSN and Bishop Emeritus of the Catholic diocese iof Enugu held at the Holy Ghost Cathedral,Enugu.
Junior Seminarians performing orchestra at the event
Mbah noted that the Church and government shared a responsibility to develop human capacity while nurturing the values required to ensure that knowledge and power were used for the benefit of society.
He identified knowledge and conscience as the two foundations of a flourishing society, explaining that while knowledge enables people to understand problems, innovate, create wealth and improve living conditions, conscience guides how those abilities are deployed.
“A society needs both,” the governor said, emphasising that technical competence without moral responsibility could undermine development.
He observed that people entrusted with public responsibilities could use their knowledge to mismanage resources and weaken institutions when they lacked the ethical commitment to serve the common good.
The governor stressed the need for education systems to go beyond the acquisition of academic qualifications to include character formation, civic responsibility and service to humanity.
He said the relationship between the Church and government remained crucial to the future of society because both institutions had important roles to play in developing human capabilities and shaping the values that guide public and private conduct.
Governor Mbah commended the Catholic Church for its historic contributions to the development of education in Enugu State, the former Eastern Region and Nigeria, noting that missionaries established schools, trained teachers and expanded educational opportunities long before the emergence of the present educational system.
He said mission schools had served as centres of learning and intellectual development, producing generations of teachers, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs and public servants who contributed to national development.
He addressed the concerns the church had about Smart Green school taking over other schools saying, “I understand that concern. These are institutions that have educated generations of our people. Their leaders have every reason to care about their place in Enugu’s educational future. So, I want to answer them directly.
“The Church is essential to the educational transformation we are undertaking. It would be deeply counterproductive for government to invest in a new system of learning while allowing Church educators and institutions to become disconnected from it.
“We need you in our basic education system. We need your teachers, your experience and your continuing commitment to the development of our children,” he said.
He noted that the legacy of the Church’s educational work extends beyond the number of schools established or the qualifications obtained by their students.
According to the governor, the tradition also promoted the understanding that education carried a social obligation, with personal achievements expected to translate into service to families, communities and the country.
He said character formation must remain an integral part of education, adding that society needed people who possessed not only the competence to lead but also the conscience to make decisions in the public interest.
He noted that behind government policies and Church institutions were individuals whose lives could be transformed through access to education, healthcare, guidance and social support.
Mbah also acknowledged the significance of the convention’s celebration of the 95th birthday of Most Reverend Anthony Gbuji the emeritus bishop and founder of the Cannon Law Society of Nigeria, describing his life and work as an embodiment of service and sacrifice.
He commended the society for its commitment to examining the relationship between law, conscience and social responsibility, noting that these issues were central to effective governance and sustainable development.
The governor expressed appreciation to the Canon Law Society of Nigeria for the award, reiterating his administration’s commitment to development that improves lives and creates opportunities for present and future generations.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Canon Law Committee of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) Auxiliary Bishop and Apostolic Administration of Abakiliki Catholic diocese, Most Rev. Ernest Obodo, urged Catholic priests to uphold the provisions of Canon Law, particularly Cannon 287, concerning partisan political activities.
He said priests must remain fathers to all and avoid conduct that could compromise the Church’s moral authority and credibility. The Bishop noted that statements made from the pulpit could divide communities, while silence in the face of injustice could amount to a betrayal of the Gospel.
“Nothing destroys the credibility of the Church faster than a priest who becomes a political sycophant and whose candidate later fails or is found corrupt. The people would then say, ‘The Church is just like them,’” he said.
Highlights of the event were the presentation of an Award of Excellence to Governor Mbah in recognition of his accomplishments in the governance of Enugu State. The award was presented by the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Dr Callistus Onaga.There was also an Orchestra presentation by the students of St Paul’s Seminary, Agbogwugwu.
