shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21499,0);(0,0);(0,21498);(21499,21498)posrelh0posrelv0pib

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21499,0);(0,0);(0,21481);(21499,21481)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21499,0);(0,0);(0,21490);(21499,21490)posrelh0posrelv0pib
Copyright © Johnpaul Chukwudi Okolo 
First Published 2016 
	_ 	All right reserved. 
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, 
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, 
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of 
the publishers. 
ISBN: 978-978-53982-1-2 
Published by CIDJAP Press 
1-3 CIDJAP Street, Uwani Enugu 
www.ClDJAP.org

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;8;(21498,0);(15108,0);(15108,15541);(1340,15541);(1340,15044);(0,15044);(0,21499);(21498,21499)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21472,0);(0,0);(0,21477);(21472,21477)posrelh0posrelv0pib

'PROLOGUE 

A LIFE FOR JUSTICE & PEACE - A LAUDATIO FOR 
MONSIGNOR OBIORA IKE 

Ikecbukwu J. Ani 

	1. 	Introduction 
W

e wish to appreciate the contributions of Very Rev Monsignor 
Professor Dr Obiora Ike to a central mission of the Catholic Church, 
the pastoral ministry of justice and peace. Today, Justice and Peace 
'Departments have been positioned among the central organs of the pastoral 
ministry in every Catholic Diocese in Nigeria. The Justice and Peace Department 
of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, popularly known as CIDJAP (Catholic 
Institute of Development, Justice and Peace) stands out as a shining example that 
exposes the importance of the ministry of Justice and Peace in the Catholic 
Church. We would be stating the obvious if we maintain that CIDJAP IS 
synonymous with Rev Father, or rather Very Rev Monsignor Obiora Ike. 

As a point of departure, we wish to reiterate that every faithful follower of Christ, 
who deserves this characterization, must make an option for the practice of 
justice that breeds, nurtures and sustains peace. We shall cite examples of people 
who, even in the heat of war and hatred, opted and worked for the reconciliation 
that would restore justice. and peace. We shall then proceed to survey the origin 

.. '. of what we today call Justice and Peace Departments. as official organs of the 
pastoral ministry in the Catholic Dioceses all over the world. 

The CIDJAP of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu has putin place and executed 
programs for the promotion of justice and peace, under the selfless leadership of 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21497,0);(0,0);(0,21497);(21497,21497)posrelh0posrelv0pib
Obiora Ike. We shall survey the activities of CIDJAP in order to expose the 
achievements of Obiora Ike. 
The closing remarks will emphasize that justice and peace should become a way 
of life of our people, so that they could effectively face the challenges of being a 
community of peace. 
	2. 	Christian Concern For Peace In The Society 
"Glory to God in the highest heavens, and on earth peace to all who 
are God's friends" (cf. Lk 2: 14). 
This song of the angels at the birth of the Infant Jesus give a succinct description 
of the mission of the Saviour. Indeed, the birth of Christ was the declaration of 
peace on earth. At the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus gave a little 
elaboration on the challenges of his mission of peace on earth as follows: 
The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me, 
and God has anointed me and sent me to bring the good news to the 
poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, 
and to the blind new sight, 
to set the downtrodden Fee, and to proclaim the Lord's year offavour 
(Luke 4 v 18-19, Is 61 v 1-2) 
Peace can therefore only be achieved through the Spirit of God who anoints and 
sends his followers to break down the walls of injustice and oppression, so that 
peace would take its right place in the hearts of peoples. Anyone who follows 
Christ must therefore, cherish peace from the very "bottom" of his or her heart. A 
Christian conscience must, under every circumstance of life, make an option for 
the justice that nurtures peace. The Church as the Family of God is constantly 
challenged to do all within her reach to achieve the establishment of justice and 
peace among all peoples. As the Nigerian Bishops would reiterate: 
"We cannot talk of or build up a true Family of God without charity, 
justice and peace. Our families, our indigenous cultures and indeed 
entire human societies would crumble if justice were not made the 
guiding principle and thread, which bind peoples and nations"). 
Despite the centrality of the message of peace in the mission of Christ, human 
history has recorded two world wars; and even more devastating local wars and 
civil strife, have continued to menace peaceful coexistence in our present times. 
Yet, even in the heat of war, or perhaps because of the heat of war, the true 
I The Church in Nigeria. Family of God on Mission, p. 95. 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;6;(21499,0);(15552,0);(15552,17539);(0,17539);(0,21498);(21499,21498)posrelh0posrelv0pib

Christian human heart would have a strong longing for reconciliation, calling 
attention to that justice that would bring back peace. 

It is therefore, not at all surprising, that during the World War II, at a time "when 
velY terrible things were happening in Europe" and human life was being 
destroyed, Pierre-Marie Theas, Bishop of Montauban in the South of France, was 
a courageous voice that decried the deportation of Jews from France. In a pastoral 
letter that was read throughout his Diocese he wrote: 

"l give voice to the outraged protest of Christian conscience, and l 
proclaim.: that all men, whatever their race or religion, have the 
right to be respected by individuals and by states ... " (I 942). 
One evening in 1944, Bishop Theas spoke in his Cathedral against the 
deportation of Jews and of young French men who were being sent to forced 
labour camps. The next day, he was arrested and he spent several weeks in a 
prison camp at Compiegne. While he was there, the other prisoners asked him to 
lead them in prayers and reflections. He chose to preach on 'Love your enemies' 
and suggested that they should pray for those who put them into prison. This 
provoked a strong reaction. The other prisoners found it so hard to accept the 
position' of the Bishop. Bishop Theas was released a few weeks later and he went 
back to his Diocese, but that prison episode affected himdeeply and gave him an 
understanding of how difficult and demanding, true reconciliation between 
enemies would be. 
The incident described above gives us a good example of how, even in the face of 
deep hatred and war, a Christian person opted for reconciliation, justice and 
peace. This Christian witness of Bishop Theas became the first inspiration for an 
organized Christian action for peace in the group, known as Pax ChristP. 
The second Pax Christi source of inspiration was a teacher, Marthe Dortel- 
Claudot, who lived in the South of France also.. with her husband and children. 
She was involved in her local Parish and she was known to be a very prayerful 
person. During the winter of 1944, as Christmas approached, she found herself 
thinking about the suffering of the German people. She wrote in her Journal: 
"Jesus died jar everyone. Nobody should be excluded from one's 
	prayer.". 	. 
She prayed that Germany would be healed of the spiritual and moral effects of 12 
years of Nazism. 
2 Cf. http://www.paxchristi.net/about/htrril/history.htm 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21489,0);(0,0);(0,21494);(21489,21494)posrelh0posrelv0pib
In the I960s the role of Catholics as peacemakers was given strong SUpp0l1 from 
the Vatican. Pope John XXIII could not keep quiet about many of the world's 
urgent problems, and addressed such problems in his famous encyclical letter 
Pacem ill Terris - Peace on Earth. In those years, there was increased public 
concern about the possibility of a nuclear war. The Vietnam war began, and for 
the first time, many US young Catholics were among those refusing military 
service. At the Second Vatican Council the Bishops of the world supported the 
right to conscientious objection and condemned nuclear deterrence. It was Paul 
VI who clearly made a critical link between world poverty and the money and 
resources wasted on armaments. Paul VI described "Development" as the new 
name for peace. He also created the World Day of Prayer for Peace, which is still 
held on lst January every year. 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21470,0);(0,0);(0,21498);(21470,21498)posrelh0posrelv0pib

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21425,0);(0,0);(0,21494);(21425,21494)posrelh0posrelv0pib

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21436,0);(0,0);(0,21484);(21436,21484)posrelh0posrelv0pib

As the Church felt continually confronted with the problems of the world that 
constituted a danger to peace, the need for a well organized Christian action for 
. peace in the unifying Spirit of Christ became more and more urgent. Today, we 
have the Justice and Peace Departments in every Diocese to coordinate action in 
favour of peace. 
	3. 	Diocesan Justice And Peace Departments - Origin And Mission 
Like other Diocesan Justice and Peace Departments, CIDJAP has its immediate 
origin, inspiration and mandate from The Pontifical Council jar Justice and 
Peace. Evidently it was practical concern for those who suffer from injustice in 
the society, the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized, that prompted the 
Second Vatican Council to initiate action for a more involving and systematized 
role of the Church in the promotion of development, justice and peace. "The 
Second Vatican Council had proposed the creation of a body of the Universal 
Church whose role would be to stimulate the Catholic Community to foster 
progress in needy regions and social justice on the international scene":'. It was in 
reply to this request that Pope Paul VI established the Pontifical Commission 
"Justitia et Pax" by a Motu Proprio dated 6 January 1967 (Catholicam Christi 
Ecclesiam). The Pope established this Commission out of the conviction that 
anyone who wanted peace .must work for justice Two months later, in Populorum 
Progressio, Paul VI succinctly stated of the new body that "its name, which is 
also its program, is Justice and Peace" (no. 5). Gaudium et Spes and this 
Encyclical, which "in a certain way ... applies the teaching of the Council'" 
(Sollicitudo Rei Socia lis, no. 6), were the founding texts and points of reference 
for this new body. After a ten-year experimental period, Paul VI gave the 
3 Gaudium et Spes, No. 90. 
• Sollicitudo Hei Socia/is, no. 6. 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;6;(21436,0);(12237,0);(12237,1576);(0,1576);(0,21483);(21436,21483)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;6;(21498,0);(16141,0);(16141,17403);(0,17403);(0,21499);(21498,21499)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21479,0);(0,0);(0,21496);(21479,21496)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21436,0);(0,0);(0,21489);(21436,21489)posrelh0posrelv0pib

Commission its definitive status with the Motu Proprip Justitiam et Pacem of 10 
December 1976.· 

When the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus of 28 June 1988 reorganized. the 
Roman Curia, Pope John Paul II changed its name from Commission to Pontifical 
Council and reconfirmed the general lines of its work. Pastor Bonus defined the 
objectives and mandate of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in the 
following terms: 
(a) "The Council will promote justice and peace in the world, in the 
light of the Gospel and of the social teaching of the Church (art. 142). 
(b) It will deepen the social doctrine of the Church and attempt ~o 
make it widely known and applied, both by individuals and 
communities, especially as regards to relations between workers and 
employers. These relations must be increasingly marked by the spirit 
of the Gospel. 
(c) It will assemble and evaluate various types of information and the 
results of research on justice and peace, the development of-peoples 
and the violations of human rights. When appropriate, ii will inform 
Episcopal bodies of the conclusions drawn. It will foster relations 
with international Catholic organizations and with other bodies, be 
they Catholic or not, that are sincerely committed to the promotion of 
the values of justice and peace in the world .: 

(d). It will heighten awareness of the need to promote peace, above 
all, on the occasion of the World Day of Peace (art. 143). 
(e) It will maintain close relations with the Secretariat of State, 
especially when it deals publicly with problems of justice and peace 
in its documents or declarations (art. 144)". 

The Council envisaged that Episcopal Conferences and their Justice and Peace 
Committees or Commissions for Social Questions, associations and movements 
of the laity, priests, religious, seminarians and religious educators, would spread 
knowledge of the social teaching of the Church, especially among those who can 
in tum, make it known, directly or indirectly to others. All Christians and people 
of goodwill, especially Dioceses and Episcopal Conferences, were urged to join 
or set up such commissions in their immediate environments. 

From the information 011 Dioceses in Nigeria supplied on the website of the 
Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), we discovered that the "Office 
of Justice, Development and Peace" is given a priority listing among organs of 
pastoral ministry in all the Dioceses in Nigeria. 

;1r~'5 
i '~ ....• 
I, .• r 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;6;(21498,0);(2624,0);(2624,1607);(0,1607);(0,21496);(21498,21496)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21436,0);(0,0);(0,21479);(21436,21479)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21462,0);(0,0);(0,21497);(21462,21497)posrelh0posrelv0pib
	4. 	CIDJAP- Father Obiora Ike's "Grown Baby" 
Enugu Diocese was among the first in Nigeria, under His Lordship, Most Rev. 
Dr. M.U. Eneja, to establish a Diocesan Commission of Development, Justice, 
Peace and Caritas on September 25, 1986. The young Rev. Fr. Dr. Obiora Ike, 
who just returned from further studies, was appointed the Chairman of this 
Commission by the Bishop. On October 4, 1986, Fr. Ike, in pursuit of the goals of 
the Commission, founded the Catholic Institute for Development, Justice and 
Peace (CIDJAP)5 which became the active organ for promoting the mandate of 
the Commission, and going into research, education, dialogue, human promotion, 
various projects, among many other programs. 

In the final propositions and resolutions of" the Second Synod of the Catholic 
Diocese of Enugu (2001), the Synod Assembly reiterated the commitment of the 
whole Diocese to the work of" Justice and Peace. As stated in the Acts and 
Declarations of the Synod: 

"The poverty, the disease, the hunger, the squalor and the ignorance 
of the masses of our people, grieve us. We note the flagrant abuse of 
fundamental rights and freedoms of people, oppression and 
domination and the unhappy situation resulting from bad governance 
and political instability. We consider it tragic that a land blessed 
abundantly by Almighty God in human, material and technical 
resources, cannot sustain itself and often that children have to die 
because of hunger and want. Poverty is not God determined but man 
made.,,6 

The Synod renewed the commitment of the Diocese to the "preferential option 
for the poor" in pastoral and social apostolate. All parishes were urged and 
directed to establish Justice, Development, Caritas and Peace organs at the 
grassroots. The Synod urged all the faithful in the Diocese to work with one spirit 
for the liberation proclaimed by Jesus Christ (Lk 4:16-18) and to intensify the 
apostolate to the sick, especially victims of HIV/AIDS, the poor, the neglected, 
the hungry, the widows and all those whom the world has marginalized. 
Particular attention was drawn to the situation of some women who, by virtue of 
their gender, are treated as second-class human beings by their men folk, with the 
urgent appeal that every form of discrimination against them should stop. 
Parishes were encouraged to build nursery and primary schools, secondary and 
vocational institutions as means of empowering the people and liberating them 

5 http://www.cidjap.org/background.htm 
6 Ikechukwu Ani & Obiora Ike (Eds): Evangelization and Renewal in the Church of Enugu Diocese 
in the Third Millennium, 2002; P.377. 

~'..._---------. 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;6;(21499,0);(15183,0);(15183,15460);(0,15460);(0,21499);(21499,21499)posrelh0posrelv0pib
from ignorance and material poverty. The Synod emphatically mandated CIDJAP 
to coordinate all actions on behalf of the poor and the marginalized'. 	• 

Reports from CIDJAr document a success StOlY in many and diverse areas of 
apostolate for the promotion of human endeavour for development, justice and. 
peace: 
i) 	Loan Schemes for Self-Sustainability 
Through the financial assistance of donor agencies and local contributions, 
CIDJAP has over the years, initiated and executed several projects; 30% of these 
projects are now sustainable. Micro-credit schemes and soft loans, namely the 
Small Projects Fund (SPF); the Grass Root Women Empowerment Development 
Education (GWEDE), are worthy of mention. The loan schemes are revolving 
and the recipients are growing from strength to strength. The then Justice and 
Peace Farm at Ugwuomu was seeking ways not only to sustain itself but also to 
extend support and expertise to local farmers in the communities. The fanning 
programmes of Godfrey Okoye University have continued the success story on a 
larger scale. 
ii) 	Educational Impact 
In Nigeria where quality of education has continued to degenerate, CIDJAP 
stands at the fore-front to promote the intellectual emancipation of the human 
person and to fight against incessant strikes in schools. The training programs for 
men - the Oluaka Di Mma Vocational and Technical Training Centre - and the 
women counter-part - the Nazareth Skills Centre - are geared toward self- 
employment and personal sustainability. Most young people who graduated from 
these training centres, have good chances of getting employed by somebody or 
realizing a sustainable self-employment. 
iii) 	Gender Issues 
Guided by the Good News that human beings are created in the image of God, 
made in same dignity and worth, CIDJAP pursues equal participation of all 
peoples and equal opportunities and exposition without discrimination of colour, 
sex, age, religion, nationality, etc. The management of CIDJAP therefore, 'ensures 
equal participation and involvement of persons in the projects and promotes same 
as a viable option to the larger world. 
iv) 	Youth and Children 
Through its awareness campaigns, workshops and sensitization programs 
CIDJAP has provided direction and alternative options to many of our young 
7 Evangelization and Renewel.. 378. 
8 CiDJAP Annual Report 2005, pp 19-27 .: 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21488,0);(0,0);(0,21499);(21488,21499)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21499,0);(0,0);(0,21494);(21499,21494)posrelh0posrelv0pib
·	people who lacked vision and mission and Were near collapse under pain of 
frustration. Teenage pregnancy and unwanted birth receive primary attehtion 
under the scheme for the Youth. Many displaced children, abandoned, abused 
and neglected by family members and society have found rescue and comfort 
under the CIDJAP umbrella. The Motherless Babies Home, caritas office, 
counseling and support outfit are full of success stories in the implementation of 
	this agenda. 	' . 	.. 
	v) 	Attitudinal Change 
Many of our people who otherwise, would have remained unemployed, enlisted 
in cultism, robbery, pick pocket, "419" and other SOliS of duping, have been 
assisted to become responsible members of the society. The story is also true of 
our young girls, many of whom could have taken to prostitution and commercial 
sex. Empowerment opportunities offered by CIDJAP educational linkages, skills 
acquisition centres and micro-credit revolving scheme, have influenced positively 
	the general attitude of our people. 	. 
	vi) 	Relevance to Health 	.. 
The extension of primary health care and establishment of community health 
centres by ClDJAp have contributed to the empowerment of our people, the 
reduction of mortality rate and rapid response to the control of many diseases 
especially the scourge of HIV/AlDS. There has 'been notable improvement in 
child and maternal care, reproductive health and the general health condition of 
our people. In many cases medical services are rendered at less than cost prices. 
Sequel to CIDJAP health services, communities are now giving more attention to 
the urgent issues of sanitation, care of the environment and support to the eco- 
systems. Some villages have witnessed great health care delivery. 
	vii) 	Co-ordinating Activities 
ClDJAP is serving as a Secretariat and control centre for many training arid 
enlightenment programs and activities. There are other coordinating activities 
performed by ClDJAP nationally, within Africa and internationally. In 
furtherance to this, it has carried out and is carrying out several Training of 
Trainers (TOT) activities. 
	viii) Conscientization, 	Education and 	Motivation for 	Political 
Responsibility and other Civic Duties 
For several years, CIDJAP was also responsible for making Christians in Enugu 
Diocese become conscious of their political responsibility and other civic duties. 
However, this pastoral responsibility was made the duty of the "Politics 
Commission" in the Diocese in order to give it a more detailed .and intensive 
attention. 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;6;(21499,0);(16328,0);(16328,15539);(0,15539);(0,21499);(21499,21499)posrelh0posrelv0pib

! 
1 

Conscientization, education. and motivation of Christians for political 
responsibility and other civic duties became even more necessary at a time the 
Church had to stand up against a government that, with unimaginable impunity, 
denied citizens their basic human fights for a modest human existence in human 
society. Not only thai the provision of some basic amenities like water for the 
daily need, electric power supply, roads, security of life and property etc., were 
neglected, but even salaries of workers, especially those of teachers, were not 
paid as and when due. This caused a lot of hardship and tension in the society, 
leading to the death of many marginalized and neglected people in the state. 

This hard human condition heightened the people's sensitivity for the need to rise 
up for their political responsibility in the society. The Politics Commission 
organized several seminar and workshop sessions for the enlightenment of the 
people. Many Christians became better educated in their double responsibility as 
citizens of the Church and of the State. The Politics Commission succeeded in 
training monitors of elections in the country. To say the least, many Christians in 
Enugu State have abandoned the long existing apathy of referring to politics as a 
"dirty game" and are now very conscious of their political responsibility as 
Christians. 

	5. 	Concluding Remarks 
The activities of CIDJAP are being continually refreshed, energized and 
sustained through the guidelines of the Pontifical document "Ecclesia in Africa" 
1995 (Pope John Paul 11) which urged particularly Africans to develop an 
educational sti:ategy that empowers simple people to take their destiny in their 
hands, promote economic justice for all, advocate global economic restructuring 
based on Justice, Peace and Community harmony, encourage just and sustainable 
alternatives in social policy and continue the prophetic, teaching and leading 
functions of the Church in a confused and materialistic world to which we have 
been called to witness to Christ, in our neighbour. ClDJAP has continued to 
champion integral development, justice and peace. 

Through the apostolate of justice, development, peace and caritas, ClDJAP has 
succeeded in putting a lasting smile on the faces of many people in Enugu 
Diocese and beyond. Many have been given the opportunity to be heard and seen 
and to participate responsibly in the society. The programs of CIDJAP have gone 
a long way to conscientize, empower and educate the people. The linkage with 
some foreign donor agents has helped ClDJAP to establish structures that are 
conducive to run enlightenment programs to promote the work of justice, 
development, peace and caritas. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a better set-up 
for JDPC work than what we have at the Catholic Institute for Development, 
Justice and Peace of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu. 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21489,0);(0,0);(0,21498);(21489,21498)posrelh0posrelv0pib
It is precisely this success story of CIDJAP that draws the Institute into larger 
areas of responsibility, locally and internationally. The saying goes that "the 
reward of hard work is more work". CIDJAP has over the years, developed 
structures that link up the work of justice and peace with so many other facets of 
life. Perhaps we have to contend that there is no area of life today in Nigeria that 
does not raise issues of justice, development, peace and caritas. The result is that 
the volume of work on the desk of this Diocesan organ has continued to increase. 
Consequently, the Institute is not less in danger of wanting and trying to do 
"everything". However, it is our hope and prayer that CIDJAP will not be 
seduced into losing the main focus of what it was set up to do. 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21479,0);(0,0);(0,21498);(21479,21498)posrelh0posrelv0pib

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21448,0);(0,0);(0,21496);(21448,21496)posrelh0posrelv0pib

Closely related to the point just mentioned above is the issue of over- 
institutionalization. Looking at the activities of ClDJAP over the years, one 
would easily get the impression that the work of justice, development, peace and 
caritas is located just in something (in the institution CIDJAP) outside the people 
concerned with the Gospel of Justice and Peace. Indeed, CIDJAP has come to be 
wrongly understood as a "depot of money" where people go to collect immediate 
cash for their needs. One wonders whether those who have been empowered by 
CIDJAP's justice, development and peace work, see it as their responsibility to 
make the Good News of Justice and Peace reach their neighbors. Even those who 
benefit from the revolving loan scheme tend to find it difficult to keep to the 
terms of the agreement, thereby making it impossible for the loan to really 
revolve, that is, to reach others who are direly in need of it. 
The wrong understanding of CIDJAP as money depot is connected with the fact 
that CIDJAP has indeed, been very successful in attracting funds from foreign 
donor agencies. This has really helped to alleviate the suffering of many in our 
. Diocese and beyond. That raises at the same time,. the question of the 
involvement of our own people in contributing to development, justice and peace. 
How many Parishes have a functional justice, development, peace and caritas 
Committee? Perhaps it is pertinent to raise the issue of how much the Church 
establishments in Nigeria pay their workers in the spirit of "just wages for 
workers", One would also hope that assistance from outside Nigeria might not go 
to strengthen the already widespread attitude that our problems can only be 
solved from outside, that means, by others. 
Considering the history of the country, it is not at all, surprising that the South 
African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) was one. of the first Bishops' 
Conferences in the world to establish a Justice and Peace Department in 1967- 
1968 following the Second Vatican Council that was held from 1962 -1965, at 
which it was agreed that the Church needed to work for justice and peace. In the 
context of South Africa, "Justice & Peace" has been described as a way of life, 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21492,0);(0,0);(0,21496);(21492,21496)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;6;(21498,0);(15755,0);(15755,15718);(0,15718);(0,21498);(21498,21498)posrelh0posrelv0pib

j 
! 
. 

based on scripture (and the social teachings of the Church) for the transformation 
	of society by committed Christians", 	. 

As we celebrate CIDJAP at 30, it is pertinent to seek for possible ways of making 
"Justice and Peace" become a way of life for our people. A Christian who 
remains silent and unmoved in the face of the tragedy of oppression, poverty and 
unjust suffering denies the Gospel of Christ. Justice, Development and Peace 
works would certainly be empty, if they do not transform Christian people into 
those who, from their deepest heart, love peace and for that reason 
wholeheartedly work for justice. This remains the great challenge for Justice and 
Peace Departments in Nigeria today. 

Monsignor Obiora Ike could be said to be one of the "Limited Edition" models of 
God's creation. We congratulate him for the successes recorded in his life for 
"Justice & Peace". There is no doubt that Obiora Ike would continue to face the 
"torment" of his very innate urge "to be all things to all men and women". Then; 
to achieve this effectively, he requires a lot of prayer and God's grace. 
Congratulations, my brother! 

9 http://www.Catholic-johannesburg.org.za/deptjustice_ and _peace 
	. 	. 

shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21468,0);(0,0);(0,21497);(21468,21497)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21469,0);(0,0);(0,21498);(21469,21498)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21452,0);(0,0);(0,21491);(21452,21491)posrelh0posrelv0pib
shapeType75fBehindDocument1pWrapPolygonVertices8;4;(21499,0);(0,0);(0,21495);(21499,21495)posrelh0posrelv0pib
Bibliography 
I. CIDJAP Annual Report 2005. 
2. Gaudium et Spes. Vatican 11: Pastoral Constitution on the Church 111 the 
Modem World, promulgated by Paul VI (December 7, 1965). 
3. Ikechukwu Ani & Obiora Ike (Eds): Evangelization and Renewal in the 
Church of Enugu Diocese in the Third Millennium "You shall be 111)1 
Witnesses" (Acts 1:8). Acts and Declarations of the Second Synod of the 
Catholic Diocese of Enugu. ClDJAP Publishing House: Enugu, 2002; 
p.377 
:4. Ioannes Paulus PP. 11: Sollicitudo Rei Socia lis. [To the Bishops, Priests 
Religious Families, Sons and Daughters of the Church and all People of 
Good Will for the Twentieth Anniversary of "Populorum Progressio"] 
(1987.12.30). 
5. Pacem ill Terris Encyclical of Pope John XXlll on Establishing Universal 
Peace in Truth, Justice, Charity, and Liberty. (April 11, 1963). 
6.	Pastor Bonus - John Paul II - Apostolic Constitution (June 28, 1988). 
7.	Populorum Progressio. Encyclical of Pope Paul VI on the Development of 
. Peoples. (March 26, 1967). 
8. The Church in Nigeria. Family of God 011 Mission. A Pastoral Exhortation of 
the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) to Clergy, 
Religious and Lay Faithful on the First National Pastoral Congress. [A 
Publication of Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria]; CIDJAP Press: Enugu, 
2004.