AFRICA/NIGERIA - “Our Church, founded by missionaries, is sending its missionaries around the world," Nigerian National Ex-Director of the PMS

Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – "We must have patience in awaiting the harvest of good fruits that are being sown in Nigeria," Msgr. Hypolite Adigwe, National Ex-Director of Pontifical Mission Societies of Nigeria, told Fides in a recent interview.
Nigeria is going through a delicate moment following the death of President Umaru Yar'Adua, who was succeeded by its Vice President and President ad interim Goodluck Jonathan (see Fides 05/06/2010).
"Nigeria has undergone a power vacuum following the long illness of President Yar'Adua. The then Vice-President, who had assumed the role of ad interim, did not have full powers because Yar'Adua had not declared - as required by the Constitution - his inability to govern. I believe that the decision of Parliament in February of this year, to give full powers to Jonathan, has been a wise one," says Msgr. Adigwe.
The new President has promised to fight corruption. "I think he is sincere in his intention to moralize the public life of Nigeria. The problem is that he has little time, as his term expires in 2011. I think that if he enters elections and is elected, he will pursue the fight against corruption," says Msgr. Adigwe.
Nigeria is often in the international limelight for the violence, which is usually presented as being caused by religious motives, especially in the north. "I think the main problem in northern Nigeria is a serious lack of education. A large number of children have no access to schools providing basic education. Many of them attend Koranic schools, influenced by teachers from the Arab world, who risk spreading fundamentalist ideas," says Msgr. Adigwe.
In the Niger Delta, in southern Nigeria, the MEND rebellion has for years destabilized oil production (the region contains most of the country's oil resources). "The amnesty that was launched by the late President is proving successful and the program of disarmament proceeds. I think this is the most important political legacy of Yar'Adua. The population looks forward to the promised infrastructure (schools, roads, hospitals), but they cannot be built overnight. This requires patience," said Msgr. Adigwe.
On the religious level, the National Ex-Director of the PMS said that "the Nigerian Church, founded by missionaries, is sending its own missionaries around the world, to other regions of Africa and even to Europe and America. This is thanks to the boom in priestly and religious vocations, the latter particularly among women. Our Church is also supported by a strong mature laity, which produces a large number of catechists and educators." (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 11/05/2010)