Former President of Signis Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Professor Walte Ihejirika has reiterated the importance of communication to the evangelization mission of the Church, noting that “it is first of all a sharing in the intimate life of the Trinity and thereafter with our brothers and sisters”.
Fr. Ihejirika posited this assertion in his address titled: Signis as a Model for Building a Collaborative Communication Apostolate of the Catholic Church in Nigeria; made available to delegates at the recently concluded Signis Nigeria Second National Delegates General Assembly, held at the JCT Guest House, National Pilgrimage and Eucharistic Adoration Centre, Elele, near Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The theme for the Assembly was: Communication for the Promotion of Justice, Peace and Reconciliation in Nigeria.
Noting that a new era of communication has dawned on the Catholic Church, Fr. Ihejirika remarked that the success of the Church in her engagement with the world of communication depends to a large extent on the proper management of the apostolate. He added: “We have provided a road-map towards this coordination. It is our fervent hope that if this map is followed, the communication apostolate in the Nigeria Catholic Church will become stronger and more effective”.
Giving a stewardship of his administration, Fr. Ihejirika told the delegates that, in spite of several challenges, the out-going executive has laid a solid foundation for Signis Nigeria, as well as providing a road-map on which the incoming executive can work on, especially in the area of mobilization and collaboration for the enhancement of the evangelization mission of the Church in the country. He called on all affiliate bodies of the association to cooperate with the new executive to take the association to the next level for the common good of the apostolate in Nigeria and the world.
In the election conducted to elect new officers to run the affairs of the association for the next four years, Very Rev. Fr. Patrick Alumuku of Abuja Archdiocese was elected the new President of the association. Other officers elected were: Rev. Fr. Felix Femi Adetunji (Osogbo Diocese), Vice President; Mr. Tony Agbugba, General Secretary; Mrs. Ifeoma Opara (CAEAN), Assistant Secretary/Financial Secretary; Rev. Fr. Stephen Udoh (Calabar Archdiocese), Treasurer and Rev. Fr. Benedict Ukutegbe (Warri Diocese), Public Relations Officer.
Other members of the executive are: Rev. Frs: Justine Dyikuk (Jos Archdiocese); Jude Offor (Kaduna Archdiocese); Martin Anusi, (Onitsha Archdiocese) and Innocent Uwah (Owerri Archdiocese). Others are Rev. Fr. Chris Anyanwu of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) and Rev. Fr. Professor Walter Ihejirika, former President, Signis Nigeria and President Signis Africa.
In his acceptance speech, the new President of the association, Rev. Fr. Patrick Alumuku, commended Rev. Fr. Walter Ihejirika and his team for laying a very solid foundation for the association in the country and promised to take the body to the next level with his team through collaborative team work. He called on all members of the association in the country to brace up for the challenges ahead and cooperate with his team to ensure a better future for the association.