The 2026 Laity Week Celebration at St. Jude Catholic Church, Mafoluku, opened with a strong call for a paradigm shift in how Nigeria approaches national progress. In a keynote presentation, the Chairman of the Catholic Men Organization (CMO), Ogbuefi Remmy Nweke, KSM, warned that any development effort failing to prioritize the human person is ultimately hollow.

Addressing the congregation on the topic “Promoting Human Dignity as the Basis of Development in Nigeria: The Catholic Social Teaching Approach,” Nweke asserted that true development cannot be measured by infrastructure alone, but by the dignity afforded to every citizen.

He reminded parishioners that because every Nigerian, regardless of tribe, status, or creed, is created in the image of God, treating individuals as mere tools for profit or political gain represents a fundamental failure of social justice.

Ogbuefi Nweke further situated the CMO’s mission within the framework of the Church’s legal structure.

He explained that as a Public Association of Christ’s Faithful, the organization’s mandate is rooted in Canon Law (Canons 298–329), which empowers the laity to form associations to foster a more Christian life and carry out the apostolate.

This mission, he noted, requires the Gospel to permeate every sector of Nigerian society, from media and technology to commerce, ensuring that the human person remains the beginning and end of all social and economic activity.

The CMO Chairman extended an inclusive charge to all men attending the Catholic Church, emphasizing that the responsibility for ethical leadership is universal.

He challenged them to lead by example in their professional lives by paying fair wages, ensuring honest business dealings, and refusing to participate in dehumanizing systems.

Furthermore, he identified the family as the “first cell of a dignified society,” noting that a man’s respect for his wife and children is the foundation upon which a better nation Is built.

Concluding his presentation, Nweke urged the laity to act as the architects of a new Nigeria by building on the solid rock of Catholic Social Teaching.

He noted that while physical structures are important, development without a foundation in human dignity is like a house built on sand, calling on all parishioners to leave the celebration as active ambassadors of Christ’s dignity within their workplaces and communities across the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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