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HISTORY OF JDPC ABAKALIKI
The history of the Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) in Abakaliki diocese cannot be narrated without mentioning the Human Rights Commission (HRC) which was a pet project of an Irish Priest who doubled as Parish Priest of Corpus Christi Nkalagu: Rev. Fr.Kevin O’Hara. He was deeply concerned with the plight of the ordinary Nigerian who suffered different forms of abuse, oppression, neglect, degradation, Including Imprisonment, and so on. He worked tirelessly to turn the table In favour of the down-trodden. His passion was boundless and so effective that the outfit resounded in various corridors of power and beyond. The HRC covered the five Federal Prisons of Abakaliki, Enugu,Nsukka, Awka, and Onitsha In the two States of Anambra and Enugu. He was versatile, social, and friendly.
The Human Rights Commission was programmed to directly feed the most vulnerable prisoners, give essential medical care to the sick inmates, provide legal aid for awaiting trial persons who were unjustly detained, and sometimes rehabilitate released inmates.
At the departure of the Director in December 1993 after acquainting the new Director: Rev. Fr. Cornelius Chikadibia Chukwu with the members of staff on 18th December, 1993, the Bishop directed Very Rev. Fr. Cornelius Chukwu to relocated to Umuhuali from Ekebeligwe on 20th of January 1994
to, among other functions, assume duties as the Director Human Rights Commission.
After the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Africa in Rome in April 1994, which was attended by our Bishop: Most Rev. Michael N. Okoro, a workshop was organized for all Directors of all the Catholic social and caritas commissions in all the Dioceses of Nigeria, at Jos from 15th to 19th April 1996. The Nigerian Bishop’s Agenda as taken from the PCI’NI Exhortation: Ecclesia in Africa, was that: “Justice and Peace should be seen as part of the integral evangelization, not just an option. It was recommended that the Gospel values of justice, fair-play and brotherhood must brought to bear on all dimensions of national life”. Old Commissions were to continue with their programmes while the CBCN Commission was to continue to develop the programmes and strategies for the new outfit in response to the social demands of the Gospel message.
In his wisdom, the bishop emeritus of Abakaliki diocese, Most Rev. Michael Nnachi Okoro permitted Very Rev. Fr. Cornelius Chukwu who was already heading the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to direct the affairs of Justice, Development and peace/caritas Commission (JDPC) in Abakaliki diocese. Having done his duties for the past twenty-eight years, the incumbent bishop ot Abakaliki diocese, Most Rev. Peter Nworie Chukwu prompted by the Holy Spirit on 1st 2021 appointed Rev. Fr. Barr. Samuel Okorie Nwagu, the Director of Justice, Development and peace/caritas Commission (JDPC) in Abakaliki diocese.
What is JDPC?
In Nigeria, the Justice, Development, and Peace/Caritas Commission is the organ employed by the Catholic Church to implement her programmes for integral human development. It is an arm of the Church and Society Department of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), which coordinates activities and programmes of the Catholic Church in Nigeria in respect of the society through organization of programmes for a holistic development of the human person. By networking with the Provincial Office, it steps down those activities to the grassroots of
the Dioceses through participatory methods. It seeks to confront the daily challenges of the people and assist them through her various programmes to participate in making the world a better place.
Why the JDPC?
The Church continues and actualizes the mission of her founder and master, Jesus Christ. The latter defined his mission in such a plain language that left no room for ambiguity. Given the book of prophet Isaiah to start his mission, Jesus Christ stated: “The spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go
free, to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord” (Luke 4: 1 – 6).
The dignity of the human person created in the image of God can be said to have been at the centre of the activities of Christ on earth. His taking position on the side of the poor, the sick, women and children was part of his mission to restore human dignity wherever and whenever this was trampled upon the Church being the Body of Christ cannot but continue in the footsteps of the Master.
Taking options for the poor in modern society would be insignificant without concrete measures to empower those excluded from social affairs. The Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) is majorly concerned and out to ensure that the mission statement of Jesus Christ as in Luke. 4 : 1 – 6, is actualized in today’s world.
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