Partnership between the State and the Church: Contextualizing Nigerian Faith-Based Vehicles as Poverty Reduction Tools in the Millenium
- 1 Department of Philosophy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
- 2 Department of Philosophy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
- 3 Department of Philosophy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Abstract
Social scientists studying African development have found themselves in a “paradigmatic crisis” (Ake, 2003: p. 17) in recent years, especially in the face of new challenges of development arising from the millenium development goals adopted by the United Nations. They have often posed the question—How can African development benefit from the MDGS, so that the African poor can attain the goals before 2015? This crisis needs to be properly contextualized so as to understand the dilemma facing the African poor in the new millenium. For example, at the end of the day, we should be in a position to know the answers to such questions such as “ who defines what is development in africa; what is under development; how do we develop ourselves; Who develops; who benefits from development and how do we measure development ?” The Catholic Social Teachings have a recognized and documented role in alleviating the socio-economic and political development challenges facing the people. It was part of the thoeritical framework of this paper that the best strategy of incorporating the needs of the family is for the state to partner with the state to answer the challenges of development in Africa but also to embark upon practicable Family economic empowerment development strategy. But government in Nigeria fails to take this partnership seriously but came out with NEEDS—National economic empowerment development strategy; SEEDS—State economic empowerent development strategy; and LEEDS-Local government economic empowerment development strategy. In designing these development documents government solidly avoided the involvment of the church which is pro-people and pro-poor institution that had been committed to development concerns as part of its christian mandate. This paper, using the Catholic development chain model will seek to explain how the Church can increase the pro-people impact of its development programs, to reduce poverty in Africa. To solve this dilemma, the paper introduces a new concept of Faith-based vehicles (FBVS) as the modem that will drive this partnership in development.
- Ake, C. (2003). Democracy and Development in Africa, Abuja. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Ltd., 1-17.
- Amin, S. (1974). Philosophy and Development in an African Context—A Recent Attempt to Understand the Notion of Development in a Philosophical African Context. In H. Lauer (Ed.), History and Philosophy of Science. Ibadan: Hope Public.
- Ani, C. (2003). Re-Evaluating the Role of the Church in Poverty Reduction and Reforms in Nigeria-Cidjap’s Fbvs Models-Lecture. The DFID Lecture Series/Seminar, Enugu, 3 Febuary 2003.
- Ani, C. (2012). PHILARA—A New Approach to the Study of Philosophy as a Practical Science of Research and Society. Kaduna: West & Solomon Publishers.
- Gaudium et Spes (2008). No. 1. Rome: Vatican Press.
- Hans, R. (1967). Re-Evaluating Thomas Khun and Paradigm Paradox. New York: Telhard Publications.
- Himmelstrand, U. et al. (1994). This Is a Big Challenge—In Search of a New Paradigm. New York: St Martins Press.
- Ike, O. (2005). Christianity and the Scandal of the African Continent. The American Catholic Bishops Conference, A call to Solidarity with Africa.
- May, J. (1998). The Poverty and Inequality Report Prepared for the South African Presidency.
- Mores, & Macnamara (2007). Creating a Greater Partnership:Analysing Partnership in the Catholic Church Development Chain. Journal of Royal Geographic Society, 1, 65-78.
- The NEEDS Document, National Planing Commission Abuja (2002) The National Economic Empowerment and Developement Document—NEEDS. Abuja: National Planing Commission.
- The Week Magazine Editorial (2008). Corruption Incorporated—How Obasanjo and Co. Ruined Nigeria. Nigeria: Sahel Press.