By Peter Dada
His Lordship, Most Revd Emmanuel Badejo of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo, has commended the members of the Catholic Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria (CAMPAN) for applying their vocation to promote the activities and programmes of the Catholic Church in their various archdioceses and dioceses across the country.
He gave the commendation on Tuesday in Oyo when he received a plaque-award for his meritorious contributions as a worker of Christ and a defender of the Catholic faith over the years as well as his laudable contributions to the growth and the development of the Social Communications Apostolate in the Catholic Church.
The award was presented to His Lordship by the national body of CAMPAN at its just concluded national convention held at the Issele-Uku Diocesan Pastoral Centre in Delta State held between April 15 and 18, 2024.
The immediate past National Secretary of CAMPAN, Mr Peter Dada, received the award on behalf of His Lordship and took it to Oyo to formally present it to him.
The Bishop commended the members of the association for their commitment towards promoting the Catholic faith through their callings and vocations and urged them not to rest on their oars in further disseminating the gospel of Christ to every nook and cranny in and out of season.
Bishop Badejo while commenting on the award advised the leadership of the association to always maintain relationship with people since such will always give credibility and relevance to such intentions.
He said that giving awards to people are usually based on the cordial relationship that had existed between the giver and the receiver based on the perceptions of the giver.
He also advised that such would always require a long-term planning by the organisers during which they would have sought the consent of potential receiver(s).
He expressed his appreciation to the CAMPAN leadership and its members for counting him worthy for the award, adding that it would motivate him to continue to serve the Church better.
He prayed that God would continue to be with the association so that its members would continue to serve God and humanity better in the Social Communications Apostolate of the Catholic Church.
Mr Peter Dada in his opening remarks before presenting the award to His Lordship at the Bishop Adelakun Hall inside the Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Cathedral, Asogo Oyo, had recalled the evergreen contributions of Bishop Badejo to the growth and the development of the Social Communications Apostolate of the Catholic Church in Nigeria spanning several decades.
Dada highlighted them to have included the establishment of the Catholic Artistes and Entertainers Association of Nigeria (CAEAN) in the Jubilee Year 2000, his input towards the establishment of the Centre for Study of African Culture and Communication(CESACC), the CSN News Magazine, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS) in Lagos Nigeria in November 2023 that brought Social Communications experts from Africa and the Vatican City to Nigeria them to mention but a few.
The Association also gave awards to the following during the convention: Bishop Denis Isizoh of the Catholic Diocese of Aguleri in Onitsha Province,who was the immediate past CBCN Bishop Chairman for Communications, Very Rev Fr Cornelius Omonokhua, the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Interreligious Council and the Secretary General of the West African Interreligious Council (WAIC). Others were: Mrs Mary Noel Berje, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the immediate past Executive Governor of Niger State, Very Revd Fr. Christian Anyanwu, the immediate past National Director of Social Communications at the CSN and Sir Joseph Ari KSM.
They were all honoured by the National CAMPAN for their selfless and invaluable contributions to the advancement, growth and development of the Social Communications Apostolate in the Catholic Church in Nigeria.
It would be recalled that Peter Dada had worked with Bishop Badejo between the great Jubilee Year 2000 and Year 2003 and with Bishop Felix Ajakaiye of Ekiti Diocese between Year 2004 and 2015 as the communications Officer at the Directorate of Social Communications of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria while they served as Directors of the Directorate under the then Secretaries- General of the CSN, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto and Very Rev. Fr.George Ehusani respectively.
Then, the Directors and the lay staff worked assiduously to serve the same association under the umbrella of UNDA/OCIC/UCIP which has now matured greatly in purpose and membership.
