By Fr. Anthony Adetayo

As the Diocesan priests across Nigeria gathered by delegation in Lagos for the Annual General Meeting at St. Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja, on Tuesday 26th October for the opening Mass, the Chief host and Chief celebrant, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of Lagos said the priests should lead the charge of reorientation of the Nigerian person. The program which is being hosted by Lagos Province has in attendance the Bishop of Ijebu-Ode Diocese, Most Rev. Francis Obafemi Adesina as the con-celebrating Bishop. Archbishop Martins went on in his homily saying, “In order to re-orientate the Nigerian person, we have to take the lead simply because we are priests. As we have gathered as Diocesan priests working in Nigeria, we must never lose the consciousness of the Priestly office of preaching the word and celebrating the sacraments.”

It is true that the Nigerian personality is wrongly conceived, we must lead others in correcting this and working on the better version. The prelate continues, “Simply because we are priests, we do not involve in fetish practices. As priests we do not carry out superstitious practices thereby holding the people down in superstitions. As priests, we do not engross ourselves with private ministries. Most of these ministries are against the instructions of the Local Ordinaries.”

The program continued after the the Mass with keynote address by Very Rev. Fr. Professor Anthony Akinwale (OP) and other good will messages from dignitaries of Church and State government wishing all the priests a fruitful deliberation.