{"id":62839,"date":"2025-03-16T11:45:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-16T11:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/?p=62839"},"modified":"2025-03-16T14:34:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-16T14:34:19","slug":"church-seeks-funds-to-build-multipurpose-centre-says-nigerian-youths-are-destabilized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/2025\/03\/16\/church-seeks-funds-to-build-multipurpose-centre-says-nigerian-youths-are-destabilized\/","title":{"rendered":"Church Seeks Funds to Build Multipurpose Centre, Says Nigerian Youths Are Destabilized"},"content":{"rendered":"

…as Archbishop Kaigama, Bishop Umoren Unveils Theme<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

By Ade Iyamoye\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Catholic Church has reiterated its commitment to youth empowerment and social welfare, calling for urgent financial support to establish a multipurpose youth formation centre.<\/p>\n

The appeal was made by the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Grace, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, during the flag-off of the 2025 Lenten Campaign by the Justice, Development & Peace Caritas Initiative (JDPCI) at the Guardian Angel Police Chaplaincy, Lugbe.<\/p>\n

Archbishop Kaigama painted a grim picture of Nigeria\u2019s struggling youths, lamenting that many are stranded and uncertain about their future.<\/p>\n

He noted that Catholic youth corps members, often left without proper accommodation or placements during their national service, turn to the Church for support, even though such responsibilities should fall under the government\u2019s purview.<\/p>\n

“Our young people are destabilized. They do not know what to do. Many are rejected at their places of assignment and have nowhere to stay.<\/p>\n

“They run to the Church for help, but where do we get the funds to rebuild their dilapidated hostels?” the Archbishop asked.<\/p>\n

Highlighting the plight of thousands battling hunger, illness, and displacement, he described how his phone is inundated daily with desperate messages from individuals seeking financial assistance for food, medical treatment, and other basic needs.<\/p>\n

He also underscored the Church\u2019s role in assisting internally displaced persons (IDPs), many of whom have remained in dire conditions for over a decade.<\/p>\n

“The Church receives no support from the government or humanitarian agencies, yet we are the ones feeding the poor, caring for the sick, and offering hope to those in despair,” he said.<\/p>\n

Archbishop Kaigama also addressed misconceptions about the Catholic Bishops’ relationship with the government, making it clear that their visits to the presidency are not for personal gain but to advocate for a better Nigeria.<\/p>\n

“We do not go to beg for money or contracts like some others. If given funds, we channel them into initiatives that benefit the people.<\/p>\n

“For instance, we urged the President to support our medical school, which will serve the nation,” he explained.<\/p>\n

As part of the Lenten campaign, the Archdiocese of Abuja is rallying support for the construction of a multipurpose youth formation centre aimed at engaging and rehabilitating young people.<\/p>\n

The centre, which has been in the works for three years, remains underfunded due to rising costs.<\/p>\n

“We envision a place where young people can be guided, equipped with skills, and encouraged to be peace ambassadors.<\/p>\n

“The idle state of many youths makes them vulnerable to crime and violence, and we must act to prevent this,” the Archbishop emphasized.<\/p>\n

Calling on the faithful to intensify their spiritual and charitable efforts during Lent, he urged them to move beyond prayers and fasting by making tangible contributions to uplift the less privileged.<\/p>\n

“The transfiguration of Jesus teaches us about transformation. This Lenten season, let us not only seek personal change but also bring about positive change in society by giving to those in need,” he urged.<\/p>\n

The Archbishop encouraged all Catholic groups, organizations, and individuals to contribute generously, expressing confidence that, with collective effort, the vision for the youth formation centre will become a reality.<\/p>\n

The official ‘Flag-Off’ was done jointly done by the Archbishop and his Auxiliary, His Lordship, Most Rev. Anselm Umoren.<\/p>\n

Twelve persons were presented ambassadorial award by the Chief Shepherd as a call to work and contribute to the mission of the JDPCI.<\/p>\n

On his part, Sir Barrister Josephat Abaagu, Chairman of the Justice Development and Peace Commission Initiative in an interview ‘Abuja City Journal’,<\/strong><\/em> emphasized that the center aligns with Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama\u2019s vision of youth empowerment beyond religious boundaries.<\/p>\n

According to Abaagu, the initiative will offer training in tailoring, catering, photography, computer graphics, and other technical skills, ensuring that young people become both employable and job creators.<\/p>\n

He noted that while government officials often claim to establish skill acquisition centers, many remain nonfunctional.<\/p>\n

In contrast, the church has successfully trained hundreds of youths in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services, setting a precedent for effective intervention.<\/p>\n

The project, funded through Lenten campaign contributions over the years, has been carefully planned to ensure sustainability.<\/p>\n

He called on individuals and organizations to support the vision, stressing that every great transformation begins with deliberate action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

…as Archbishop Kaigama, Bishop Umoren Unveils Theme By Ade Iyamoye\u00a0 The Catholic Church has reiterated its commitment to youth empowerment and social welfare, calling for urgent financial support to establish a multipurpose youth formation centre. The appeal was made by the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Grace, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, during the flag-off of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":62840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1681],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-62839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-religion","tag-featured"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62839"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62839\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62855,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62839\/revisions\/62855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}