By Femi Falana
INTRODUCTION
I am delighted and honoured to deliver the maiden edition of the Sacred Heart Seminary Annual Alumni Lecture even though I did not consider myself worthy to carry out the assignment for two reasons. First, as a seminarian, I fell by the way side as I did not become a priest. Second, I belong to the legal profession which was once condemned and cursed by Jesus Christ for aiding the oppression of the poor! In particular, the Lord said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.”(Luke 11:46)
I was therefore curious to know why I was asked to speak in the midst of many alumni including bishops, reverend fathers, knights and well respected lay faithful in the society. I was however informed by one of my former classmates, Mr Taiwo Amudipe, that my defence of the victims of human rights abuse, most of whom are indigent and dispossessed, is a practical demonstration of the love of one’s neighbour, which remains one of the greatest injunctions of Jesus Christ.
I thank the executive of the Association for this event as it provides us the rare opportunity to meet with many of our former colleagues after a long time. It also provides us a chance to meet each other, the present set of students and staff members. Our assembly here on this auspicious occasion enables us to take note of the development and transformation of the seminary
OBJECTIVES OF THE SACRED HEART SEMINARY
When this school was founded in 1961, there were only four indigenous priests in the then Ondo Catholic Diocese. They were Rev. Frs. Anthony Oguntuyi, Charles Sanni, John Akinwale and Paul Omole. It was a case of the harvest was plentiful while the labourers were few. But through the dedication and perseverance of the management and the commitment of the students the school has succeeded in producing many priests.
In fact, two ex-students, Most Rev. Dr. Ayo Maria Atoyebi (Ilorin Diocese) and Most Rev. Dr. Martins Nzokwu (Minna Diocese) are respected bishops in the Catholic Church. Thus the Ondo, Ekiti and Ilorin dioceses – the catchment area of the school, which were once manned by foreign priests have been completely indigenised by the ex-students of this school. Even many of those who did not become priests have continued to contribute their quota to the growth of the Church in particular and the development of the society in general. I am therefore confident to submit that the school has become a seed-bed for the spiritual and academic development of the society.
I wish to commend our former prioprietor, Bishop Emeritus, the Most Rev Francis Folorunso Alonge and the current proprietor, the Most Rev. Dr. Jude Ayodeji Arogundade, the Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese, the alumni, the staff and students. In marking the 62nd anniversary of the seminary we cannot but pay tribute to the SMA priests for their sacrifice and dedication which nurtured and developed the institution.
MY INVOLVEMENT IN HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY IN THE SEMINARY
I am particularly happy to recall that it was Rev. Fr. D.T. Smyth, an Irish priest, who aroused my interest in human rights. He ensured that his teaching of Geography was complemented by basic information on the political development of every country in the world.
In keeping us abreast of developments in global politics, the teacher exposed the atrocities perpetuated by President Dada Idi Amin of Uganda, President Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) and other tyrants who littered the African continent at the material time. But Fr. Smith had no answer whenever I pointed out that the African tyrants of the era were sponsored by Western governments to destabilise the continent of Africa.
At our local level, some of the senior students inflicted corporal punishment on junior students under the pretext of maintaining discipline in the school. But we comforted ourselves by saying that “seniority is not for ever.” When we became seniors, I usually restrained my classmates who wanted to take revenge on junior students. Thus, through my intervention, i saved many junior students from bully and intimidation. Another memorable event occured in our final year in the seminary. In order to prevent pigs from destroying the compound the rector directed the students to drive them away whenever they strayed into the school premises.
To my utter dismay, some final year students took advantage of the directive of the rector to kill, roast and feast on a number of pigs in the bush behind the students’ dormitory. The action was carried out with the connivance of the Food Prefect who provided the cooking materials. I was horrified. I investigated the matter and compiled the names of the senior students who were involved in stealing and feasting on the pigs. I advised them to take pity on our indigent neighbours who were the owners of the pigs. When they ignored my advice, I threatened to report them to the rector. Since stealing attracted instant expulsion from the seminary the students involved in the criminsl action put immediate end to the killing of the pigs.
In our days in the.seminary, many questions were considered blasphemous. As i had cause to ask many of such questions, I was regularly punished by the authorities. For instance, I did not like the fact Latin was almost a compulsory subject while speaking of Yoruba language, otherwise called “vernacular” was prohibited. I was punished for challenging the status quo. It is interesting to note that the aithorities of the seminary were determined to exorcise the radicalism in my rookie mind. Hence, I was allowed to complete my secondary school education.
No doubt, the undeserved treatment meted out to me by the school management discouraged me from becoming a priest. However, I am happy to disclose that the strict discipline to which I was exposed in the school has equipped me to face the challenges of life with audacity and equanimity. I am particularly indebted to the management of the school and my colleagues for encouraging me to develop interest in the field of human rights and liberation theology in my teenage years.
THE ASSOCIATION AND THE SOCIETY
Members of the Sacred Heart Seminary Old Boys
Association are expected to be good ambassadors of our alma mater, promote the interest of its members, protect the students and contribute to the development of the school, consult with the management and staff of the school, from time to time, with a view to ensuring that standards are maintained. The Association ought to encourage its members to join the national body, the Old Seminarians Association of Nigeria, and participate in its activities.
Having followed debates in the wassap group of the Association, it is undoubtedly clear that members have resolved to discuss the state of the nation and contribute their quota to the search for solutions to the myriad of problems confronting the Nigerian State. Therefore, this address will not be complete without a brief comment on the state of the.nation. In view of the undeniable fact that majority of the people have been pauperised as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government, we are compelled to call on the authorities of federal universities and unity schools to shelve the plan to increase tuition and school fees.
It is submitted that since the federal government has not lifted the 1975 policy which abolished the payment of tuition fees in federal tertiary institutions, the federal universities lack the power to impose astronomical tuition fees on students. In the same vein, the payment of school fees in junior secondary schools is illegal as Section 2 of the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act and Section 15 of the Child’s Rights Act have imposed a legal obligation on the federal and state governments to provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child from primary to junior secondary level.
We have noted that the governments have not taken cognisance of the plight of physically challenged people in the implentation of the new education policy. It is pertinent to point out that it is illegal to collect school fees from physically challenged students. For the avoidance of doubt, section 17(2) of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act 2018 provides that a person with disability is entitled to free education from primary to secondary school level.
No doubt, the removal of fuel subsidy has increased the poverty rate in the country. As usual, the federal and state governments have assured the public that the country will soon witness economic boom. Hence, the masses have been asked to continue to tighten their belts. But contrary to such assurance, the situation is going to get worse with the religious implementation of neoliberal policies. In other words, the national economy will not improve with the devaluation of the Naira through dollarisation.
Instead of subjecting Nigerians to harsh economic pains, I have challenged the federal government to recover about $200 billion from a group of oil companies, government departments, and a handful of individuals. It is interesting to note that the indicted corporate bodies and individuals have not denied their involvement in the criminal diversion of the commonwealth. Therefore, pressure ought to be mounted on the federal government to mustre the political will to recover the huge funds without any further delay.
CONCLUSION
It is my hope that the meeting of today will serve as a catalyst in building the Sacred Heart Seminary Old Boys Association as a formidable society. The Association should create a database of former students with the assistance of the management of the seminary. Kindly allow me to appeal to members of the Association to donate generously to the fund raising alumni projects. I will contact the President of the Association, Mr. Dominic Alade, for my personal donation to the Association.
Permit me to conclude my adress with the prayerful wish of Bishop Godfrey Igwebuike Onah of Nsukka Catholic Diocese. His Lordship who held a meeting with a group of ex-seminarians on April 18, 2021, said inter alia:
“This encounter today should be seen as on occasion of grace and an opportunity for gratitude. Each of you ought to be grateful to God and to the Church for the formative experience in the seminary. The Church is grateful to you for the roles you play in the Church and in the society at present. All of us are grateful to God for who you are today. We ask him to continue to bless you and your families, to sustain you in your mission and lay apostolate. Bear in mind that for every ex-seminarian who is a priest, there may be as many as ten ex-seminarians who are not priests. Yes, we are all ex-seminarians! And together WE, ALL OF US, ARE THE CHURCH.”
*Being the Maiden Annual Lecture of Sacred Heart Seminary Old Boys Association delivered by Femi Falana SAN on Wednesday, July 26, 2023