CATECHISTS serving in parishes of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja have been subjected to some of the harshest, most indecent and dehumanising conditions for workers, whether in a circular or religious setting, National Record investigations reveal.
Our findings in the last four months of diligent inquiry unveiled an appallingly excruciating condition under which catechists in the archdiocese operate under Catholic priests in parishes.
Inside his dimly-lit sitting room, 70-year-old Morgan Akpofi chronicles his ordeals in the parish he had served as a catechist.
Akpofi began working with the Social Welfare Department of the Abuja Catholic Church in 1996 – caring for people living with disabilities.
In the same year, the Archdiocese went into partnership with Christoffel Blinden Mission, a German-based humanitarian agency.
At the time, there were only 12 social workers in the scheme – offering basic healthcare services to individuals with disabilities in communities around Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
“In 1996, we were paid N6,000 per month as salary by the Christoffel Blinden Mission from Germany,” Mr Akpofi began narrating the downward journey to penury amongst catechists in Abuja.
“Then in 2013, the contractual agreement between the Abuja Catholic Archdiocese and the Christoffel Blinden Mission, ended,” Mr Akpofi said, adding that the Church had to shoulder the responsibility of paying catechists.
The Catholic Church was to pay the social workers who metamorphosed into catechists.
The catechists are trained members of the Catholic Church who teach the church’s doctrine to the lay faithful (parishioners).
Beginning his career as catechist at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in Karu, Abuja, Akpofi said following the takeover of the financial obligations of catechists by the Catholic Church, Emeritus Cardinal John Onaiyekan directed one Reverend Father Sam Etim to pay catechists N12,000.
“But Reverend Father Sam said he could not pay the N12,000 as directed by then Bishop Onaiyekan. That was the beginning of catechists’ problems in Abuja,” Akpofi narrated.
But the sum was reluctantly approved and later raised to N20,000 as monthly salary in 2014; owing to spike in the cost of living in Abuja.
Catechists’ sub-human conditions in Abuja
As Akpofi continued his work as a catechist, he was transferred to Saint Ignatius Antioch, a newly created parish in Karu, Abuja.
Upon resumption of work at the parish in 2015, the parish priest, Reverend Father Jude Oniah, said he could not afford to pay the N20,000 salary.
“At that time, four of my children were university undergraduates,” Mr Akpofi said, his eyes visibly reddening.
To rescue his children from dropping out of school and to keep his home running, the former catechist, pointing to a pair of retinoscope hanging in his sitting room, said he began providing private eyecare services to individuals. This, he noted, was part of his training as a social worker with the Christoffel Blinden Mission in Abuja.
“I conduct eyecare clinics for people which I use to support my family.” In addition, Mr Akpofi said a housing loan for his two-bedroom bungalow at the Shelter Origins Estate, Abuja, was hanging around his neck.
“With the refusal of Father Jude to pay my salaries and the thought of repaying the housing loan, I became hypertensive.
“In order not to lose the house, I sold a property in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, to offset the loan, otherwise I wouldn’t have had a roof over my head,” Akpofi said.
Due to the dire situation of things, Father Jude was later to pay the salary and increased it to N25,000, which he said was “charity” rather than earned stipend.
With a family of seven, Akpofi grieved, “N25,000 per month could not pay for rent, feeding, healthcare, fuelling of his motorcycle and payment of school fees.”
Pet dog better favoured than catechist
Things got to a head in early 2016 when Akpofi resigned as catechist from Saint Ignatius of Antioch Parish at Karu.
“My resignation was as a result of the sub-human treatment I was receiving from priests in the parish,” he narrated with sweat sprouting from his forehead.
Decrying the parlous conditions of catechists, Akpofi queried: “How can you be working in a church your entire life without healthcare, accommodation, pension, gratuity?”
The parish priest was accused of spending N50,000 on feeding his pet dog within two weeks, while refusing to pay Catechist Akpofi’s N25,000 monthly salary.
“When Father Jude returned from his holiday in the U.S.A, I confronted him over the dog expenses. How can a dog be taken care of better than a human being that toils day and night in God’s Vineyard?” Catechist Akpofi said he asked of Reverend Father Jude.
Assessing the magnitude of workload being shouldered by catechists in Abuja as in other Catholic churches all over the world, Akpofi said many of his former colleagues are in perpetual battle with ill-health without provision for statutory medical care or health insurance.
“As catechists, we teach parishioners catechism (Catholic doctrines), prepare infants for baptism. We do over 70 per cent of work in the church in terms of nurturing the Catholic faith, yet priests treat us like slaves,” Catechist Akpofi purred.
Citing an instance of the alleged numerous maltreatments he suffered, Catechist Akpofi said Reverend Father Jude removed his (Catechist’s) seat from the church altar following his confrontation with him over the dog issue.
“Father Jude removed my chair from the church altar. As a result, I resigned as catechist.”
Priest reacts to allegations
Reverend Father Oniah, who Catechist Akpofi accused of ill-treatment, said he needed the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja’s permission before reacting to specific issues in the allegations.
A “letter of permission (from the Abuja Archbishop) then we do a physical interview. I guess this ain’t a WhatsApp thing,” Father Oniah said in a WhatsApp chat with this reporter.
Acknowledging that he worked at Saint Ignatius of Antioch “some years ago,” Father Oniah said he is “an advocate” of improved welfare for catechists.
All our efforts to trace and speak with Rev. Fr. Sam Etim failed. He could neither be traced through our inquiries with sources in parishes in the course of the investigation nor after scouring through the 2018 edition of the Abuja Archdiocesan Directory. We gathered that Rev. Fr. Etim is a missionary priest who may have been transferred to either another part of the country or abroad.
It’s a common problem
Like Akpofi, many other catechists serving in the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja are confronted by same problems of deprivation and indecent working condition.
All catechists still in service spoken to by our reporters pleaded anonymity fearing retribution from either the archdiocesan authorities and reverend fathers.
A catechist who pleaded not to be named for fear of being sacked, said he was on a salary of N15,000 for five years, before it was increased to N35,000.
Painting a picture of the tense relationship between priests and catechists, this source said: “A Parish Priest could be eating but will refuse to invite his catechist to eat with him. He (the priest) takes all the gifts and offerings that are donated or offered by parishioners.”
He said only a few catechists are catered for by the generosity of parishioners, which he noted is not “legally binding.”
Another catechist who pleaded anonymity with National Record, said he has worked for over seven years in the Abuja Catholic Archdiocese.
Unlike Mr Akpofi who had to pay for accommodation, this catechist disclosed that his parish provides him with accommodation. He however shares the same plight with his colleagues in terms of very poor remuneration and other working conditions.
“With my wife and two kids, my salary of N20,000 cannot cater for our basic needs like, feeding, clothing and healthcare.”
Heart of the problem
The catechists spoken to by National Record blame the lack of coherent conditions of service for catechists in the Abuja Catholic Archdiocese as well as what many of them described as “greedy priests” in charge of parishes.
Describing the ugly fate that awaits a sick or incapacitated catechist, a source familiar with the issues, said the best any parish of the church will do for an ailing catechist or member of his family is to call for a Sunday offertory.
He added that not even in death does a catechist’s family enjoy the Catholic Archdiocese’s support in terms of an established rule.
“You would see parish priests stockpile food in their homes and rot away, while catechists with wives and children go to sleep hungry,” a catechist told one of our reporters.
“Despite being the closest worker to the Catholic faithful, we neither have official motorcycles nor cars to aid our evangelism work.”
The catechists appealed to the Archbishop of the Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Ignatius Kaigama, to look into their problem.
The catechists who spoke with this paper were unanimous that they are “caught in the middle as parishioners assume that ‘catechists are being well-catered for by priests,’ while the priests say ‘catechists are well-fed by the parishioners.’ That is our plight,” a catechist said.
Proffering solutions to the issues, catechists are of the view that the payment of their salaries and other emoluments be centralised and handled by the Archdiocese.
“Catechists’ welfare should be written in the laws guiding the administration of the Catholic Church,” a catechist suggested.
Catechists’ Commission admits gaps
Reverend Father James Akpaamo who heads the Catechists Commission, a Secretariat at the Abuja Archdiocese saddled with catechists’ affairs, agrees that “their welfare is not good enough.”
Father Akpaamo, in an interview with one of our reporters during the Annual Retreat and Seminar for catechists in August in Abuja, acknowledged the immense roles of catechists in “teaching the Catholic faith.”
He explained that without Catechists, a priest’s duty of teaching, sanctifying (the faithful) and governing the parish is impossible.
The priest noted that parishes are responsible for the welfare of catechists, but declined to provide details of what the latter are entitled to.
Similarly, Catechist Akuso Anthony, President of the Association of Catechists in Abuja, aligned with Father Akpaamo’s perspectives on the issue.
catechist Anthony said a meeting was being scheduled with Archbishop Kaigama concerning the welfare of his colleagues in Abuja.
Disrespecting church’s norms, labour laws and international conventions
Although it is universally recognised that the Roman Catholic Church is founded on justice and equity to espouse the redemption and cause of the downtrodden as proclaimed by Jesus Christ, the foundation upon which the Church is built; the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, an offshoot of Rome, appears not to be living in harmony with this tradition.
A publication of the Catholic Church, “Guide for Catechists,” described as “Document of vocational, formative and promotional orientation of Catechists in the territories dependent on the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples,” published in 1993 in the Vatican City, provided in-depth normative guide and theological principles for the existence of the office of the catechist.
Part III of the document, “The Responsibilities Towards Catechists,” under the heading, “Remuneration of Catechists,” clearly stated the compelling need for decent working condition for catechists.
“The financial question in general. The question of proper remuneration for catechists is generally agreed to be one of the most difficult to solve. The problem, obviously, does not arise for religion teachers in schools where their salaries are paid by the State. But when catechists are paid by the Church, especially when they have a family to support, their salary must be adequate and must take full account of the cost of living,” states the document.
The Vatican, in the latest edition of the document which is now available online, further asserts: “Remuneration for catechists must be considered a matter of justice and not of benevolence. Both full-time and part-time catechists must be paid according to precise norms, drawn up at diocesan and parish levels, taking account of the local Church’s financial situation, that of the catechist and his or her family, and the general economic conditions of the country.”
The Abuja Catholic Archdiocese is not only in breach of Rome’s norm, it is also in violation of the existing National Minimum Wage Act signed into law in April 2019, which specifies payment of N30,000 per month outside other allowances.
The “Abuja Provincial Catechesis and Religious Education, Syllabus for Teaching Catechism,” the only document in which the salaries and welfare of catechists under the Abuja Catholic Archdiocese are itemised, states that catechists in Abuja are to be paid N7,000 as minimum wage and that the sole responsibility of payment of the wage rests on parishes where catechists serve.
The Church, the document further states, is to provide for catechists, among other things, means of mobility, healthcare, accommodation and gratuity upon retirement.
In the event of death, states the Church in the document, the diocese/parish, “takes the responsibility for the burial. The parish/diocese pays his [catechist’s] annual salary to the family through the commission.”