Our faith demands that we design God's appeal to humanity through the signs of the times to bear evangelical witness, to proclaim and promote Gospel values and to denounce in society what is contrary to the dignity of the children of God. Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has continued to repeat that the nature of evil which faces us with respect to the development of peoples is the question of a moral evil, the fruit of many sins which lead to the structures of sin. This is opposed to God's plan for humanity and must be overcome as a major step towards an authentic liberation (cf. SRS 37; 46).

In this light, the Church always keeps in mind that the essential mission entrusted to her by Christ is not one of political, economic or social order. It is a religious one, to bring about the Kingdom of God within the Church and Society. Such a mission gives new insights, produces new energies and imposes new tasks on the Church that can contribute towards building up of a human community according to the divine law (cf. GS 42). By proclaiming the truth about Christ, about herself and about man and woman, the Church makes her primary and essential contribution to the solution of the urgent problem of human and social development, liberation and peace. (cf. SRS no.41).

As an agent of social transformation, the Church must therefore continue proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, which renews the culture of fallen humanity and transforms the life and condition of peoples from within and makes it new in the footsteps of Him who said: “I am making the whole creation new” (Rev.
21:5). The Church has to employ all the means available to her to bring about this interior change in the hearts of individuals as a way of fostering social transformation. The Catholic Social Teaching: Solidarity with the Poor.

The existence and persistence of unjust social structures have aroused the sensitivity of the Church and put into relief the urgency of practical decisions and undertakings. Though the Church in Nigeria like the Church elsewhere does not propose technical solutions (cf. SRS 41), she has constantly suggested orientations and lines of action, especially through her pastoral letters and communiqués. These documents offer guidelines for an effective social action and transformation. They denounce social injustice and violence, defend human dignity and rights, uphold human promotion and development and
promote solidarity with the poor and weak.

The Church's solidarity with the poor, expressed in collaboration, commitment to the cause of the weak, help and social charity, will always be exercised in line with the principle of subsidiarity. Solidarity with poor is aimed at empowering them in the process of development. It is not a paternalism that attempts to treat those in need as minors, nor does it aim at stifling their initiative, freedom and responsibility. True development can only take place when the people are the principal agents of their development and architects of their own history. True development is development of people by themselves, by their own decision-making and by their productivity.

Authentic development is not limited to the economic order alone. It is integral; it promotes the good of every person and of the whole person. In the design of God, every human is called upon to develop and fulfil himself, to grow in humanity, to become more a person and to make his own contributions in the process of development. As Paul VI reminds us: “We have inherited from past generations, and we have benefitted from the work of contemporaries. The reality of human solidarity, which is a benefit for us, also imposes a duty” (Populorum Progressio, no 17). To play one's role in the society, there is need to acquire relevant education and professional formation. Thus basic education is the primary object of any development plan. With all due sense of humility and responsibility the Church has played a pivotal role in the past in the establishment and development of schools at various levels throughout the nation. The Church will continue playing this essential role of educating and forming citizens who are able to contribute towards nation building.