"The dream of the CBCN [Catholic Bishop's Conference of Nigeria]… must always be the search for truth," Akubeze, Vice President of CBCN, said, according to the Catholic News Service of Nigeria.
Marking the university's 10th anniversary, the event was held at the Chelsea Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria, and included addresses from Archbishop Akubeze, Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto, and the school's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mike Kwanashie.
The conference was also attended by Yakubu Dogara, the Speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives; former President Olusegun Obasanjo; and John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja and the university's chancellor.
While speaking about Nigeria's future development, Bishop Kukah lamented that Nigeria has "remained permanently on top of the league of most vile and corruption in the international reports of the world institutions."
The bishop asked on whether Nigeria could really be considered a "developing country," because it lacks advancements in health, security, human rights, and the rule of law.
Archbishop Akubeze also mentioned that corruption exacerbated other severe challenges faced by Nigeria, pointing to events of terrorism, kidnappings, robberies, political violence, and tensions between religious and ethnic groups.
"These can result in disunity, instability, and if not curtailed, disintegration," he said. "[Truth is] that fundamental value without which freedom, justice and human dignity are extinguished."