The National Inter-Faith and
Religious Organizations for Peace [NIFROP] has carpeted a group of Christians
under the aegis of National Christian Elders Forum, NCEF, championed by a
former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), and Solomon
Asemota (SAN), who recently warned that Christianity in Nigeria may cease to
exist in 25 years from now.
Danjuma’s group said that the
present generation of Christians may be the last set in Nigeria.
With this, NCEF demanded the
restructuring of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, before the 2019
general elections.
Reacting to the claim, NIFROP
said it was worried by the abuse of religious groups that were now being
deployed as canon fodder by political clerics.
The group said the claim was targeted
at stirring the fire of hatred among Nigerians.
Bishop Chanami, national leader
of the group, while addressing the media on Sunday in Abuja, noted that the
claim was the handiwork of the devil and not deserving of being associated with
any group that professes faith in God.
He warned the elders against
beating war drum in an already-tensed nation.
He said, “There is none of the
testaments in God’s name that promotes the kind of wicked lie contained in the
misleading claim. We can only thank God that the sectarian crisis that those
behind this lie hoped to trigger did not materialize while praying that
Nigerians will continue to be discerning and not allow themselves to be
deceived into engaging in self destruction.”
“It is also alarming to mention
the activities of supposed elders either in the Church or any sane society led
by Lt. Gen TY Danjuma [Rtd] and some other Christian folks perpetually stoking
the embers of war in the country. Neither did our Lord Jesus Christ or Apostle
Paul ever in the scripture embarked on this destructive path to defend the
Church. Our weapons of warfare are not carnal and we demand that they review
whatever scriptures they are reading as Christians before we destroy the
country.”
The group also reacted to the
recent claim by the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, that President
Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Nigerian Army and the Police to recruit
rehabilitated Boko Haram members into their ranks
Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Special
Assistant on media CAN President, Rev Dr Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, said it had
information that a number of ex-terrorists were allegedly being considered for
recruitment into the Nigeria Police and Nigerian Army.
Bishop Chanami, while reacting,
said, “Ordinarily, we had hoped that the era where CAN or any other religious
organization was deployed as an attack dog for government or the opposition was
over only for this to happen. Our concern over this matter is that the events
that led to a CAN president being linked to gun running and money laundering
began on similar notes. It started with the CAN leadership being used as an
extension of a ruling party only for it to eventually become the errand boy for
the importation of weapons of destruction.
“The ugly conduct of CAN in those
nauseating years can be credited for provoking an explosion in the number of
persons from across all faiths that have renounced belief in God. The gun
running saga set off the chain reaction that have seen more young persons take
to crime in order to make it like the flamboyant clergies that ran errands for
politicians. This is a scenario that must not be allowed to repeat itself for
we are yet to recover from the ravages caused to our collective psyche by CAN
when its leaders acted without decorum.
“We are also speaking out because
we have reliably gathered that the lie about recruiting Boko Haram members as
soldiers and policemen is the first in the series of negative propaganda for
which CAN has been recruited. It is similar to the brief it ran under the past
administration. It must be noted that Nigeria cannot withstand another campaign
of lies and hatred spewed from hallowed pulpits that should have been
proclaiming the good tidings of God’s infinite love.
“It is equally pertinent that we
prick the conscience of the clergy in Nigeria. Religious leaders critical
stakeholders in the global drive to curtail the evil of fake news so where do
we stand as a people if those who should condemn fake news have become its
purveyors? On what basis should the faithful believe the admonitions of a
clergy that lies for whatever reason? The days are indeed evil.
“May we however point out that we
are not standing in judgement over those who decided to lie even as clergymen.
We will rather that they repent and thread a new path of repentance; that they
will act I’m accordance with the promptings of the song we shall be singing as
we close this press conference. As leaders of faith we should continue to be
instruments of peace and this should not be too difficult a task for those
currently leading CAN.”
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