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Tag: CAN

  • CAN declares three-day prayer nationwide

    The leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday called for a three-day prayer to be observed in all churches.

    This followed the political drama unfolding in the country.

    The development, CAN said, was becoming embarrassing and constituting threat to democracy.

    A statement by the Special Assistant (Media & Communications) to the CAN President, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji: said: “The prayer is for divine protection for our nation and democracy.

    “We request all bloc chairmen, zonal chairmen, state chairmen, local and all church leaders to mobilise our members nationwide for a three-day prayer from August 27 to 29 to seek the face of God concerning the social and political state of our nation and for peaceful conduct of 2019 elections.

    “We are to pray that God should frustrate the efforts of evil men among our politicians and to prevent them from being elected into any office in 2019.

    “We should pray for peaceful co-existence and an end to bloodshed and violence caused by suspected herdsmen, bandits, ritual killers, robbers and other hoodlums.

    “We should pray that God should guide our leaders aright. We should pray for the release of Leah Sharibu and the remaining Chibok girls, together with those in the captivity of insurgents throughout the nation. We should pray for economic prosperity of the nation.

    “We should pray for unity and mutual respect for one another.”

  • CAN cautions Presidency, police

    THE leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned the Presidency and the Police not to do anything capable of threatening the survival of the country’s democracy.

    Reacting to the alleged invasion of the official residences of Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, CAN warned the Presidency to desist from using the Police to pull down democratic institutions built at a great price.

    CAN expressed grave concerns over what it describes as “poor handling of police’s invitation to Saraki, over the infamous Offa robbery saga that led to the death of no fewer than 30 people and the alleged plan by the EFCC to arrest Ekweremadu over alleged money laundry”.

    A statement issued in Abuja by the Special Assistant (Media& Communications) to the CAN President, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, said: “The Christian umbrella body condemns in strong terms the way and manner the police were deployed to subject the leadership of the National Assembly to needless embarrassment and harassment. The ongoing action of the police is a siege against democracy.”

     

  • Killings: CAN suspends July 11 protest

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has announced the postponement of its peaceful protest march earlier slated for July 11.

    Church/denominational leaders will, however, still converge on the National Christian Centre with the National Executive Committee of CAN at 10 am on the said date to “cry to God for our land.”

    According to a statement issued in Abuja by Special Assistant (Media & Communications) to the CAN President, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the protest march was postponed due to some circumstances beyond the body’s control.

    The statement, however, said the earlier scheduled three-day prayer and fasting will hold in all churches and state chapters of CAN from July 9 to 11.

    “CAN had declared July 9-11, 2018 as national days of prayers and fasting against unwarranted killings in the land and called on all well-meaning Nigerians within and outside the country to join Christians on July 11, 2018 for a peaceful protest against the killings.

    “CAN had hinged its decision on wilful and persistent killing of fellow citizens in general and Christians in particular nationwide and mostly in Plateau and Benue (states) where mass burial has become the norm without any positive response from the country’s security agencies.

    “CAN had expressed gross concern and grave disappointment over the continuous killings despite clarion calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to re-organise his security team by replacing all the security chiefs,” the statement said.

  • Buhari, CAN, Lalong meet in Aso Rock over Plateau killings, others

    Worried by the incessant killings of Christians in the northern part of the country, the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, on Thursday met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    They demanded for the review of the country’s security architecture to end incessant killings by suspected herdsmen.

    The Christian leaders also urged President Buhari to ensure the release of the abducted student of Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Leah Sharibu, who was abducted by Boko Haram militants for refusing to denounce her Christian faith.

    According to presentation at the closed doors meeting with the President, the leader of CAN in the 19 Northern States, Rev. Yakubu Pam, said the review of security architecture in the country has become imperative to give the security apparatus a new lease of life and responsiveness to earn the required trust, confidence and support of the general populace.

    He also lamented that the continuous abduction of underage Christian girls who were forcefully converted to Islam and given out for marriage without the consent of their parents, breeds religious disharmony.

    The group therefore urged President Buhari to intensify and speed up actions for the release of girls in captivity, especially Sharibu.

    Pam said: “That the security architecture of the country should be re-visited to give it a new lease of life and responsiveness to earn the required trust, confidence, and support of the general populace.

    “All communities ravaged by the herdsmen violence in the North should be rebuilt and adequate security be put in place to enable displaced persons to return to their homes and means of livelihood

    “The Federal Government should roll out a robust advocacy programme to enlighten the nomadic herders on modern cattle rearing against open grazing and roaming across states and national boundaries.”

    The group also demanded that the federal government should encourage herders to acquire land for cattle ranching across the country as a means of private business investment.

    The group noted that while the federal government under the current administration is celebrating an agricultural revolution, most farmers, especially in the north, can no longer go to their farms due to the sustained attacks by herdsmen.

    CAN urged the government to reconcile its priority by providing the necessary safety for the farmers to go on with their farming activities.

     

     

  • Plateau Killings: CAN slams security agents

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday expressed disappointment and shock at the spate of killings in three local government areas of Plateau State by herdsmen.

    A statement by the Special Assistant,  (Media & Communication) to the CAN President, Mr. Adebayo Oladeji said: “CAN is at a loss how scores of people can be killed without any form of resistance by soldiers deployed to contain the security challenge. How could dare devil criminals assault communities without resistance by security agencies to stop these killings. Are these herdsmen in bed with soldiers to unleash mayhem on these peaceful communities?

    “Considering the level of human carnage of these attacks, we once again call on government not to rest on its oars until these criminals are brought to book as promised.

    “CAN and relations of victims of these attacks need more than assurances and promises of tracking down these criminals by the President. Much as these assurances are needed; they have become irrelevant in the face of incessant attacks that have claimed the lives of thousands of Christians.”

  • MURIC blasts Christian elders group, advises CAN to purge its flock

    The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has reacted to allegations by the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) against President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, describing the allegations as baseless, unfounded and ridiculous.

    This is contained in a statement signed in Lagos on Monday by Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Director, MURIC in reaction to some allegations by NCEF, under the chairmanship of Solomon Asemota on Friday.

    The NCEF had at a news conference in Abuja accused the Federal Government of carrying out a Jihad against Christians and described the EFCC as the “prosecuting arm of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI).”

    It claimed further that the recent award of national hounour to late MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe was part of plan to make Nigeria an Islamic country.

    The group also claimed that the government, which has a pastor as Vice President, is conducting an anti-christian agenda which may ensure that Christians cease to exist in Nigeria in the next 25 years.

    MURIC however described members of the group as suffering from intellectual poverty and warped thinking.

    It said that the country must be allowed to move forward and not be tied to mediocrity and religious bigotry.

    “We should let integrity supplant mediocrity as the criterion and accept credibility as the yardstick instead of ethnicity while antecedence replaces religion and all other primordial sentiments.

    “We should liberalise our thinking, Nigerianise our orientation and stop seeing religious colouring in everything, the earlier it faces reality, the better.

    “How can anyone just jump to the conclusion that the present administration which merely yielded to persistent agitations over the June 12 saga was engaging in jihad because all the June 12 awardees are Muslims,’’he said.

    Akintola said that the facts on ground also rubbish NCEF’s allegation that the Buhari administration is pursuing an anti-Christian agenda.

    “Christians have more cabinet positions in this regime. Christians and Muslims have 18 ministers each, but both the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as well as the Head of Service are Christians.

    “This gives Christians 20 positions while Muslims remain 18. Yet Muslims have not started complaining.

    “NCEF needs to check its mathematical expertise. 18 cannot be higher than 20. NCEF’s vituperation are portraying Nigerian Christians in bad light and that is to say the least.”

    MURIC director said that President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede and Hameed Ali have become reference points in integrity.

    “Religion and other sentiments apart, Nigerians see them as models. These three men have set standards, not for religion or for Muslims alone, but for all Nigerians.

    “Their successors will have a moral burden on their consciences if they perform below them particularly in the areas of probity and accountability.”

    He said that Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) needs to undertake urgent re-engineering of the perception of its flock.

    “In particular, CAN should fumigate its immediate environment in order to rid it of this notorious NCEF Islamisation virus.

    “CAN should also beware of dissidence in the body of Christ in Nigeria as we suspect open rebellion in NCEF’s statement. CAN is therefore advised to call NCEF to order, ” the statement reads in part.

  • 2019: We have not endorsed Buhari, any aspirant – CAN

    The President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle, has refuted the alleged report in some online media platforms: “CAN says no vacancy in Aso Rock, endorses Buhari, Oshiomhole’.

    The CAN president said this in a statement signed by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant, Media & Communications to the CAN President, on Wednesday in Abuja

    Oladeji quoted the leadership of CAN as saying that the report was issued by a political movement, ‘Change Advocates of Nigeria (CAN),’ with the same acronym, CAN.

    He said that CAN reiterated that the Christian body has not endorsed President Buhari or any other presidential aspirant for election.

    He, however, urged the general public to discountenance the claim because it did not emanate from Christian Association of Nigeria at all.

    “CAN recognises the right of political groups to perform their activities and also endorse whoever they deem fit in support of their political aspirations.

    “We wish to therefore dissociate ourselves from the political group making this claim using our acronym ‘CAN’,” he said.

    Ayokunle said the leadership was presently making enquiries to determine the circumstances behind the group deploying its acronym for political mileage.

    He said the leadership of CAN called on Nigerians once again to dismiss the alleged report as coming from CAN.

    “We pray for all that are contesting for one position or the other including the incumbent President that the will of the Lord will come to pass in their lives and that the best person in the mind of God would emerge victorious in the name of Jesus,” he added.(NAN)

  • Herdsman killing: CAN cautions against ‘hasty execution’ of five Christians

    THE Christian Association of Nigeria,(CAN) has called on the Federal Government to caution the Adamawa Government against hasty implementation of the death sentence passed on five Christian youths.

    CAN president Rev. Samson Ayokunle  made this call yesterday in a statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media and Communications Pastor Adebayo Oladeji in Abuja.

    Ayokunle said the five convicts were allegedly to have on June 1, 2017, “willfully and intentionally conspired and attacked three herdsmen rearing cattle, at Kadamun village in Demsa Local Government Area, Adamawa State”.

    He said the convicts killed one of the herdsmen, Adamu Buba, whose body was thrown into a river and also maimed several cows.

    According to him, Justice Abdul-Azeez Waziri of a High Court in Adamawa State recently sentenced the convicts to death for culpable homicide.

    The statement reads: “The names of the convict are Alex Amos, Alheri Phanuel, Holy Boniface, Jerry Gideon and Jari Sabagi.

    “CAN is not supporting jungle justice or any criminality.

    “But hundreds of our members in Southern Kaduna, Benue, Taraba, Plateau states in the Northcentral geo-political zones and a state like Enugu in the South have been killed.

    “Some criminals parading themselves as Fulani herdsmen are still killing our members on a daily basis, but are yet to be apprehended.

    “Citizens stood helpless at the massacre of their peaceful fellow Nigerians, the international community watched in anguish how government security agencies could not bring perpetrators of these heinous killings to book.

    “Donald Trump, President of U.S had expressed sadness over killings of Christians in Nigeria.”

     

    Ayokunle, however, said despite the outrage that has trailed the killings of Christians in Nigeria, it was disheartened that none of the killers has been brought to justice.

    “We are shocked at the speed of light deployed by security and judicial officers in sentencing the alleged killers of the herdsman in Adamawa State.

    “Why did the court discharge the alleged killers of Madam Bridget Agbahime on the orders of the Kano State Government?

    “Why have security officials not arrested those behind the killings of Christians in Southern Kaduna? While did Nigeria Police set free those arrested for the murder of Mrs. Eunice Elisha Olawale in Kubwa, Abuja.

    “In view of this, CAN is calling on President Buhari to intervene in the death sentence passed on these Christian youths in Adamawa,” he said.

    Ayokunle said CAN has directed its legal team to secure and study the text of the judgment with a view to preventing a miscarriage of justice and a future re-occurence.

    In a related development, he said CAN is visibly disturbed at reports that the Federal Government has allegedly directed the Nigerian Army and Police to recruit some former members of Boko Haram terrorists who recently underwent deradicalisation programme.

    “If it is true, CAN condemns such a policy in strong terms and ask the Federal Government, especially security agencies, to withdraw such directive which is capable of compromising the nation’s security system,” he said.

  • CAN says no vacancy in Aso Rock, endorses Buhari, Oshiomhole

    The national executives of Change Advocates of Nigeria (CAN), Nigeria and Diaspora have endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for second term in office come 2019.

    The body in a statement signed by its National Youths Leader, Gabriel Nwajei which was made available to newsmen on Saturday in Asaba also endorsed Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, former Edo Governor, for National Chairmanship position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2018 convention.

    It said that the president has demonstrated courage in taking major decisions that had impacted the people positively which prompted its call on him to continue and complete the second term in office, adding, “No vacancy in Aso Rock in 2019”.

    CAN listed the reasons it is rooting for  President Buhari  to be re-elected come 2019;

    “His anti-corruption fight and recovery of looted funds within and outside Nigeria.

    “For taking the nation away from economic recession, the increase in agriculture produce like rice, cassava, others and the N-Power Programme for our young graduates.

    “The President has given assent to the ‘Not too Young to Run bill and granted autonomy for  State Houses of Assembly and to state judiciary.

    “The presidential order for the posthumous award and investiture on Late M.K.O.Abiola and Amb. Babagana Kingibe, Chief Gani Fawehinmi among others and the making of June 12 our Democracy Day showed courage”.

    The body, however, acknowledged that there were still more to be done to make the nation great in the areas of security, restructuring, local government autonomy and in conducting a free and fair elections.

    “But as the sayings goes, Rome was not built in a Day”

    “Our mission is to mobilize all youths with their Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) across the country for the 2019 presidential project,” it said. (NAN)

  • CAN vows to resist further religious persecution

    President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle on Tuesday said Christians will henceforth prevent further persecution in the country.
    Ayokunle disclosed this at the Service of Songs held in honor of the late General Secretary of CAN, Rev. Musa Asake, at the National Christian Center, Abuja.
    He expressed disappointment at the rate of violence in the country adding that several things have gone wrong.
    The CAN boss described the late Asake as a strong believer who is always against evil in the land.
    His words: “He was opposition to anything that is oppressive not only to Christian faith but to Nigerians. Christians first because that is our immediate constituency. Many things are wrong in this nation because the wave of violence in this country is unprecedented for those of us who have spent over 50 years.
    “It must stop and we must bring back that peace. And anything that will led to religious persecution we are going to resist it.”
    In a sermon delivered by the Brother Mathew Owojaiye of the Old Time Revival Hour, kaduna lamented that Nigeria is bedeviled with myriads of problems
    Owojaiye told the congregation that Nigeria is being gradually turned to an Islamic country if Christians are not vocal enough.
    His words: “The church that is supposed to represent heaven and put things in order needs to be put in order. We are facing a hostile environment nay a hostile government. Christian areas in the middle belt and in the North East are being battered.
    “Villages and farms are ransacked and burnt down, children, women are brutally murdered. Either the government does not have the political will to stop it or the murderers are agents of government.
    “We see evidence of stealth jihad everywhere. Nigeria is being gradually turned to an Islamic country. We belong to several Islamic organisations. Appointment, developmental projects and government policies are skewed in favour of Muslims. It is either our Christian politicians who should protect our interests have been compromised or too afraid to speak.”
    Among dignities at the event were former CAN president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and former minister of Information, Prof. Jarry Gana.