The Nation Newspaper

Tag: CAN

  • Boko Haram: Detained suspects to be released in phases – Presidency

    Boko Haram: Detained suspects to be released in phases – Presidency

    … CAN rejects sect members’ release

    The Presidency on Wednesday made clarifications on the release of persons detained in connection with the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, in a statement, said the suspects would be released in phases.

    According to him, the first batch of suspects to be released would be women and children who were detained on suspicion of involvement or connection with insurgency in some parts of the country.

    Okupe said the phased release of detainees was to encourage other insurgents who may wish to embrace the peace option to come out and take advantage of the dialogue and peace option.

    “This would be followed by other phased releases where cases would be treated on their individual merits by the Defence authorities and security agencies,” Okupe added.

    The President’s aide stated that President Goodluck Jonathan’s directive on the detained suspects was as a result of the interim report by the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peace in northern Nigeria.

    The committee, he said, recommended the measure as part of government’s multi-faceted strategy to solving the security challenges posed by the activities of the Boko Haram sect.

    “This directive by Mr. President further proves that the Federal Government has not foreclosed dialogue as a viable option in its bid to put an end to insurgency and terrorist activities in the northern part of the country.

    “It is expected that this phased release of detainees would encourage those who wish to embrace the peace option to come out and take advantage of the dialogue and peace option provided by the committee put in place by government.”

    Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria has opposed the planned release of the Boko Haram suspects from detention, saying government’s decision to free the suspects is like giving them the “license to carry out more suicide bombings.”

    The body said “if those who deliberately killed innocent people are given freedom to walk the streets without punishment, then is clear indication that Nigerians have no nation.”

    Addressing a press briefing at the NUJ House in Makurdi on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Benue State chapter of CAN, Bishop Yiman Orkwar, appealed to President Jonathan to withdraw his directive on the suspects’ release, saying such action would further escalate the security situation in the region.

    He also condemned the recent killing of innocent farmers in the state by people he described as Fulani jihadist.

     

  • Sultan, CAN sue for peace

    Sultan, CAN sue for peace

    …Ribadu urges politicians to stop ‘fueling crisis’

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, on Thursday appealed to Nigerians to embrace peace no matter their religions and tribes.

    He noted that it was in God’s wisdom that He instituted different tribes and religions therefore mankind and specifically Nigerians must tolerate one another for peaceful co-existence.

    He said the crisis and disaffections in the world today is not the making of God, adding that “it is product of man inhumanity to man.”

    While preaching the message of peace in Abuja, through his representative, the Andoma of Doma at the National Consultative Meeting on “the role of religious leaders and traditional rulers in building a culture of peace, national unity and integration”, he cautioned the citizenry not to hurt their compatriots.

    He said since the consequences of religious crisis has not yielded more than destruction, Nigerians should return to the basis that God created mankind equal but man created the colour bar that now bedevils the society.

    According to him, the only quality that exalts a man is his goodness and not religion or tribe.

    He said, “what makes you different before God or what makes you acceptable to God, what endears you to God, is the much of your goodness that has benefited the other person, whether he is of your religion, your colour, your tribe or not.”

    The cleric and traditional ruler appealed to all religious leaders in the country to aggressively preach the sermon of peace and harmony to their congregations.

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), President, Ayo Oritseyjafor, agreed with the Sultan’s message of peace, adding that “that any group that desires peace is definitely doing the right thing.”

    For Nigeria to attain a desirable rebirth, the CAN president said the citizenry must do all that is possible to re-establish peace in the country.

    His words: “But let me quickly say that if we must build a new Nigeria, if we must build a great Nigeria, then we must all of us do everything it takes to bring peace.”

    Meanwhile, the former chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, also appealed to both political and religious leaders to stop fueling crisis in Nigeria.

    “I want to appeal to our own leaders, especially politicians, you have a role to play. Please don’t be putting more fire on this already tense situation,” he said.

    He described the unrest as a global phenomenon, a challenge, which he urged the leaders to tackle head on.

     

  • CAN condemns amnesty clamour

    CAN condemns amnesty clamour

    On a day President Goodluck Jonathan met with Service Chiefs to appraise the amnesty committee’s report, the Christian Association of Nigerian (CAN) yesterday urged the authorities not to pardon members of the Boko Haram sect.

    The Association described the group as “murderous and blood thirsty”.

    CAN advised the President to disregard the Northern Elders pushing for amnesty to avoid a crisis.

    Northern Elders, CAN said, are pushing for amnesty to enable Boko Haram members reap where they did not sow.CAN General Secretary Rev. Musa Asake, spoke at a news conference in Abuja. He berated the Ja’amatu Nasril Islam (JNI) for condemning the President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor for saying that: “amnesty to mass murderers foisting their belief on others, cannot precede reconciliation, compensation, restitution and other amelioration steps to people and institutions hurt in the Jihad of Boko Haram.”

    Asake also warned the JNI to stop saying that Muslims are the major victims of Boko Haram adding that: “but the truth remains that Christians are the major and main, if not sole target of Boko Haram”.

    In the last three years, besides the isolated bombings in Abuja, Asake said the Boko Haram has bombed over 200 churches and killed over 1, 250 Christians worshipping in their churches.

    Asake stated that while CAN respect the right of Cardinal John Onaiykan, and Bishop Mathew Kukah on amnesty for Boko Haram, they cannot speak for CAN.

    He said: “Only CAN is vested with such powers. Cardinal John Onaiykan and Bishop Mathew Kukah do not speak for Nigerian Christians, not even for CAN in any of the 19 Northern states.

    “We call on President Goodluck Jonathan to, as a matter of urgency, dismiss the whole idea of amnesty for an unrepentant group because it would be a panacea for confusion in the country. Instead, as a matter of urgency, the Federal Government should begin the process of compensating and alleviating the sufferings of the victims of Boko Haram. The President should also ignore the so-called Northern leaders, who are putting pressure on him and turning serious security matters into politics

    “Asking the Federal Government to grant amnesty to the Boko Haram sect members amount to calling the government to come and kill the snake with a torch. The JNI must begin to query the change in its value system; a system that now makes them spokesperson of a murderous and bloodthirsty group without being sensitive to the victims of the sect, a system that allows for the slaughtering of human beings like cows without remorse.

    “CAN will not fail to point out that the present clamour for amnesty to the Boko Haram sect members by the Sultan and others is a strategy to drive home the message of reaping from where they did not sow. It is a strategy to get a better deal for those they have impoverished for years, by canvassing for amnesty to bloodthirsty, Islamic fundamentalists who have killed without provocation. The JNI is promoting the culture of crass impunity that desecrates the sanctity of human life. The earlier it retraces its steps and beings to fish out the fundamentalists among them, the better for our dear country.”

    Details of discussions at the President’s parley with the Service Chiefs were sketchy last night but it was believed the report of the Amnesty Security Committee took the centre stage. The committee was set up two weeks ago to weigh the possibility of granting amnesty to the sect members.

    The cloose-door meeting was also expected to consider the position paper presented to President Jonathan on Monday night by the Northern Traditional Rulers, led by Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar.

    At the end of the meeting chaired by the President and Vice President Namadi Sambo in attendance, State House Correspondents were not briefed.

    Those who attended the meeting included: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Vice Admiral Ola Ibrahim, Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Rear Admiral Dele Ezeoba, Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Alex Badeh, Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar, among others.

    President Jonathan raised the committee two weeks ago. Its membership was drawn from the National Security Council (NSC).

    It was given two weeks to turn reports.

     

  • ‘My life as only surviving child’

    ‘My life as only surviving child’

    He didn’t ask for honour; he earned it and he is worthy of it. He was not born with a silver spoon but rose from grass to grace. His ministrations are always inspirational and charismatic. He is an epitome of heroism and a great man of God.”

    Those were some of the words the children of Pastor Gabriel Olutola, the National President of The Apostolic Church, Nigeria, used to describe their father, who clocked 80 last week.

    The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, also praised Pastor Olutola, for his humility and hospitality.

    Pastor Oritsejafor described Pastor Olutola as an “apostle, a pastor, an evangelist, a leader by example who defends, yet doesn’t compromise his integrity. He is an epitome of humility and indeed an incredible man.”

    The CAN president prayed for the celebrator.

    “May heaven reward you for the goodness you have done humanity; for the love he has for the church and the price you have paid for Christianity”, he said.

    With praise and thanksgiving, his children, friends and members of The Apostolic Church, Nigeria ushered Pastor Olutola into the octogenarian club. Clerics from other denominations were there in large numbers to celebrate with him.

    A reception followed at the church’s expansive International Convention Ground on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ketu, Lagos.

    The temple was decorated in orange and green. There were ushers in the several walkways and entrances of the church.

    People came from far and wide. The rich, the poor and Apostolic faithful were there.

    Earlier in the week, Pastor Olutola visited the motherless babies’ home and Ikoyi prison. There was also a launch of the celebrator’s biography and a lecture by former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

    Last Saturday’s thanksgiving climaxed the weeklong events.

    Special anthems were sung by the Choir of Samuel Adegboyega University (SAU); Lagos Metropolitan Areas Combined Choir and the Temple Choir of the church. The last anthem was sung by the children and great grand children of the celebrator.

    The Anglican Archbishop of Lagos, Revd Adebola Ademowo, who delivered the sermon, said he first met the celebrator in 1972 in Ilesha, Osun State. He prayed that Pastor Olutola’s strength be renewed like the eagle.

    Revd Ademowo said: “We have been friends for over 40 years and I have come to know him as a man of God to the core. He is a role model of who a role model should be. I admire him so much. He is a dogged evangelist.”

    Ademowo said because of his admiration for The Apostolic Church, he did a special research as a theologian and a historian and wrote a book on it.

    Wishing the celebrator a longer, healthier and peaceful life, Ademowo turned to him, saying: “You have been diligent and straightforward. You haven’t been a chameleon, but rather, a leader of great repute with quintessential personalities.”

    Pastor Olutola looks younger than his age as he still moves sprightly. He danced and sang joyfully without showing signs of old age. He danced to the front of the church to drop his offering, accompanied by his children, as loud chants of praise worship songs filled the arena.

    Before he gave the testimony of his life, he read Psalm 126 to glorify God. After that, he began his testimony in Yoruba, and it was translated to English. It went thus:

    “I thank God today because He has been faithful to me in all his promises. My mother had seven sons but since 1937, I have been the only one left. My mother used to pamper me though she was very instructive. So, I chose not to celebrate any birthday till I was 50. By then, I was sure I would have been married with children.

    “Thank God for the woman He gave me to marry. She is inestimable. On the 16th of this month, we would have marked our 57th wedding anniversary. Though we lived for 46 years, none of our parents settled any quarrel between us, so I needed not remarry because of how good she was.”

    After the service, guests moved to an open field, where two gigantic tents were erected. Sunny Melody and his band dished out gospel juju music to the delight of guests. The celebrator sat on a special seat with his family members receiving pleasantries and gifts. More than eight cakes were cut by the celebrator and every guest went home with souvenirs.

    In attendance were Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dame Abimbola Fashola; Vintage Press Limited Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mr Ade Odunewu; all LAWNA Executive Council Members; representatives of the Ondo State government; the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN); Chairman, Osun State, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Elder Adelowo Adebiyi and elders and leaders of the church.

     

  • kaduna: CAN leader blames insecurity on `intruders’

    kaduna: CAN leader blames insecurity on `intruders’

    The National Youth Leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Mr Obadia Haruna, has blamed “intruders bent on disintegrating Nigeria” for the worsening security situation in some parts of the North.

    Haruna made the observation on Tuesday in Kaduna at a unity forum organised by an NGO, Peace Revival and Reconciliation Foundation of Nigeria.

    He cautioned youths against been lured into violence, noting that “no country would move forward without peace”.

    The CAN youth leader observed that the current violence and insecurity in the region had caused major set backs to the social and economic growth of the nation.

    Haruna urged Christians and Muslims to continue to live in peace with one another, adding that the two religions have always preached peace and love.

    “So there is a need for us to love one another and see ourselves as brothers.”

    Ealier, the leader of the NGO, Pastor Yohana Buru, said the gathering was meant to bring together Muslims and Christians in the divided city to promote unity, love and understanding.

    In his contribution, the President of Sabon Kawo Youth Development Association, Malam Salisu Ibrahim, urged the youths to work towards returning the city to its former self, where residents live side-by-side irrespective of creed, politics or economic status.

    “We must look at the way our fathers live peacefully with one another without discrimination and not minding religion or cultural differences.”

    He identified unemployment as a major cause of restiveness in the state, and called on the government to enact workable policies that would generate employment.

    Ibrahim said association would introduce ICT programmes for youth in the area as part of its contributions to engaging them in useful ventures.

    Also, the National President of Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Alhaji Ali Sokoto, identified functional education and employment as panacea to the current security challenges in the country.

    “What kind of education do we have today? People are educated yet instead of using it in building peace we are using it to perpetrate violence.”

    He commended the NGO for the initiative and urged the youth to propagate “the messages of hope, love and unity to ensure a peaceful and united state and country”.

     

     

  • CAN insists on prosecution of Boko Haram sponsors, members

    CAN insists on prosecution of Boko Haram sponsors, members

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Thursday in Abuja renewed its call on the Federal Government to start the immediate prosecution of identified sponsors and members of the Boko Haram sect.

    The CAN General Secretary, Rev. Musa Asake, said this at a news conference while reacting to the sect’s recent onslaught on Christians in parts of the North.

    He said the call became necessary following the recent revelations after the arrest of some members of the sect in Lagos.

    Asake urged the Federal Government to adopt strategies to permanently end the spate of attacks on innocent Nigerians in parts of the North.

    “The assertion in some quarters that the north is at war does not represent the reality on ground, from our records; it is innocent people that are being killed in the north by a gang of armed youths.

    “The state of our nation calls for concern and so is the state of Christendom, the situation demands urgent action.

    “We are calling on the Federal Government to start prosecuting those who have been identified as sponsors and top ranking members of the Boko Haram sect, we want the whole world to know that we are getting tired,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the CAN official as saying at the conference.

    Asake said that CAN was disappointed in government’s failure to prosecute those alleged to be sponsors of insurgents in the region.

    He said that government should make efforts to regain the confidence of the people that it could protect their lives and property.

    “Government must acquire a reputation for being taken seriously on this matter by the populace.

    “It must also acquire the spine to prosecute any member of the sect already in government’s net as doing otherwise will make most Nigerians believe that some classes of Nigerians are untouchable,’’ he added.

     

  • Fish out members, sponsors of Boko Haram – Oritsejafor

    Fish out members, sponsors of Boko Haram – Oritsejafor

    The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, on Tuesday advised Federal Government to expose members of the Boko Haram sect and their sponsors.

    Oritsejafor explained that condemning the bomb attack in Kano by government without serious action is creating more problems for the country.

    The CAN President believes that the suicide bombing of a Lagos-bound 59 seater luxury bus which killed 25 people by “those whose inhumanity and vicious behavior terrifies Nigerians”, is utterly evil, tragic and condemnable.

    He asked the Kano State Government to be more circumspective and to liase effectively with security agencies in the state in order to forestall future occurrence: “since the city has become one of the critical stages of Boko Haram violence, a place where violence is likely to break out suddenly.”

    Orisejafor, who expressed sadness about the activities of the Boko Haram sect said: “Those pro-terror people grew up among these Islamic religious leaders and are Muslims. Whatever new kind of transformation they have undergone that they have become terrorists should be blamed on these leaders. Why are they rebelling against human values? Why do they blow themselves up as suicide bombers? These leaders must re-examine some of their weak points and deficiencies in their method of preaching.”

    The proponents of Amnesty to Boko Haram sect members, he said should have a rethink and join concerned Nigerians to fish out these bloodthirsty and callous killers that reside among them.

    According to a statement issued in Abuja by the Special Assistant, Media and Public Affair to the CAN President, Kenny Ashaka, “The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor commiserates with the victims of Monday’s suicide bomb attack, the families and friends of those who lost their lives and the Kano State Government. He prays that God should repose the souls of the departed and console their grieving families and loved ones.”

     

  • CAN alleges plan to Islamise Osun

    CAN alleges plan to Islamise Osun

    •Govt:it’s not true

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Osun State yesterday accused Governor Rauf Aregbesola of planning to Islamise the state.

    The government denied the allegation.

    At a press conference attended by its Chairman, Superior Evangelist Abraham Aladeseye; the Secretary, Rev. Fr. Michael Ajayi and Christian leaders from all denominations, CAN alleged that the government was planning to introduce the use of hijab in Christian-owned public schools.

    Reading a statement by the association to the press, Rev. Fr. Ajayi said: “The agitation for the use of hijab got to a climax when a female pupil of Baptist High School, Iwo, was arrested by the police on the order of the school authorities for wearing hijab to school.”

    CAN criticised some of the educational policies of the Aregbesola administration, such as the merger of public schools and demolition of some school buildings.

    It described them as a plot to erase the names of missionaries from schools established by Christian bodies.

    The government debunked the allegation.

    The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Sunday Akere, said the administration has always respected all religions and would continue to do so.

    Akere said the allegations might be the handiwork of persons trying to undermine the administration’s achievements in the education sector. He said the government would not be distracted from its efforts to improve the state.

     

  • If N4b AFLPM House sails through NASS, anything else can

    If N4b AFLPM House sails through NASS, anything else can

    So far, there is nothing to show that the National Assembly is softening its opposition to the N4bn proposed by the Federal Capital City (FCT) administration for the construction and perhaps equipping of the headquarters of the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM) in Abuja. But you never can tell, especially with the curious manner the prickly and scheming Jonathan presidency handles lobbying. President Goodluck Jonathan, if we judge him correctly, may yet unleash lobbyists to push the project that started as an NGO affair only to graduate, in the eyes of the president’s wife, into a legacy project. It will not matter to the lobbyists that the economy cannot sustain the level of profligacy being embraced by the presidency. And it will hardly matter that the project, cleverly sidetracked by other African countries as unarguably nugatory, will merely massage the ego of the First Lady and her sympathisers. However, if the government presses ahead irrespective of opposition, it should meet a resolute National Assembly stand pat on the democratic ramparts.

    But what is a little worrisome to every Nigerian is the First Lady’s rationalisation of the project. Not only did Dame Patience describe the lively and healthy debate on the AFLPM funding proposal as noise, she also cynically concluded that were men to be the inspirers of the project, that grating noise would be absent. She made this point while speaking in Abuja last Thursday during the presentation of the ‘PDP Women-In-Power 2013 Calendar.’Bringing gender politics into the controversy is far-fetched in every conceivable way, but it is nothing compared to the outlandishness of her comparisons. Hear her: “The wife of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Maryam, built the National Women Centre while the wife of Gen. Sani Abacha, Maryam, also built the National Hospital.” Since she always comes across as a little wanting in general moderation and is often insensitive to the weight of her words, she added this clincher: “None of them (former First Ladies) left with the buildings. I am not the owner of the AFLPM, and when I leave, I will not take it away. It is not a pet project of anyone.” But contrary to the impression she tried to create, her argument actually showed it is indeed a pet project, her own pet project.

    It is truly mortifying to hear the First Lady compare the AFLPM project with those of her predecessors. Frugality did not once feature in her argument, nor did relevance, nor, quite humbling, did reality check. Dame Patience forgets she is the wife of an elected president, not the wife of a military dictator. Her husband, she must be reminded, needs to either persuade the legislature to acquiesce to the project or he must find creative ways of funding it, such as the ingratiating fundraisers Abuja is conversant with and is now inured to. But the country must hope that on the AFLPM issue the National Assembly will not indulge the presidency or the FCT.

    As this column argued on February 6; “No matter how much the Senate wants to cooperate with the presidency, it is unlikely it can be persuaded to approve the expenditure for AFLPM as part of the FCT budget. After all, the sponsors of the project had vehemently clarified in 2011 and in July last year, during a dispute over supply of cars for the AFLPM summit, that it was an NGO. Taken together with its recklessness on the centenary project and other financial imprudence such as the N12bn proposed expenditure for the construction of two city gates for Abuja and rehabilitation of commercial sex workers in the FCT, it is clear that the President Goodluck Jonathan presidency has lost all sense of restraint in spending money and prioritising projects.” We hope flattering the Senate will get us somewhere. If it doesn’t, and the AFLPM budget sails through, there may be no folly left that is too big or too self-deprecating for us to embrace.

     

  • Omobude is new PFN president

    Omobude is new PFN president

    The President of Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has announced Rev. Felix Omobude as the new President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).

    He made the announcement on Friday at the end of the PFN’s 12TH National Biennial Conference held in Uyo.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Oritsejafor was until this announcement, the PFN president for three years.

    He appealed to members of the PFN to give the new president the maximum support to enable him to “shepherd the flock.’’

    The outgoing PFN president urged the church leaders to expunge corruption from the church to keep it pure.

    Prior to his elevation, Omobude was the General Superintendent of New Covenant Church in Benin City, Edo State.