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Tag: Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)

  • CAN raises alarm over missing N100 million donation

    The new leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Akwa Ibom state chapter said it is yet to reclaim a piece of land and take custody of the N100 donated to it by former Governor Godswill Akpabio now Senate Minority leader.

    The chairman of the association in the state, Dr. Ndueso Ekere (JP), who raised the alarm at a briefing on Tuesday, said he had raised a committee to work out the necessary modalities for the reclamation of the land

    Ekwere said even though the Governor had promised the association a befitting office at the proposed International Worship Centre, the land could be used for investment purposes to yield returns for the association.

    “We are yet to see the see the N100 million donated to us by former Governor Godswill Akpabio, three years since we came into power, we have set up a committee to review the land and take proper ownership, even if we will have offices at the at the International worship centre as promised by the state governor we still need the land for investment purposes”.

    The chairman who used the occasion to review his leadership expressed disappointment at the orgies of violence and killings of Christians all over the country, and called on churches not to fold their arms and watch while Christians are being murdered every day.

    He condemned the herdsmen killings stressing that never in the history of this country have Christians being so marginalized and relegated to the background in terms of appointment and contracts.

    “The church must move on to do what it supposed to do to curtail the killing of Christians that is going in the country, never on the history of this nation have Christians being so marginalized and relegated to the background,” he said.

    The CAN boss called on Christians to do something to ensure that any government does not have the interests of Christian at heart is voted out of office.

    He therefore charged the church to go out and ensure that they get members voters card saying it is the only weapon the church has to vote out unrighteous people from office.

    He commended Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel for the peace and stability so far enjoyed in the state and urged him to maintain the tempo in the state.

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  • Ebonyi: Umahi to empower 13,000 indigenes with N2.6bn

    Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi, on Thursday said that the state government would empower 13, 000 Ebonyi indigenes with N2.6 billion within the next three months.

    Umahi made the disclosure during a meeting with political, social, religious and other stakeholders on the importance of the continuous voter registration exercise.

    The governor said the beneficiaries would receive N200, 000 each to start businesses of their choice as the amount could be increased to N400,000 with the support of the Bank of Industries ( BOI ).

    “Stakeholders are therefore, enjoined to compile the names of the beneficiaries from our various communities and training programmes will be organised for them for effective utilisation of the funds.

    “Emphasis should be placed on women, youths and the vulnerable, as no other state has empowered its people more than the present Ebonyi government,’’ he said.

    Umahi urged the stakeholders to assist in re-orientating the youths to embrace self-sustaining ventures, instead of craving for political appointments and white-collar jobs.

    “Politics will become unfashionable in the next 10 years as people will only sustain themselves with what they can do with their hands,’’ he said.

    He noted that the state would target the registration of 2.5 million persons to improve on its statistics of having 1.5 million persons below the registration age.

    “Massive participation in the voter registration exercise would enable us to negotiate our way to the top as we strive to record the highest number of registered voters in the South-East zone.

    “We should embark on house-to-house campaign to ensure massive registration, especially from those that are qualified but are temporarily not registered.

    “We have set up committees to ensure the success of this exercise as they will become station rooms in the polling units, wards, councils and state levels,’’ he said.

    The governor said that workers could be exempted to register within the next two weeks but those who absent from work and fail to register would be severely punished.

    “The exercise should be devoid of political undertone as the Inter-Party Advisory Committee ( IPAC ) should organise political outreaches to ensure that everyone participates in the exercise.

    “Anybody who truncates the exercise will be physically dealt with and such person should be reported to security agencies and Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) among others,’’ he said.

    Rev. Fr Abraham Nwali, Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ), Ebonyi Chapter, urged the people to actively participate in the voter registration exercise because such had biblical undertone.

    “It is the duty of the citizens to participate in exercises that will produce good leaders whom God will use to fulfill his numerous promises to his people,’’ he said.

    Stakeholders from various sectors of the state pledged their commitment to ensure the overall success of the exercise.

    NAN

  • CAN warns Pastors against praying for human traffickers

    CAN warns Pastors against praying for human traffickers

    Edo State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned Pastor’s to desist from offering prayers for human traffickers and their victims.

    The Benin Monarch, Oba Ewuare II had last week said it was regrettable that some church leaders in the state encouraged human trafficking and illegal migration in the country.

    Oba Ewuare II also called on church leaders to help discourage illegal migration and trafficking of the youths as reports showed that some church leaders were encouraging it.

    Addressing journalists Monday, Chairman of CAN, Bishop Oyenude Kure, said the Bible preached against human trafficking and as such pastors that prays for traffickers to succeed are fake.

    Bishop Kure who condemned the action of pastors supporting human trafficking urged them to repent of their sins or face will face the wrath of God.

    He stated that the action of such pastors was worrisome and declared that any Pastor involved in the act either through prayers or directly as an enemy of the church.

    Kure disclosed of plans by CAN to on the 18th of May pray for Edo State and the country especially for the release of Dapchi school girls.

    The Christian body also condemned killings by Fulani herdsmen and urged government to establish cattle ranches rather than cattle colonies.

    Bishop Kure said CAN will resist any attempt to establish cattle colonies in Edo state.

    On the coming 2019 general elections, Bishop Kure admonished Christians in the state ‘to get their PVCs. If you have not done that we are asking you to do that. We are also saying that all Christians should go and join political parties of their own choice so that we will be involved in the political destiny of our state and nation. So that we can move our nation forward.”

    Read Also: CAN: abduction a national disgrace

  • CAN President mourns Billy Graham

    CAN President mourns Billy Graham

    Rev. Samson Ayokunle, President, Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ) has described Evangelist Billy Graham as the most humble and influential religious leaders well known in the world.

    Ayokunle made the remark in an interview in Abuja, while reacting to the death of the renowned evangelist.

    The president noted that Graham’s departure, no doubt had left a big vacuum in the church at large, adding that he came, saw and conquered for the kingdom of God.

    He said that the deceased was too humble that he prayed for so many people around the globe and gave hope to generations.

    “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go to the family of the foremost Evangelist of the century, Billy Graham, on his transition to glory.

    “We give God the glory for a life well spent. He has fought the good fight, has finished the race and has kept the faith,’’ Ayokunle said.

    Graham was a Christian and a pastor in North Carolina. He took his evangelism crusades around the country and globe.

    He wrote so many books and preached to an estimated 215 million people in 185 countries.

    Graham who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s like symptoms, died at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, at the age of 99.

    NAN

  • Ebonyi commences sanitisation of ministries

    Ebonyi commences sanitisation of ministries

    The Ebonyi Government says it has commenced the sanitisation of its ministries to correct detected administrative flaws in the system.

    Dr Kelechi Igwe, the Deputy Governor, said this on Friday in Abakaliki while reacting to the dilapidated state of the multi-billion Naira international market built by the past administration in the state.

    Igwe led a delegation of government officials, opinion leaders and market associations, among others, to inspect the facility constructed in a swamp.

    “We have commenced the correction of ills in the ministries as it is saddening to have Ministries of Works, Housing and Survey involved in such a ruse.

    “These ministries have qualified engineers and surveyors to advise the past government as the project’s erection in such area is one of the worst things to happen to the state.

    “It is pertinent to note that if the officials failed to advise government, it was laxity on their part.

    “But if they did, it means the government was not responsible to listen to advice,” he said.

    He said that the tour of the edifice was to assuage the people’s anxiety over the delay in completing the project by the present administration.

    “The governor as a professional engineer will not embark on a project that will not add economic values to the state.

    “We have tried severally to relocate traders to the market but they have consistently told us that it was not habitable and conducive for business activities.

    “During the rainy season, flood will submerge goods and other property belonging to traders and even drown children around the area.

    “We want to assure the people that the era of government embarking on phantom projects was over; Government will never embark on projects without economic significance,” he said.

    Rev.Fr. Abraham Nwali, the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ) in the state, advised the state government not to abandon the project in the spirit of continuity.

    “The contractors handling the project should be re-instated if they are willing to complete it but should be made to refund the monies collected, if they are unwilling to continue.

    Mr Ugochukwu Akpa, Chairman, Association of Town Unions in the state, said the unions would besiege the homes of the contractors, to let them refund the money they collected from government.

    “We will stay by their doors and cry loudly for them to refund the money because it belongs to the entire state and should be utilised judiciously,” he said.

    Mr Eze Ogbonna, Chairman, Abakaliki Main Market Amalgamated Traders Association, said that traders would never relocate to the market until it became habitable and conducive for business.

    NAN

  • Buhari not violating 1999 Constitution, Presidency tells CAN

    Buhari not violating 1999 Constitution, Presidency tells CAN

    The Presidency on Tuesday denied allegation that President Muhammadu Buhari has been violating the 1999 Constitution.

    The Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, made the remark while reacting to press conference by the General Secretary of Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ), Dr. Musa Asake.

    Shehu said “Our attention has been drawn to reports of a press conference by General Secretary of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Dr. Musa Asake in which he passed a judgement on the constitutionality of certain actions of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    “Unfortunately, he could not cite any valid cases of constitutional violations. President Muhammadu government poses no threat to the country’s democracy and Constitution.

    “There are no cases of any violation of our sacred constitution and there will be none under this President.

    The respected religious leader should stick to his religious duties and leave politics for politicians.” he stated.

    Read Also: Buhari wrecking economy with fuel scarcity – PDP

  • Boko Haram: VSF launches peace building project for Borno, Yobe

    Boko Haram: VSF launches peace building project for Borno, Yobe

    As part of the healing process after the devastating effect of the Boko Haram crisis in the northeast region of Nigeria ( in this case Borno and Yobe ), the Victims Support Fund (VSF) has launched a peace building project  the will promote  peace, security and social cohesion through  inter/intra religious peace building  among communities ravaged by the crisis.

    The Executive Director of VSF, Prof. Sunday Ochoche who lunched the project both in Borno and Yobe called on the people to begin to learn how to forgive one another in order to regain peace within the region.

    According to Prof. Ochoche who while addressing stakeholders at the  Musa Usman Secretariat complex in Maiduguri  said;  “Today’s peace building project; was designed to enhance peace, reconciliation and social cohesion in the society, particularly the ones affected by the eight-year Boko Haram insurgency that claimed many lives and property in Borno state.

    “While the campaigns of traditional and religious leaders; also sought to streamline the full implementation of various humanitarian interventions for rapid resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs ) in affected communities in the war ravaged region of northeast.

    “This project was to reconcile and forgive among members of the communities that were seriously hurt, destroyed and traumatized during eight-year insurgency period”.

    He explained further that implementation of the project; has already began  in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) and Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno state, as a pilot peace building project, adding that, the  project will  be extended to insurgency affected states of Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba.

    He disclosed that the  peace building process embarked upon by VSF  is a coordinated  strategy of  putting together the different interventions to fast track reconciliation, rehabilitation and cohesion among the various communities affected by insurgency.

    “We want people to return to their normal ways of living and smile again, live in confidence and sleep with their two eyes closed,” Prof Ochoche said.

    He mentioned some of the workable strategies to include  “pulling  and tapping  from available local and international resources in the state that could mitigate conflicts and promote  peace through; “Construction of networks of peace and conflict resolutions to achieve sustainable peace and development of communities affected by insurgency.”

    Prof. Ochoche noted that the project will facilitate and sustain a strong multi-levels forum for inter and intra religious and cultural dialogue and reconciliation, adding that, “this could enhance sustainable research and documentation on trends and dynamics of conflicts in the northeast”.

    At   Damaturu, Yobe State, Professor Sunday Ochoche again took his message of forgiveness, reconciliation and peace to the people of the state who gathered at the Cultural Centre in Damaturu in the view of spreading the message to the rural communities.

    He stressed that VSF will not relent in connecting the gaps that the insurgency has brough to the region through its comprehensive activities with the peace building project on the radar.

    He added that VSF  over the years has  rebuilt, reconstructed  and reconciled the affected persons in the north east and will not relent in restoring hope among the returning communities.

    “VSF has been actively involved in the peace building process in the north east over the years and we will continue to do that to achieve lasting peace.

    “We have been doing with economic, educational, health, and security components and everybody is doing his own to ensure that peace is been built in the returning communities because people have been divided around religious, political and other divides so this peace initiative will bring back the loss confidence in the minds of the people and that is actually what we are working on”, Prof. Ochoche said.

    Speaking on the level of the participation of stakeholders, Prof. Ochoche said, “so far has been excellent and assure that the objectives of the initiatives will be realized” as the stakeholders will work towards achieving the desired goals”.

    Both the representative of the Muslim community, Ustaz Hudu Mohammed and that of the Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ), Pastor Martin Ikem promised  to take the message to their followers on the need to forgive one another and  embrace peace at all times.

    The Nation recalled that VSF was established early 2014 by the Federal Government under its Presidential Initiative for the North-East (PINE) to assist and treat Boko Haram victims injured in the eight year insurgency.

    Since inception, it assisted six hospitals in the northeast and other parts of the country with funds to treat victims of terror attacks.

    In Borno State for instance, VSF has provided education support to 80,000 primary schools pupils displaced by Boko Haram insurgency and rebuild destroyed schools, health centres and public structures at in Bama and Dikwa as well as supported farmers in dry season farming in Borno and Yobe State.

  • CAN, Muslim council condemn Adamawa killings

    CAN, Muslim council condemn Adamawa killings

    The Adamawa Chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ) and Muslim Council have condemned the perpetrators of the Mubi Mosque suicide attack and the killings in Numan that led to loss of many lives and properties in the state.

    The groups, in separate news conferences in Yola, presided by the Chairman of CAN, Most Rev. Stephen Mamza, and his counterpart of Muslim Council, Alhaji Abubakar Sahabo, called for the fishing out of the perpetrators to face justice.

    While calling for panel of inquiry to fish out the perpetrators of the killings, the faith organizations called on their members to be extra vigilant and check persons and vehicles entering places of worship to curtail suicide attacks.

    “We are deeply distressed over the killings of women and children in some villages of Numan LGA on Monday. CAN condemns in strong terms, the killings of unarmed civilians especially little children and women.

    “This is by all standard of war, condemnable and unacceptable. We call on the government to bring to book the perpetrators of this wicked act to forestall any future occurrence,” Mamza said.

    He reiterated CAN’s commitment to peaceful coexistence with all individual and groups.

    “We call on all to embrace peace, shun hate speech and anything that will incite the general public to breach of public order.”

    Sahabo on his part, called on the state government to take full responsibility of injured victims including compensation for the dead, and tasked security agencies to provide adequate security cover in all vulnerable places.

    “The Muslim Council wishes to reiterate its commitment to help in the maintenance of peace and peaceful coexistence among diverse people of the state.

    “However, we urge the state government and security agencies to always take decisive and necessary lawful measures on those elements and agents who provoke state of fear and destruction in the state,” Sahabo said.

    The many people died in Monday’s Numan attack and Tuesday Mubi mosque bomb blast suspected to be perpetrated by Boko Haram and a militia group.

    NAN

  • Plateau CAN urges Christians to unite to tackle challenges

    Plateau CAN urges Christians to unite to tackle challenges

    The Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ), Plateau chapter, has decried the lack of unity among Christians, and declared that the travails of the faithful would only worsen if the Church remained divided.

    “The Church today is faced with a lot of problems, but the major one is lack of unity. The challenges are massive; we can only tackle them if we are united and speak with one voice,” Dr. Soja Bewarang, its Chairman, said on Tuesday.

    Bewarang spoke at the 2017 Unity Service and Prayer, organised for Christians in the Central Senatorial Zone of the state, and held in Bokkos.

    The service, an annual event held in the three senatorial zones of Plateau, is targeted at bringing all Christians together to encourage them to pray for peace, progress and tranquility.

    The CAN chairman emphasised the need for a united Church, stressing that such unity would please the Lord and make Him open the windows of blessings to the faithful.

    He said that Christians, as the body of Christ, must be united and focused so as to collectively achieve the principal goal of serving their creator.

    “If Christians are not united, it means that they cannot approach one another in love and can never be good witnesses for Christ.

    “We may belong to different denominations and Churches, but we all belong to the Lord and
    must love one another to form a perfect bond of unity so that the enemy will not take advantage of our disunity and cause more havoc.

    “We must put aside our biases, prejudices and differences and dwell more on the things
    that unite us for the common mission. This is a bold step we must take collectively, because it is indeed a step in the right direction.”

    Bewarang said that there was noting as tragic as a Church divided, adding that the tragedy was even more disastrous if the cause of the division was self-inflicted.

    He urged Christians to be alert to the devices of satan whose first step was usually to distract the Church from its profound mission by planting seeds of internal discord.

    Bewarang traced the division in the Church to the “general workings of human corruption that had often distracted and broke the peace of societies”.

    Quoting the scriptures, he pointed out that wars and fighting were products of human lust that spring from ignorance, error, unbelief, prejudice, pride, passion, selfishness and carnality.

    He regretted that divisions had become entrenched in the Church with efforts to unite the folk getting more difficult by the day.

    On Christians’ involvement in partisan politics, Bewarang rejected suggestions that politics was a dirty terrain that good Christians must avoid.

    “Politics simply means the ‘science of government’’; government inevitably has profound consequences for those who are governed. It is unthinkable that the Christian voice should not be heard in the political arena.

    “There are other people, who believe that Christians in responsible positions can do great good and that political power should not be allowed to be a monopoly of those who might abuse it. I agree with such people.

    “A good Christian politician can persuade his fellow citizens to raise their standards. Wilberforce abolished slave trade; Shaftesbury and his friends prevented child labor. Both groups acted as Christian politicians on Christian principles.”

    He said that CAN was motivating Plateau Christians to be agents of change by scrutinizing the activities of the various stakeholders in politics.

    Bewarang, who regretted the endemic corruption permeating all sectors of the nation, lamented that the fear of God was no longer in the hearts of many Nigerians.

    “The situation is bad, but we should be hopeful as Christians; we must trust God that things will take a positive shape. We must continue to condemn violence and encourage peaceful coexistence,” he said.

    The CAN chairman commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts toward fighting corruption and reviving the agriculture and solid minerals sectors, but said that the efforts were being thwarted by persistent attacks on rural communities.

    “Farming and mining are carried out in the fields. The fields have been dangerous with persistent attacks by gunmen. Government must strive to end the attacks to restore hope to the populace,” he said.

    Bewarang also spoke on the Plateau Local Government elections slated for Feb. 17, 2018, and declared that the Church would not tolerate money politics, smear campaigns, denominational and tribal politics.

    “Such vices have robbed us of credible leaders in the past and must be discarded. We shall encourage Plateau residents to choose leaders on merit regardless of party, tribe, religion and denomination,” he said.

    Dignitaries at the service included Plateau Governor, Simon Lalong, his deputy, Prof. Soni Tyoden, former Plateau Governor, Joshua Dariye, members of the national and state assemblies, religious and traditional leaders.

    NAN

  • Umahi accuses civil servants of illegal collection of leave allowance

    Umahi accuses civil servants of illegal collection of leave allowance

    Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has accused civil servants in the state of illegal collection of leave allowances from 2011 to 2015.

    He also said that he would report the issue to the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ) national leadership if the organised labour in the state failed to acknowledge the development and seek an amicable resolution of the issue.

    Umahi levied the accusation against the state workforce on Thursday in Abakaliki during an interactive session with representatives of labour unions and the Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ) Ebonyi chapter.

    According to the governor, continued payment of leave allowance to workers in that state was illegal since it has been covered in the consolidated salary structure which they receive.

    “Civil servants have forgotten that I was the deputy governor during the immediate past administration in the state which paid the allowance.

    “I mediated in the labour and state government dispute and know everything about consolidated salary payments having done all the calculations concerning it.

    “The immediate past administration paid until I took over and the state Accountant General and my Commissioner for Finance continued the payment with no one asking questions.

    “The civil servants intentionally did such thing but I came with the anointing of God who revealed the development to me,” he said.

    The governor threatened to report the state branch of the Nigerian Labour Congress ( NLC ) to its national leadership except the state workers accept that they owe the government.

    “We will discuss with the representatives of the workers and if you accept that workers owe the government, we will resolve all areas of differences.

    “We would, however, invite the national leadership of the NLC to the state if you insist that workers are being owed leave allowance because you are not telling the people the truth.

    “The state accountant general is directed to calculate the whole amount we have lost on leave allowances and if there is no consolidation on the leave, we would know what it is supposed to be on yearly basis,” he said.

    He advised the state civil servants to understand that the government cared about their welfare but that whatever accrued to the state was for all sectors and not only for them.

    “When we therefore pay higher salaries than other states with bigger assets and oil deposits, then we are supposed to be pitied,” he said.

    Prof. Bernard Odoh, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) urged workers in the state to focus less on salary increment and engage in entrepreneurial ventures to make ends meet.

    “There is no amount of salary that would solve all needs of workers and the emphasis should be in supplementing their earnings through entrepreneurial ventures.

    “This is the case in states such as Anambra where I lived as I urge the state’s committee on accessing the Bank of Industry (BOI) funds, to expedite action for workers to access it.

    “They should immediately release the first tranche to workers so that people would see its impact and become interested in accessing it,” he said.

    Mr Leonard Nkah, state NLC Chairman, thanked the governor for his concern for the workers and pleaded that all issues of disagreement between labour and government be settled amicably.

    “We feel that this matter has not reached the state of inviting the NLC national leadership as we felt that since the issue of consolidation was implemented, it was justified,” he said.

    NAN