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Tag: National  Inter-Faith and Religious Organizations for Peace [NIFROP]

  • Groups sign ‘Abuja Accord’ to support Nigeria’s unity against religious, ethnic bigotry

    The National Inter- Faith and Religious Organizations for Peace ( NIFROP) has rallied together civil society organizations, NGOs, FBOs etc to  sign a pact for national cohesion, unity, peace and stability tagged:  ‘Abuja Accord’ to win the war against religious and ethnic bigotry in our national life .
    The peace treaty was signed on Thursday after a two-day International Conference held at Abua .
    The groups in a communique issued at the end of the programme, urged Nigerians to eschew ethno-religious sentiments and resolve to embrace national cohesion, stability, peace and unity as articulated by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
    The combined groups mutually reached and endorsed the following resolutions:
     It congratulated the President Muhammadu Buhari for supervising the conduct of a successful, free, fair and credible 2019 general elections. He was applauded for disabling the plots and exiting the fears of Nigerians over a possible disruption of 2019 general elections and, seamlessly dislodging the potent phobia of electoral violence during and after the ballots.
       We also commend and congratulate the masses of Nigeria for their steadfastness in Nigeria’s democracy and peaceful conduct throughout the duration and segments of the 2019 general elections.
    The parley noted with great delight the slight improvement in voter-turnout, expressed in the enthusiasm of Nigerians to vote leaders of their choice at various levels. It is surely, a step towards dismantling the leech of voter-apathy in the democratic process and urged all Nigerians to intensify efforts to finally bury the ghost of electoral apathy.
    The meeting resolved that the President Buhari-led Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) today has demonstrated a clear direction and focus on national re-engineering and recovery of Nigeria in the spheres of social revival, economic prosperity, security and anti-corruption sub-sectors. This deserves encouragement and espousal by all compatriots for him to go the proverbial extra mile.
      The Group noted the abundant evidences in the determination and commitment of the present government in its drive for peace,  unity, the indissolubility and indivisibility of Nigeria,  by fostering dialogue for  national cohesion on thorny issues like ethno-religious tolerance  and peaceful co-existence among Nigerians of different ethno-religious and political persuasions.
       The parley noted with excitement the indelible imprints of the Buhari Presidency in hitherto neglected areas such as his ardent pursuit of food security and diversification of the economy through the promotion of mechanized agriculture and the soft loans to Nigerian farmers to boost robust agricultural engagements all over the county.
     The Groups pinpointed to Nigeria’s enlivened redemption journey with the revival of the railways transport; upgrade of national power generation and distribution from 2,300 megawatts of national grid in May 2015 to over 7,100 megawatts by end of 2018. We implored Mr. President to sustain these remedial actions.
     The increment in workers’ salaries with the President signing a New Minimum Wage Bill a fortnight ago and the expanding windows of the Social Investment Program (SIP) and the popular N-Power Jobs among many other similar schemes for the poorest of poor Nigerians are silent strategies of the administration in redistributing the country’s commonwealth, to majority of less privileged Nigerians, hitherto hijacked and concentrated in the hands of a few ruling elites.
        The Abuja Accord also resolved that for Nigeria as a nation, it is incumbent on her citizens to necessarily embrace the new breeze of “Change,” as spearheaded by President Buhari. Nigerians are invited to boldly make a statement to the entire world by supporting initiatives, policies and programmes which lubricate this “Change,” as it is clear the FGN alone cannot make the desired impact. The cooperation and support of the citizenry is indispensable.
    Therefore, Nigerians are challenged to imbibe new thoughts, values, perceptions and interpretations of national issues detached from personal proclivities or mundane contemplations. National interest should henceforth, be elevated above clannish or sectional interests.
        To this end, all Nigerians, old or young are prodded to consciously work in the direction of assisting the central and various state governments in implanting a boisterous agenda of   national cohesion, stability, peace and unity in all nooks and crannies of Nigeria.
        These are only the firm pillars of a prosperous and burgeoning Nigeria.  We cannot wish otherwise because these are the tripods that will foster rapid growth and development; whilst we de-emphasize pushy ethnic and religious sentiments, with the personal idiosyncratic approach to national issues. We are first of all, Nigerians before members of any community in the country.
          Consequently, the Abuja Accord intensely and strongly condemned the resurgence of violence and killings in some parts of the country for whatever reasons. No nation attains its height of progress through such beastly manifestations.
          It appreciated the inevitability of disputes or disagreements among people and communities. But it advocated for dialogue and amicable settlement as better, decent and more respectful weapon to adopt when such disagreements erupts or in conflict situations.  It confers dignity on the feuding parties and the image of the country.
      We pray for the souls of our brothers and sisters who have lost their lives in these unfortunate and senseless crises to rest in the bosom of Almighty God. We also wish the wounded quick recovery from their injuries, as we collectively pray for a cessation of the crises and against its resurgence anywhere in the country.
           The Abuja Accord found it expedient to call on leaders of Nigeria at the lower rung; whether political, traditional or religious to be more circumspect in their utterances and actions on potentially explosive national issues. They have a moral obligation to support the Buhari Presidency on its path of Nigerian redemption.
       Abuja parley extremely frowned at recent comments from religious and traditional leaders which infused ethno-religious sentiments in the lobbying for the constitution of President Buhari’s next cabinet and the emergence of the leadership of the 9th National Assembly (NASS).
      The unhealthy informal debate between the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). The two apex religious bodies in Nigeria seem at daggers drawn on a Christian or Muslim Senate President or Speaker of the House of Representatives, much against the trumpeted dictum of the new order of #NextLevel in Nigeria.
     The Abuja Conference expressed extreme displeasure at voicing such sentiments on a Christian or Muslim President of the Senate or Speaker of the House of Representatives as a descent into the retrogressive past, which Nigerians are unwilling to romance or accommodate today in any nuance.
       It was resolved that all religious leaders in the country should humbly and respectfully abstain from public partisan comments or leadership recommendations on the basis of religion.
    Also, the Abuja Accord endorsed the resolution to humbly inform these religious leaders that it is against the spirit of inter-faith and religious harmony and national cohesion among Nigerians to display such abhorrent postures.
         More so, as such recommendations are not the direct business of religious leaders, whose recognizable and godly duty is to pray fervently for the emergence of good leaders in the country. They should be concerned more about good leaders who would promote the idea of one Nigeria, as against the subsisting irrational segregation on religious fault lines.
        Furthermore, the Abuja Accord also reached a resolution that all ethnic warlords and bigots who have identified the consistent castigation of security agencies as failing in taming insecurity in the country as their only noble duty to give peace a chance. They are counseled to allow security agents do their jobs undistracted by the often influenced dishonest views they propagate to the disservice of Nigeria.
     It was acknowledged that traditional rulers and ethnic champions have greater roles to play in quelling crises in their respective domains than mere open rebuke of heads of security agencies over perceived wrongs. The penchant of traditional/ethnic leaders in constant interference with the governance process is also detestable and should be discarded.
     And where there are genuine concerns about lapses in the operation of security agencies, these traditional leaders have the onerous responsibility to approach the heads of the security agency concerned to raise his observations and recommendations in a manner that confers dignity on all parties.
    Such platforms will not erode the confidence of Nigerians in the job of these security agencies and oddly, ennoble the ethnic warmongers with a false sense of triumph over the Nigerian state as currently obtained. When leaders are disposed to national issues, especially on security in this porous manner, it does not lay the template for building the virile and great nation of our dreams.
    Going forward, the Abuja Accord has resolved that President Buhari must necessarily serve Nigerians an all-round hard working cabinet as he takes the oath of office for his second term on May 29, 2019.
    Mr. President is encouraged to search deeply and far to engage members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) who are competent, resourceful and committed to his “Change” and #NextLevel” mantra to assist him accomplish his wonderful dreams for Nigeria in the remaining four years.
    Therefore, the Groups resolved to impress it on President Buhari to constitute his 2019 cabinet that will only work for Nigeria and not for an ethnic group or religion or section of the country.
    The President should disregard ethnicity or religion in the consideration of the formation of his 2019 cabinet. He should shut his doors and ears to all ethnic and religious lobbyists and appoint competent Nigerian men and women, on merit to help him pilot the affairs of the nation.
        The President was also advised to apply the same yardstick in the constitution of chairmen and members of boards of federal agencies and parastaltals, which are the major support pillars to ministries in execution of government policies, programmes and projects. This Group is insistent that Nigeria should come first, as against any ethnicity or religion.
    Abuja Accord observed with dismay the shameful outings of some MDAs in the preceding years who returned unspent budgetary votes amounting to hundreds of billions of naira to government coffers at the end of fiscal years. This ugly scenario occurred even in MDAs covering sectors with severe developmental challenges; but whose heads were barren of initiatives to utilize the funds released to them to better the wellbeing of Nigerians.
    The President must be aware that the years 2019-2023 are the periods of fresh renewed hope as argued by Nigerians with his second mandate. And it behooves on him to shake-off all ungodly and distracting influences to redeem Nigeria from the clutches of people and sentiments which have tethered the country to the strings of servitude for decades.

  • 1,000 Interfaith Clerics  to hold Grand Rally for Buhari’s Reelection

    The National Inter-faith and Religious Organizations for Peace (NIFROP) is set to hold a grand rally of 1,000 clerics and faithfuls for the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 general elections. This was contained in a statement issued by the group  in Jos recently.
    It stated that since the completion of a forty days’ inter-faith fasting and prayers as part of preparations for the commencement of the 2019 general elections it was revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari is God’s choice to lead the country for the next four years.
    “Recall that at the end of this forty days of fasting and prayers, God emphatically revealed the choice was for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari. It was revealed to people of faith that President Buhari is the choice of God because of the specific assignment that was given to him. His is the assignment to end the years of locust that had made Nigeria a laughing stock among nations before his ordained first term.”
    “Our faith teaches us to back prayers with good deeds and actions. What has been revealed to us after prayers about the re-elections of President Buhari must now be backed up by actions. We have resolved to between now and the election speak truth to power in a manner that is more vocal than we have ever done in the past.”
    The group averred that it would scale up activities to ensure that that which has been said about President Buhari’s election will come to pass. “As the first step, we shall be holding a Grand Rally for President Buhari’s re-election, is the choice of God for the land. We are doing this to ensure that Nigerians do not sin against God by ignorantly voting against the choice ordained to take the country to a higher level.”
    The statement further stated that the Grand Rally would take place in Abuja on 7 February 2019 as divinely revealed during the forty days’ prayers and fasting.
    “Eight is perfection. It symbolizes material abundance and economic success. Others might have misused such opportunity to do good things for Nigeria before, but one truly ordained by God shall make the initial four years of plowing and sowing to yield great harvests in the latter years.”

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    “Those with an evil intention for Nigeria have seen the glory that is soon to descend on the country once President Buhari has been re-elected. They have resorted to lies, intimidation, and violence to confuse the electorate from doing God’s will, which is to vote for President Buhari. Their intention for doing this is not just because they want to win and gain power at all cost. They are trying to turn Nigerians against President Buhari so that God will be displeased with the country and visit wrath upon us.”
    NIFROP also stated that the essence of the Grand Rally is to enlighten voters to this uncommon combination of danger and opportunity.
    “We are in danger if we contravene God’s order to re-elect President Buhari while we have a great opportunity to be blessed and thrive as a people when we do God’s will and re-elect him as our leader. This is the message we are taking to Nigerians on the streets during the Grand Rally. Those who cannot make it to Abuja to be part of the rally can hold mini-versions in their respective cities and towns.”
    It would be recalled that NIPFROP assembled over 1000 clerics from various faiths to a forty days’ prayers and fasting for President Muhammadu Buhari and the general wellbeing of the country at large.

  • 2019: 1,000 clerics storm Abuja for Buhari’s re-election

    Not fewer than one thousand clerics across major faiths in Nigeria today, Thursday stormed Abuja at a grand finale of a rally to endorse President Buhari, this medium has authorititavely gathered from the Unity Fountain, Abuja.
    According to the various clerics, President Muhammadu Buhari was anointed to lead the country for eight years, and as such, should be given the necessary support for him to fulfill the prophecy, the National Inter-Faith and Religious Organizations for Peace (NIFROP) has said.
    The inter-father group, therefore, called on Nigerians not to disrupt the flow of God’s blessing to the land, rather support the reelection bid of President Buhari, so he could continue running the errand God has sent him.
    The National President of NIFROP, Bishop Sundy Garuba, gave this charge on Wednesday in Abuja at the grand rally of 1,000 clerics for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari
    According to the cleric, the Buhari-led government has been winning the war against insurgency and should be allowed to continue the task for another four years.
    Parts of his address read.
    Before the National Inter-Faith and Religious Organizations for Peace [NIFROP] announced today’s rally sometimes last week, we had been led by the spirit to hold forty days of fasting and prayer.
    In the course of this exercise, undertaken on behalf of the nation, it was revealed to us that President Buhari is God’s anointed to lead Nigeria to greater heights. The message we got included the one from the Book of Isaiah 32 “Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice. 2 Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. 3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will give attention. 4 The heart of the hasty will understand and know, and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak distinctly. 5 The fool will no more be called noble, nor the scoundrel said to be honorable.”
    The Lord revealed to us concerning Nigeria that “(Philippians 1:6) being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
    It is in similar fashion that we came to the realization that President Buhari, who began many good things in the interest of Nigeria, will continue to improve on the good things he is doing for the country during his second term in office as ordained by God. We consequently relayed the message to Nigerians not to disrupt the flow of God’s blessing to the land, which requires that the person already anointed to lead the country, in the person of President Buhari, is allowed to continue running the errand God has sent him.
    At the end of the forty days of fasting and prayers, we relayed this message to Nigerians so that they will be guided when the time comes to cast their votes. But we have seen that the devil is hard at work trying to get Nigerians to violate the instruction given unto them as to who to elect. It is for this reason that we have decided to rally for President Buhari.
    As you can see, we are more than 1000 clerics across faiths and denominations. We are apolitical and only delivered this message concerning President Buhari for it what our maker has collectively instructed us to do and we cannot do otherwise lest we attract wrath unto ourselves.
    The unison of 1000 clerics of diverse faiths is something that should prick the interest of Nigerians. But it is not a phenomenon for which we should waste time seeking answers. The leadership style of President Buhari as defender of all faiths, ordained to save our religions, is the source of the newfound cohesion that has toned down the tendency for religion to be the source of strife among communities. The naysayers may argue it but Nigeria is on the way to recording fewer and fewer instances of sectarian strife until the larger population of Nigeria will enjoy the kind of cordial relations we have at NIFROP.
    Fortunately, this godly touch is manifesting in other facets of our national life. The corruption that use to be the trademark of Nigeria is now being recognized as an abomination to our creator, something that has been made possible by President Buhari. We are aware that there are those now seeking to return Nigeria to Egypt, back to the days when corruption and theft of public fund was the order of the day. But we are glad that God has identified for us a leader who is mindful of what is written in Deuteronomy (17:16-17) that “The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.” – (NIV).
    In line with the injunctions of our various faiths that require of us to cater for the vulnerable, President Buhari has shown that it is possible to the poor and the needy that they  do not have to live in abject poverty through his social security programmes. Nigerians have seen the possibilities that come with N-Power, School Feeding Programme, Trader Moni, Conditional Cash Transfer and other interventions that are in keeping with the divine instruction not to neglect the needy.
    President Buhari, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is striking at the heart of the agents of darkness with the way he has been dealing with Boko Haram terrorists and other criminals that have been trying to make Nigeria the headquarters of darkness. This is a task that must be continued and seen to conclusion and only the man ordained by God will be able to continue this sacred task.
    We stand on the revelation given to us by God to declare that as He Decreed, So Shall It Be. We on this note appeal to the electorates to ward off evil from Nigeria by aligning with God’s will by voting President Buhari to continue with the work that has been entrusted to him.
    We are aware that the opposition has been making false claims to present themselves as the ones destined to take Nigeria to a greater height and that they can liberate Nigerians but we know this for what it is. Lies of the devil. They are known to the Bible as it is stated in 2 Peter 2:19 that “They promise (Nigerians) them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” Nigerians must therefore take heed lest they fall the lying tongue that is intent on misleading them to reject God’s choice for them.
    The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organizations for Peace [NIFROP] is delivering the message that came from its forty days of fasting and prayer afresh. God has chosen President Buhari as the divine candidate that Nigerians must cast their votes for on February 16. We urge Nigerians to heed the instruction of God and vote for the work of God to be perfected in the country.

  • Inter-Faith Group tackles Christians, TY Danjuma over allegations

    The National  Inter-Faith and Religious Organizations for Peace [NIFROP] has 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.
    Reacting to the claim, the National  Inter-Faith and Religious Organizations for Peace [NIFROP] said it is worried by the abuse of religious groups that are now being deployed as canon fodder by political clerics
    The group said Oladeji’s claim is targeted at stirring the fire of hatred among Nigerians.
    Bishop Edward Chanami, National President 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.
    “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.”
    NIFROP also took a swipe at 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 (2043), beginning from 2018.
    Danjuma’s group said that the present generation of Christians may be the last set in Nigeria.
    Chanami, while reacting to the claim, said it is sad that some persons parading themselves as Christians elders arr stoking the embers of war in the country
    He said, “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.
    “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.
    “These series of falsehood coming from CAN have become the impetus for the rest of us to ask that organization of believers not to continue acting like a political party. Those who wish to join one political party or the other should resign from the leadership of CAN to do so that the exalted name of God will not be blasphemed.
    “We realize and admit that the anti-corruption stance of President Buhari has impacted donations to religious institutions and causes. The resulting drop in the revenue available to religious institutions calls for thanksgiving because it means proceeds of corruption, unholy offerings, are no longer finding their way into the house of God. Whatever hardship religious organizations may be facing should be considered as being purified by fire for the years that we allowed stolen money to be mixed with the harvest of God. Those who decide to concoct lies against the Government of the day  because they are bitter over this development should repent and seek God’s forgiveness.
    “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.