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Clergyman Berates El-Rufai Over Comments against Southern Kaduna Christian clerics
Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, yesterday berated Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, for accusing Southern Kaduna Christian clerics of using the killings of its natives by armed herdsmen to receive financial support from churches overseas.
Kukah challenged el-Rufai at the funeral mass of the late Reverend Joseph Danlami Bagobiri, who was the Catholic Bishop of Kafanchan and attended by former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was represented by former Chairman, Nigeria Christians Pilgrims Board, Kennedy Opara and Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF). Kukah strongly condemned Governor el-Rufai over his handling of the Southern Kaduna crisis.
“Today is a special day for Southern Kaduna people and the people of Kaduna State. It is a day of reckoning. It is as much a day of sowing as a day of reaping. “It is day of promise and a day of hope. The mix of gathering suggests very clearly that this is not an ordinary funeral ceremony,” he said during his exhortation.
“Certain burials made certain demands. They set the records straight. They create urgency now,” he added, warning that, “no one should expect that the burial of someone like Bagobiri should be a simple ceremony of burying a Bishop.” Besides, Kukah decried the violence that had engulfed Southern Kaduna since 1992, pointing out that Southern Kaduna had experiences of ‘judicial terrorism.’
He praised the late Bishop Bagobiri for his “undiplomatic’ way of talking about the violence and injustice that had engulfed Southern Kaduna, especially under the present dispensation, while taking a swipe at Governor el-Rufai. He said: “In his television programme during the crisis, the governor of Kaduna State, levelled two accusations against religious leaders whom he accused of selling a narrative of what he described as ‘a policy of exclusion’.
Citing the governor, Kukah said: “This religious leaders wanted only a people of a particular indigenous or religious group to live in parts of Southern Kaduna. “Secondly, he said some Church leader had collected money from missionaries abroad to bury their dead and to rebuild thousands of churches that had been destroyed.
“I am not sure which religious leaders he was talking about, but at least the two most prominent religious leaders in Southern Kaduna would be Bagobiri and the Emir of Jemaa.“As I have said, my encounter and experience with both the Emir Jemaa and Bishop Bagobiri led me to a totally different conclusion.
The Emir of Jemaa called me a day after Bagobiri died. I was shocked by the fact that rather than console me, he spoke of the loss of our dear brother, a good man, father and so on. It was a common love for us.”
President of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Musa Kaptain Solomon, who spoke on behalf of the Southern Kaduna people said: “When our leaders were playing the ostrich, trying to be politically correct, Bagobiri became the lone voice that stood with his people.
“He was brave and courageous and spoke truth to power on not only for Southern Kaduna, but the oppressed people of Nigeria.”At least 50 Catholic Bishops were in attendance or represented. Both the President and the Secretary General of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Prof. Supo Oyekunle and Dr. Musa Asake where in attendance. (The Guardian)
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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