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CAN President, Ayokunle under attack for allegedly “giving Buhari’s money” to Boko Haram victims
BY: Justice Godfry
A coalition of over 500 Christian organisations in Nigeria have rejected what they described as “blood money given to the families of the victims killed by Boko Haram members and other insurgents” in the Northeast by the embattled President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Rev. Samson Supo Ayokunle.
The coalition argued that since the money may have been proceeds of what the CAN Presisent got from his regular visits to President Muhammadu Buhari and other politicians, they were rejecting it because the Presidency was not concerned over the killing and persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The resolutions of the over 500 Christian groups was contained in a communique entitled “The CAN President: A Kingdom Personal Non-Grata! You are not welcome here!”, issued in Abuja on Friday after their emergency meeting held at the national secretariat of CAN.
The communique was signed by the President, Arewa Christians and Indigenous Pastors Association, ACIPA, Rev. Luke Shehu; President, Coalition of Christians Groups for Good Governance – Nigeria and Diaspora, COCGOG, Engr. Daniel Kadzai; President, Patriotic Christian Youths of Nigeria, PCYN, Evangelist Timothy Nasso; Spokesperson, Arise Christian Network, Pastor Joseph Zephaniah and President, Christian Youths Integrity Group, Godwin Yilpina.
The communique reads, “The blood of the believers killed in the North East are crying against the visit of Samson Supo Ayokunle. Please, we advise you to do the noble, this week like Judas whom you typified in the Church of Christ in Nigeria, lay down the money earned through conspiracy against the Christian faith and resign.
“You will do well, Sir, to let us know, if the CAN National Executive Council (NEC) or College of Bishops, met over your visit to make provision for funds which has enabled you to donate rice. Or is it a bread of affliction?
“Our people are determined not to partake in the licking of fingers dipped in the blood of our brethren. Money gotten from conspiracy against our faith is blood money and we will never be part of it. Tell us the value that commanded your congratulatory message, and resign now!”
They wondered why the CAN President would decide to visit the North East, North Central and North West, barely one month to the Presidential Election in CAN, describing it as political, but had refused to visit the family of Leah Sharibu who had been held in Boko Haram captivity for more than one year.
Leah Sharibu was one of the 110 female students of Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, who had been held in captivity since February 19, 2018 by Boko Haram terrorists on account of her Christian faith.
The coalition added, “It was a week like this that Judas kissed Jesus, have you (Ayokunle) come like Judas to kiss us in your desperation to remain in office? But Judas came to himself after he realised it was wrong for him to have sold Jesus for 30 shekels of silver. For how much was the christians in Nigeria sold?
“The President of CAN will need to clarify where the money he lavishly spent during his visit to the North East is coming from. Is it part of the reward of congratulating our persecutor (Buhari), the man under whose watch as the President, Christians are maimed, killed, livelihoods destroyed and are sacked from their homes?
“Today, the church has witnessed the highest number of Christians living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps under the supervision of Rev. Samson Supo Ayokunle.
“There is a man who will forever be remembered by Christians for his treachery: He is Rev. Samson Supo Ayokunle, the President of CAN, the Judas Iscariot of our time. No wonder he chose to embark on tour across Northern Nigeria ahead of Easter.
“The CAN President has betrayed not only the Nigeria Christians but also believers all over the world who are praying for the persecuted Christians and deeply touched by heinous killings of Christians in Nigeria
“We are shocked! It was bad enough that the CAN President has battered our sacred institutions. CAN under his leadership is characterised by stinking corruption and terrible immorality amongst the officials. But the sad reality is that he has aligned himself with our tormentors just for money and relevance.
“It is almost unthinkable that the CAN President can embark on a campaign visit to the North East, one month to the expiration of his troublesome tenure in office. Where was he when Christians are being abducted on daily basis, maimed and brutally murdered in the North East: Adamawa, Borno, Yobe and North Central: Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa and also Kaduna and Zamfara in the North West?
“While Christian organisations and leaders like ECWA, ACIPA, CNNC and others visited the parents of the abducted Dapchi school girl, Leah Sharibu to pray with and encourage them, the CAN President chose to look the side and was busy negotiating visits to Aso Rock.
“Why is he coming few days to National Elections of CAN, when he has failed woefully and refused to constitute the Electoral College one month to the election?
“It is imperative to mention the failure of Ayokunle, in uniting Nigerian Christians at the most desperate time of their needs. Also, his total disregard and disrespect for the denominational heads as spiritual leaders and Nigeria Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) is the most greatest disservice and dishonour to the body of Christ and ecclesiastical hierarchy in Nigeria.
“He is not welcome, because he has brought us down and caused so much embarrassment to the body of Christ over his corrupt behaviour. He is an ethnic bigot who has turned CAN into Yoruba and Baptist affairs. Whoever is in doubt should find out the people on his entourage each time he travels or go bootlicking in Aso villa. He must not contemplate contesting the election because he has failed his church, Baptist and the Church in Nigeria.”
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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