The Catholic Bishop of Abuja Diocese, John Onaiyekan, on Thursday urged Nigerians to embrace self-transformation as a panacea to check the menace of corruption in the country.
The leader of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, who was speaking in Abuja during a visit to the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ekpo Nta, in his office said that self-transformation remained the only antidote for moral decadence in the country.
Mr. Onaiyekan, who commended the leadership of the Commission for its ongoing efforts aimed at instilling discipline and transparency at all levels of governance in the country, said if every Nigerian were to begin to transform their individual attitudes, the battle to reinvent Nigeria would have been won long ago.
Drawing a nexus between corruption and insecurity, the Catholic cleric pointed out that the insecurity currently bedeviling Nigeria was due to corruption, which he said could only be reversed and peace restored if Nigerians embraced the virtues of self-transformation.
“The talk about Boko Haram gave me the opportunity to link insecurity problem in the country with the ugly issue of corruption. We cannot expect to have a secure and peaceful nation without good behaviour, honesty and integrity, especially in high places, which are completely neglected. We can have a lot of soldiers and mobile police to keep as many people quiet as you can, but as we can see, it will reach a stage where we cannot prevent it to explode. Unfortunately, when it explodes, there will be no logic or smartness, but to end up in chaotic situation,” he said.
He added that the nation cannot be transformed if the people themselves do not go through a moral transformation. He charged leaders at all levels in the country to live by example, pointing out that integrity is gradually missing amongst the virtues our leaders are expected to exhibit at all times.
In his response, the ICPC Chairman solicited the support of all patriotic Nigerians, including religious leaders in its ongoing war against all forms of corruption in the country, noting the crucial role religious leaders have to play in order to bring out the best of human values in their followers, and by implication, transformation of the society.
“Nigerians, and indeed world citizens, want shining stars that can lead them through the dark nights of ignorance to freedom,” Mr. Nta said. “ICPC seeks continued partnership with our eminent religious leadership in the fight against disruptive corruption, because of its disastrous effects on the well-being of our citizens. Today, more than ever, the society needs the Church and we expect that the Church will as usual live up to its role.”
The anti-graft crusader described Mr. Onaiyekan as a shining example of godly virtues and a Man of the People, “who can sit and advise the President of Nigeria today in the Villa and the next day is at home in a small orphanage inspiring an orphan to achieve greatness and self-worth”.
Sunday, 2 June 2013
My Parents Once Deleted my Name From Their Will But Today I’m The Centre Of It –Panam Percy Paul
Bakulipanam Percy Paul Mokungah is one of the celebrated gospel singers today. In this interview with SEYI SOKOYA, he speaks on his greatest challenge in life and his take on the Nigerian gospel music industry. Excerpts:
You are one of the most celebrated Nigerian gospel singers in the world. What exactly is the secret of your youthful look?
I am 50 years old and I don’t really look it. In the first place, I will say I love myself and I also love what God has given to me. The best I can do to myself is to take good care of myself. More so, I am very physical; I am an engineer so I really work out every day. Besides, I think I eat well and the grace of God has topped everything.
Why did you leave secular music for gospel music?
Why? It was not a choice but a new life style. I gave my life to the Lord Jesus and so there was nothing else to do than to testify of the goodness that I have experienced. To me, it was newness of life; my life became different. I was transformed, so there was nothing else to do than to propagate the good news.
While you were in secular music, your father embraced you and was also proud of you, but the moment you switched to gospel music, he disowned you. What exactly happened?
The reason was that in secular music, I was paid every weekend from the clubs. He was very concerned about my economy and about the life I was going to live. He kept asking me if anybody was going to pay me for what I was doing and later suggested that I should start working as an engineer. He recommended that I could still sing as well as practice as an engineer. But I was just overwhelmed by the passion of what God has deposited in my heart so I could not just put my profession and the ministry together. I did practice for a while, but it was engineering at the background and music at the top. At the end of the day, I had to make just one choice and that was music. Obviously I still practice engineering when I am called upon. I practice as a consultant.
Knowing how much you travel, how have you been able to handle the home front and that of your ministry?
God has been faithful to me. I am blessed with a good family. My wife, Tina, has always been supportive. We have been married for over 33 years and at this point, we have about 18 grand children. We have four children, inherited four and adopted six. It has always been a full house, but right now it is only my wife and I that are at home because every one of them is married. All members of my family are into music.
Many people take you as a non-Nigerian.
I have always lived as a foreigner. While in Nigeria, I was raised by the North American Baptist Mission so I was a foreigner even before I left the shores of the country. I am the son of the soil; I am from Adamawa State but I was born and grew up in Kaduna. I currently live in Jos and I have been living in Jos for about 34 years.
Your style of music is different from the lot. How have you been able to do this?
I think it is the culture with which I was raised. As I said earlier, I was raised up with an American mentality; so I was trained to do everything with precision. I was also influenced by the music of Cliff Richard, the Heavenly Brothers, Sam Cook and James Brown. Obviously, I couldn’t express myself in any other way.
What is you assessment of the Nigerian gospel music industry?
Right now, I will say that there is a deficiency because the content is very shallow and poor; our expressions are not convincing enough. We are not telling stories and able to express ourselves well. It is only when we sing in our dialect that we become creative and have adequate information to pass across. When we sing in English, we become deficient.
How do you get inspired?
I am gifted and I know it is a gift so I just create as well as build on it. I don’t need to start telling stories. I get inspired from the happenings around me. I talk to encourage people. I comment on governance. I have long discovered that music is the energy that keeps a very lasting impression on the soul of people. For me, it is the best tool of communication.
How many albums do you have to your credit?
My first album was released in 1976 and was titled Dynamic Good News. It was followed by Beautiful People then O’ gate Lift Up your Hands. Then in 1982, I released Don’t You Cry, later I came out with the Bring Down the Glory series and Glory 1 was record in 1986 and released in March, 1987. Glory 2 followed in 1991, then Glory 3 was released in the US in 1993. It was released in Nigeria in 1995. The Master of the Universe was out in 1997; Don’t Give Up in year 2000; Glory 4 in 2004. In total, I have 13 albums to my credit.
Among all, which is your favourite?
I can never have a favourite. Each one of them is a landmark in my life and they all tell stories. For me, it is like choosing out of your children which is the best. What I would say is that all my songs have their qualities.
But which one stands for your defining moment?
It was Bring Down the Glory 1. That was when the whole nation was singing one song. Everybody in Nigeria was singing “I am serving a living God”, “Jesus your name is a miracle” and “Hold somebody, tell him that you love him”. For me, that was the turning point and it made me to realise that you can actually influence a nation Tthat was a defining moment for me and once I got it right at that moment I couldn’t change anymore and I continued with Glory 2, 3, 4 and I always go back to check and study my previous works on Glory 1 that made it successful. I try to replicate it in my subsequent songs. My last album is “Destiny” it has a singular message; it was released in 2010, but currently we are working on two albums. One is Bring Down the Glory 5 and we are yet to fix a title for the other album.
Do you have a record label?
Yes. I produce myself. I am my own producer and I run my own studio at the College of Music Ministry; I teach people and train engineers, musicians and run my own label called Panam Music which is based in Jos.
You live in a part of the country where is crisis has become a daily routine. How much of your music are you using to address this?
It will interest you to know that I started touring the country three months ago and we went from state to state. We started with Benue State; we preached unity first in the church. We shall be in Kogi from 3rd to 9th of June and whenever we travel, we spend a week in one city, visiting seven to eight churches in that week. Then on the last day all the churches will come in one arena and we share unity and build the body together. In a nutshell, this is what I am doing to be able to unite the people.
What are the challenges like in your ministry?
Nobody lives without challenges; they are just part of life. My greatest challenge was the rejection I had from my parents, especially my father who deleted my name from his will and I don’t think there is anything as painful as that. But thank God we reconciled in 1997 and we eventually moved on with life.
Has your name been restored back in the will?
(Laugh…) Right now I am the will of the whole family and my parents are really proud of me. They are always joyous to describe me as Dr Panam Percy Paul.
You are obviously handsome. How have you been able to cope with female advances?
Temptation is a basic part of life; Jesus said in the scriptures that in this world, we will have temptations and tribulations, but we should be of good cheer for he has overcome the world. There are times that you have to physically run and that I do always.
Where next are you heading for in terms of your career?
I think this is it for me. I am just building the next generation and my dream is to raise people that will be better than me.
Culled from Tribune Newspaper
Nigerian Christian Body Tasked Government To Expose Boko Haram Sponsors Now
The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has once again called on the Federal Government to expose the sponsors of Boko Haram.
Oritsejafor’s call followed recent disclosure by the military that it had uncovered a document containing the names of Boko Haram sponsors.
This is even CAN deplored the recent killings of Christians in Borno State, one of the three states under emergency rule. The CAN president made the call in a statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Kenny Ashaka, and made available to our correspondent in Abuja yesterday.
He said: “In the light of a recent statement that the military recovered a document containing the names of Boko Haram sponsors, I call on the Federal Government to expose the sponsors now.
“I believe that such exposure will go a long way to enhancing the fight against the Boko Haram sect and serve as a deterrent to others who might want to toe the same line.”
While the CAN president noted the great jobs being done by the military with the emergency rule, he drew attention to the recent killing of Christians in Borno State.
He said: “Last Friday, for instance, an executive member of CAN in Gwoza Local Council, Rev. Luka Bazigila, and a member of the COCIN Church, Yohanna, both of whom were in attendance at a Christian fellowship, were shot dead by gunmen who alighted from a tricycle.
“The gunmen, apparently angry that they missed their target, the medical director of Borno State Hospital, who was out when they arrived his residence, shot and killed his step mother.
“A Muslim guard, employed by a Christian architect in Abuja to watch over his house was mistaken for a Christian and shot dead. “One COCIN Church on the Mandara Mountain was burnt by members of the Boko Haram sect on Sunday morning.”
Oritsejafor also drew the attention of those citing reasons other than religion as the cause of the insurgency by Boko Haram to a recent statement by the leader of the sect, Alhaji Abubakar Shekau, where he called on like-minded Islamists in countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq to join to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.
To forestall this, the CAN president urged friends of Nigeria to join forces with the Federal Government in this struggle to save Christians from being exterminated.
Oritsejafor’s call followed recent disclosure by the military that it had uncovered a document containing the names of Boko Haram sponsors.
This is even CAN deplored the recent killings of Christians in Borno State, one of the three states under emergency rule. The CAN president made the call in a statement signed by his Special Assistant, Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Kenny Ashaka, and made available to our correspondent in Abuja yesterday.
He said: “In the light of a recent statement that the military recovered a document containing the names of Boko Haram sponsors, I call on the Federal Government to expose the sponsors now.
“I believe that such exposure will go a long way to enhancing the fight against the Boko Haram sect and serve as a deterrent to others who might want to toe the same line.”
While the CAN president noted the great jobs being done by the military with the emergency rule, he drew attention to the recent killing of Christians in Borno State.
He said: “Last Friday, for instance, an executive member of CAN in Gwoza Local Council, Rev. Luka Bazigila, and a member of the COCIN Church, Yohanna, both of whom were in attendance at a Christian fellowship, were shot dead by gunmen who alighted from a tricycle.
“The gunmen, apparently angry that they missed their target, the medical director of Borno State Hospital, who was out when they arrived his residence, shot and killed his step mother.
“A Muslim guard, employed by a Christian architect in Abuja to watch over his house was mistaken for a Christian and shot dead. “One COCIN Church on the Mandara Mountain was burnt by members of the Boko Haram sect on Sunday morning.”
Oritsejafor also drew the attention of those citing reasons other than religion as the cause of the insurgency by Boko Haram to a recent statement by the leader of the sect, Alhaji Abubakar Shekau, where he called on like-minded Islamists in countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq to join to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.
To forestall this, the CAN president urged friends of Nigeria to join forces with the Federal Government in this struggle to save Christians from being exterminated.
Religious Leaders Must Fight Corruption – Cardinal Onaiyekan
Earlier, the ICPC chairman, Barrister Ekpo Nta, while welcoming Onaiyekan, praised him for identifying with the war against corruption. He paid glowing tributes to Onaiyekan, whom he described as a “shining star”, because of his passion for the less-privileged.
Nta said Onaiyekan’s visit to the ICPC, which is not the first, was “both an endorsement and encouragement that eminent religious leaders have a vital role to play in bringing out the best of human values in their followership.” He therefore called for a partnership with eminent religious leaders in the country in the fight against corruption.
In his remarks, Onaiyekan lauded the ICPC for its different platforms and programmes geared towards eradicating corruption in all the strata of the society. He promised to intensify prayers for the agency and its staff in their onerous task of enthroning ethics and moral values for the betterment of the society.
“I am in support of a forum where religious leaders will come here and help fight corruption. Unless we do something well, it can never be well. Nigeria needs a moral transformation if the nation must progress,” Onaiyekan said.
ICPC Seeks Partnership With Religious Leaders
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has solicited the support of all, including eminent religious leaders, in its ongoing war against all forms of corruption in the country.
Making the appeal when the Catholic Bishop of Abuja Diocese, His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, paid a courtesy visit to his office, the Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ekpo Nta, noted that religious leaders have a vital role to play in bringing out the best of human values in their followers and by implication, transformation of the society.
He said: “Nigerians and indeed world citizens want shining stars that can lead them through the dark nights of ignorance to freedom. ICPC seeks continued partnership with our eminent religious leadership in the fight against disruptive corruption, because of its disastrous effects on the well-being of our citizens. Today, more than ever the society needs the Church and we expect that the Church will as usual live up to its role.”
The anti-graft crusader described Onaiyekan as a shining example of Godly virtues and a man of the people, “who can sit and advise the President today and the next day is at home in a small orphanage inspiring an orphan to achieve greatness and self-worth.”
In his remarks, Onaiyekan, who lauded the leadership of the Commission for its ongoing efforts aimed at instilling discipline and transparency at all levels of governance in the country, said that self-transformation remained the only antidote for moral decadence in the country.
While explaining the nexus between corruption and insecurity, the Catholic cleric pointed out that the present chaotic situation being witnessed in the country was due to corruption and that only self transformation of the people could help in reversing the ugly trend and restore peace back to the country.
Onaiyekan said: “The talk about Boko Haram gave me the opportunity to link insecurity problem with the issue of corruption. We cannot expect to have a secure and peaceful nation without good behaviour, honesty, integrity, especially in high places is completely neglected.
“You can have a lot of soldiers and mobile police to keep as many people quiet as you can, but as you can see, it will reach a stage where you cannot prevent it to explode. Unfortunately, when it explodes, there will be no logic or smartness but to end up in chaotic situation.
“The nation cannot be transformed if the citizens did not go through their own transformation; therefore, we do need a moral transformation, if the nation must settle down well and be what we claimed we are,” he added.
Making the appeal when the Catholic Bishop of Abuja Diocese, His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, paid a courtesy visit to his office, the Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ekpo Nta, noted that religious leaders have a vital role to play in bringing out the best of human values in their followers and by implication, transformation of the society.
He said: “Nigerians and indeed world citizens want shining stars that can lead them through the dark nights of ignorance to freedom. ICPC seeks continued partnership with our eminent religious leadership in the fight against disruptive corruption, because of its disastrous effects on the well-being of our citizens. Today, more than ever the society needs the Church and we expect that the Church will as usual live up to its role.”
The anti-graft crusader described Onaiyekan as a shining example of Godly virtues and a man of the people, “who can sit and advise the President today and the next day is at home in a small orphanage inspiring an orphan to achieve greatness and self-worth.”
In his remarks, Onaiyekan, who lauded the leadership of the Commission for its ongoing efforts aimed at instilling discipline and transparency at all levels of governance in the country, said that self-transformation remained the only antidote for moral decadence in the country.
While explaining the nexus between corruption and insecurity, the Catholic cleric pointed out that the present chaotic situation being witnessed in the country was due to corruption and that only self transformation of the people could help in reversing the ugly trend and restore peace back to the country.
Onaiyekan said: “The talk about Boko Haram gave me the opportunity to link insecurity problem with the issue of corruption. We cannot expect to have a secure and peaceful nation without good behaviour, honesty, integrity, especially in high places is completely neglected.
“You can have a lot of soldiers and mobile police to keep as many people quiet as you can, but as you can see, it will reach a stage where you cannot prevent it to explode. Unfortunately, when it explodes, there will be no logic or smartness but to end up in chaotic situation.
“The nation cannot be transformed if the citizens did not go through their own transformation; therefore, we do need a moral transformation, if the nation must settle down well and be what we claimed we are,” he added.
“Christians Are Apes” Anti-Christian Daubs On Church
Anti-Christian graffiti was daubed on the Church of the Dormition, one of Jerusalem’s leading pilgrimage sites, early on Friday, an AFP correspondent reported.
Police said they suspected Jewish religious extremists of spraying the Hebrew-language insults at the site, where tradition says the Virgin Mary died.
“The attack, suspected to be nationalistically motivated, was discovered on the wall of the Dormition Church in the Old City, and the tyres of cars nearby were slashed,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.
The words “price tag” and “Christians are apes” were scrawled in Hebrew on the walls of the church, Rosenfeld said, adding police were investigating the incident.
An AFP correspondent said “Jesus is a monkey” was also written on the door to the adjacent cemetery, part of the church complex.
“Price tag” is a euphemism for revenge hate crimes by Israeli extremists, which normally target Palestinians and Arabs.
Initially carried out in retaliation for state moves to dismantle unauthorised settler outposts, they have become increasingly unrelated to any specific government measures.
The attacks tend to involve the vandalism or destruction of Palestinian property and have included multiple arson attacks on cars, mosques and olive trees.
Perpetrators are rarely caught.
At first, the attacks were predominantly in the West Bank, but they have expanded over time to include sites inside Israel, and a number of Christian sites have been targeted.
In December, vandals sprayed anti-Christian graffiti on Jerusalem’s Monastery of the Cross and at an Armenian cemetery, in an apparent price tag attack by Jewish extremists.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned the Friday attack, which it called “a despicable attempt to undermine the coexistence between different faiths.”
Bishop William Shomali added in a statement it was “absolutely necessary to end these acts of vandalism by the means of better educating the youth, especially in schools.”
Pictures released by the Latin Patriarchate showed that the words “Havat Maon” and “slave generation” were also scrawled on cars and a door at the Dormition complex.
“Havat Maon” is the name of a settlement outpost in the southern West Bank, and “slave generation” an apparent play on the name of Dormition, which in Hebrew sounds like “generation from Zion.”
On Wednesday, suspected Jewish extremists carried out a string of attacks on Palestinian cars in the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, apparently linked to the stabbing to death of settler Eviatar Borovsky by a Palestinian in April.
Earlier this month, vandals desecrated graves and damaged property in a West Bank village.
Following Borovsky’s killing, settlers went on the rampage, stoning Palestinian vehicles in the northern West Bank, including a school bus carrying children.
They also smashed windows of a mosque and set fire to Palestinian farmland.
Police said they suspected Jewish religious extremists of spraying the Hebrew-language insults at the site, where tradition says the Virgin Mary died.
“The attack, suspected to be nationalistically motivated, was discovered on the wall of the Dormition Church in the Old City, and the tyres of cars nearby were slashed,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.
The words “price tag” and “Christians are apes” were scrawled in Hebrew on the walls of the church, Rosenfeld said, adding police were investigating the incident.
An AFP correspondent said “Jesus is a monkey” was also written on the door to the adjacent cemetery, part of the church complex.
“Price tag” is a euphemism for revenge hate crimes by Israeli extremists, which normally target Palestinians and Arabs.
Initially carried out in retaliation for state moves to dismantle unauthorised settler outposts, they have become increasingly unrelated to any specific government measures.
The attacks tend to involve the vandalism or destruction of Palestinian property and have included multiple arson attacks on cars, mosques and olive trees.
Perpetrators are rarely caught.
At first, the attacks were predominantly in the West Bank, but they have expanded over time to include sites inside Israel, and a number of Christian sites have been targeted.
In December, vandals sprayed anti-Christian graffiti on Jerusalem’s Monastery of the Cross and at an Armenian cemetery, in an apparent price tag attack by Jewish extremists.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned the Friday attack, which it called “a despicable attempt to undermine the coexistence between different faiths.”
Bishop William Shomali added in a statement it was “absolutely necessary to end these acts of vandalism by the means of better educating the youth, especially in schools.”
Pictures released by the Latin Patriarchate showed that the words “Havat Maon” and “slave generation” were also scrawled on cars and a door at the Dormition complex.
“Havat Maon” is the name of a settlement outpost in the southern West Bank, and “slave generation” an apparent play on the name of Dormition, which in Hebrew sounds like “generation from Zion.”
On Wednesday, suspected Jewish extremists carried out a string of attacks on Palestinian cars in the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, apparently linked to the stabbing to death of settler Eviatar Borovsky by a Palestinian in April.
Earlier this month, vandals desecrated graves and damaged property in a West Bank village.
Following Borovsky’s killing, settlers went on the rampage, stoning Palestinian vehicles in the northern West Bank, including a school bus carrying children.
They also smashed windows of a mosque and set fire to Palestinian farmland.
Boko Haram Still killing Christians – Nigerian Christians
The Christian Association Nigeria (CAN), yesterday, raised alarm over the continuous killing of Christians and burning of churches by the deadly Islamic sect, Boko Haram, in spite of the reported military onslaught against the insurgents, following the declaration of state of emergence in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
The President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, in a statement, in Abuja said the military operation were yet to effectively secure Christians and their churches, and urged the military to redouble their efforts to restore normalcy in the affected states and other parts of the north, where fundamentalists have continued to kill Christians.
The statement read in part, “while he appreciates the statement by the military high command that more towns are being secured in the operations to rid the nation of terrorist activities, he is sad by reports from Borno State where the terror has gone from the horrendous to the tragic as more Christians are still being killed and Churches burnt as reflected in many distress calls from the state by CAN officials on ground.
“Last Friday, for instance, an executive member of CAN in Gwoza Local Council, Rev. Luka Bazigila and a member of the COCIN Church, Yohanna, both of who were in attendance at a Christian fellowship were shot dead by gunmen who alighted from a Tricycle. The gunmen, apparently angry that they missed their target, the Medical director of Borno State Hospital, who was out when they arrived his residence, shot and killed his step mother.
“A Muslim guard, employed by a Christian Architect in Abuja to watch over his house was mistaken for a Christian and shot dead. One COCIN Church on the Mandara Mountain was burnt by members of the Boko Haram sect on Sunday morning”.
Oritsejafor also called on the Federal Government to make public, a document containing the names of Boko Haram sponsors reportedly secured by the military.
“In the light of a recent statement that the military recovered a document containing the names of Boko Haram sponsors, I call on the Federal Government to expose the sponsors now. I believe that such exposition will go a long way to enhance the fight against the Boko Haram sect and serve as a deterrent to others who might want to toe the same line,” he insisted.
The CAN President drew the attention of those citing reasons other than religion as the cause of the insurgency by Boko Haram to a recent statement by the leader of the sect, Alhaji Abubakar Shekau where he called on like-minded Islamists in countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq to join to create an Islamic state in Nigeria, urging friends of Nigeria, to join forces with the Federal Government in this struggle to save Christians from being exterminated.
“We call on our friends abroad to regard the statement by the Boko Haram leader as a Save-Our-Soul message before Christians in Nigeria are confined to only one part of the country. If this happens, Nigeria is heading for division. Therefore, Nigerians who believe that the reasons for the onslaught of Boko Haram on innocent Christians, their Churches and other Nigerians are linked to injustice, inequality and unemployment should remember that Nigeria belong to us all.
“Boko Haram is a part of a global network of terror. I call on the northern Muslim leaders to jettison regionalism, ethnicism and religion and to imbibe the culture of unity in diversity as the only true principle that can save Nigeria. Resorting to arm-twisting tactics can only shield the Boko Haram members and encourage them in their killing spree. This is a Jihad not inspired by pecuniary or unequal motives but one that is driven by fanatical and dogmatic religious ideology of doing away with Christianity in Nigeria.
“I plead with President Goodluck Jonathan not to allow the blood of our Reverend gentlemen and other Christians not to be allowed to atone for a cause that does not only make a mockery of what Amnesty stands for, but seems to suggest that the blood thirsty sect is on a legitimate and acceptable mission.
“I commiserate with the families of the deceased and pray to God to give them the fortitude to bear the losses. I call on all Christians in Nigeria and in the Diaspora to join me in prayers for peace, unity of Nigeria and an end to the insecurity in our land tomorrow, Friday, 31st of May, 2013,” he called.
The President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, in a statement, in Abuja said the military operation were yet to effectively secure Christians and their churches, and urged the military to redouble their efforts to restore normalcy in the affected states and other parts of the north, where fundamentalists have continued to kill Christians.
The statement read in part, “while he appreciates the statement by the military high command that more towns are being secured in the operations to rid the nation of terrorist activities, he is sad by reports from Borno State where the terror has gone from the horrendous to the tragic as more Christians are still being killed and Churches burnt as reflected in many distress calls from the state by CAN officials on ground.
“Last Friday, for instance, an executive member of CAN in Gwoza Local Council, Rev. Luka Bazigila and a member of the COCIN Church, Yohanna, both of who were in attendance at a Christian fellowship were shot dead by gunmen who alighted from a Tricycle. The gunmen, apparently angry that they missed their target, the Medical director of Borno State Hospital, who was out when they arrived his residence, shot and killed his step mother.
“A Muslim guard, employed by a Christian Architect in Abuja to watch over his house was mistaken for a Christian and shot dead. One COCIN Church on the Mandara Mountain was burnt by members of the Boko Haram sect on Sunday morning”.
Oritsejafor also called on the Federal Government to make public, a document containing the names of Boko Haram sponsors reportedly secured by the military.
“In the light of a recent statement that the military recovered a document containing the names of Boko Haram sponsors, I call on the Federal Government to expose the sponsors now. I believe that such exposition will go a long way to enhance the fight against the Boko Haram sect and serve as a deterrent to others who might want to toe the same line,” he insisted.
The CAN President drew the attention of those citing reasons other than religion as the cause of the insurgency by Boko Haram to a recent statement by the leader of the sect, Alhaji Abubakar Shekau where he called on like-minded Islamists in countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq to join to create an Islamic state in Nigeria, urging friends of Nigeria, to join forces with the Federal Government in this struggle to save Christians from being exterminated.
“We call on our friends abroad to regard the statement by the Boko Haram leader as a Save-Our-Soul message before Christians in Nigeria are confined to only one part of the country. If this happens, Nigeria is heading for division. Therefore, Nigerians who believe that the reasons for the onslaught of Boko Haram on innocent Christians, their Churches and other Nigerians are linked to injustice, inequality and unemployment should remember that Nigeria belong to us all.
“Boko Haram is a part of a global network of terror. I call on the northern Muslim leaders to jettison regionalism, ethnicism and religion and to imbibe the culture of unity in diversity as the only true principle that can save Nigeria. Resorting to arm-twisting tactics can only shield the Boko Haram members and encourage them in their killing spree. This is a Jihad not inspired by pecuniary or unequal motives but one that is driven by fanatical and dogmatic religious ideology of doing away with Christianity in Nigeria.
“I plead with President Goodluck Jonathan not to allow the blood of our Reverend gentlemen and other Christians not to be allowed to atone for a cause that does not only make a mockery of what Amnesty stands for, but seems to suggest that the blood thirsty sect is on a legitimate and acceptable mission.
“I commiserate with the families of the deceased and pray to God to give them the fortitude to bear the losses. I call on all Christians in Nigeria and in the Diaspora to join me in prayers for peace, unity of Nigeria and an end to the insecurity in our land tomorrow, Friday, 31st of May, 2013,” he called.
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