Atilade decries spate of insecurity, declares fasting and prayer
By Aramide Oikelome/LagosThe Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, South West Zone, Archbishop Magnus Adeyemi Atilade has condemned the growing spate of insecurity in the country, particularly in the North and what he referred to as the secret plot against Christians and their interests in the nation.
Describing it unwholesome, he stated that the development is unhealthy for the nation, given the secularity nature of Nigeria as enshrined in the Constitution.
The cleric made this known recently at a media briefing where he expressed deep concern at the rate at which Christians in the northern part of the country are being killed and their properties destroyed.
Substantiating some of his claims with facts based on international reports and statistics, he noted that the growing crisis in the North has gone beyond the one generated by the prevalent economic hardship in the country as it is being touted in some quarters.
“I am compelled to draw the attention of the citizenry as well as other nations in the world, to the growing threat to the lives and properties of Christians in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We affirm that Nigeria is a secular society in which all the citizens have freedom and right to live, work, and express their faith according to their individual convictions. If the secularity of Nigeria has in any way been reviewed or modified, we are not aware.”
Atilade, who also doubles as the President, Christian Welfare Initiative, a body within the CAN, affirmed that what is guaranteed in the constitution, must be upheld, adding that the organisation “is disturbed and very alarmed at the rate and consistency at which Christians are being slaughtered in northern Nigeria, a manner similar to the genocide in Rwanda.”
He also reeled out staggering figures of Christians who killed in Northern Nigeria, beginning from 2010 and called on Federal Government to cautiously monitor the dangerous activities of Fulani herdsmen who “are on rampage all over the nation killing people at will, with a high concentration of their atrocities in the Middle Belt.”
Furthermore, Atilade warned politicians to refrain from mixing politics with religion because of its inherent grave dangers, stressing that such is capable of polarizing the country.
The cleric revealed that the thrust of the crises is the plan to Islamise Nigeria. “What is more distressing is the valid information that the bloodshed we are witnessing today is the culmination of a carefully planned agenda to turn Nigeria into an Islamic state and Africa as an Islamic continent. We are also aware that the eradication of Christian groups resistant to Islamic conversion was advocated in a conference held in Abuja in 1989 by Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC). That Islamic agenda is unfolding before our eyes.”
“We wish to use this medium to alert Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the South West, that there is an Islamic agenda that has been launched against Nigeria, and the trend of events seems to point in the direction of the South West as the next battle ground.”
The respected Christian leader, who submitted that no one should tag his statements as unnecessary alarm, warned Nigerian politicians to concentrate their energy on bringing the country out of the woods and or mapping out people-oriented policies meant to develop the country rather than fanning the ember of disunity.
The statement reads in part: “In the midst of the present crisis, it is disturbing to observe the creeping emergence of politics of religion in Nigeria. It is gradually becoming the defining factor in politics in the country.”
“As Christians, we welcome all-inclusive political party that will protect the interests of all the citizens of this country, irrespective of tribe, religion or social status. The unfortunate religious persecution in the northern part of Nigeria is an eye-opener and calls for caution in establishing political associations. The current imbalance in the religious structure in the North of Nigeria that is gradually being replicated in the South West demands serious attention by all leaders of the church in Nigeria.”
Speaking further, the chairman, who condemned the invasion of a mission school by Moslem youth in Osun State, added that the unfolding scenarios in Osun State are clear “anti-Christian moves,” stressing that the administration of “Governor Aregbesola is not hiding its intolerance and disdain for the Christian faith.”
To checkmate the unpleasant development, the South West Zone of the Christian Association of Nigeria and Christian Welfare Initiative under the leadership of Archbishop Atilade, has recommended that: “A 31-day fasting and prayer for Christians across the country, beginning from 14 January, 2014; that the Federal Government should as a matter of urgency employ more effective and proactive security strategies that will checkmate the “harbinger of terror.”
The organisation also called on Federal Government to compensate the Christians who are victims of insurgency in the North through “a credible channel.”
The cleric, who added his voice to that of his fellow Christians in Lagos to demand for a Christian governor in Lagos in the next election, also enjoined “competent” and God-fearing Christians to participate in active politics and seek elective posts.
He further advised Christians in the country to ensure that they register and exercise their constitutional right to elect qualified candidates of their choice when opportunity beckons on them in the next election.
Assuring that Christians in the nation are peace-loving people, he said: “We wish to assure every citizen in Nigeria that Christians are committed to peaceful co-existence and urge every citizen of Nigeria to adopt the same attitude.
“We affirm the secularity of the Nigerian state and it must remain so”, he stated.
No comments:
Post a Comment