Christian leaders in the country on Tuesday called on
the National Assembly to prevail on the Federal Government to withdraw from the
Organisation of Islamic Conference and other international religious bodies.
They
made the call at a gathering of prominent Christian leaders in the country at
the Shepherdhill Baptist Church, Obanikoro, Lagos where they discussed the
challenges facing the Church in the country.
Those
in attendance at the meeting called by the President of the Christian
Association of Nigeria, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, included the General Overseer of
the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye; the Presiding
Bishop, Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo; the General Overseer,
The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, Archbishop Mike Okonkwo; and former CAN
President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.
The media aide to the CAN president, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, said in a
statement in Abuja that the forum condemned the government’s decision to lead
Nigeria into the Islamic Coalition Against Terrorism through an executive fiat.
CAN
also called on the National Assembly to prevail on states in the North to issue
Certificates of Occupancy to churches in the region.
It
said, “CAN calls on the National Assembly to compile the list of all
organisations that Nigeria belongs to and all the treaties signed with a view
to dropping all the religious ones.
“That
we declare the inability of the state governments to pay workers’ salaries and
allowances as and when due as unacceptable and call on the federal and state’s
governments to work together to address this.”
The
group also admonished the Federal Government to address the breakdown of
infrastructure in the nation “so as to stop the untimely death of our people
and medical tourism abroad.”
CAN
advised the government to declare a state of emergency on unemployment in the
nation and to set up a machinery towards the provision of employment for
graduates.
It
condemned the failure of the security agencies to stop the murderous Fulani
herdsmen from their criminal activities and demanded the revival of the
Nigerian Inter-religious Council, which it said, had fostered interaction
between Christian and Muslim leaders in the country.
Source: Punch
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