Beloved in Christ, a few weeks back as I prayed about the trouble facing Nigerian Christians I received this message:
1) The battle against Islamic onslaught must be fought holistically and CAN, representing a United Church in Nigeria, must carry the central burden while other Churches and Christians should follow the pattern.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Monday said it was deeply saddened by the news of the release of the five people suspected of killing a 74-year old Christian woman in Kano, Mrs Bridget Agbaheme, who was murdered sometimes in June, 2016.
“This is a highly provocative and an insulting act on our collective sensitivities as a democratic nation if the newspapers’ reports are correct,” Evang. Barr. Kwamkur Samuel, CAN Director Legal and Public Affairs, noted in a statement issued Monday.
12 states in the Northern part of Nigeria have been practising one form or the other of Sharia law since 2012. These states are Zamfara, Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger and Gombe.
However, the Nigeria 1999 constitution restricted the role of Sharia to only civil matters involving consenting Muslims.
In a very suspicious and clandestine manner, the whole country woke up one day to learn that a bill enforcing and expanding the role of Sharia had been introduced in the House of Representatives.
RE-SUIT NO. FHC/ASB/11/CS/2016 –
DR NWANKWO TONY NWAEZEIGWE
VS.
PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AND FOUR OTHERS:
Prof Ben Nwabueze SAN and Solomon Asemota SAN Lead the Plaintiff as Case is Transferred to Abuja
We were informed in Court today 19th of October, 2016 by the presiding learned Judge of the Federal High Court 1, Asaba in Suit No. FHC/ASB/11/CS/2016––Dr Nwankwo Tony Nwaezeigwe vs. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Four Others, that he could no longer be in charge of the matter. His decision as we were informed was that all the defendants in the case are resident outside Asaba. Consequently, the matter was transferred to Abuja for Hearing at a date to be announced later by the yet to be assigned learned Judge.
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The title of my presentation is derived from the speech at a Colonial Service Dinner in 1913 by Lord Harcourt the then Secretary of State of the Colonies, (after whom Port Harcourt was named). He summarized in a humorous metaphor, the dependence of Northern Nigeria on the British Treasury for sustenance, when he said:
“we have released Northern Nigeria from the leading strings of the Treasury. The promising and well-conducted youth is now on an allowance “on his own” and is about to effect an alliance with a Southern Lady of means. I have issued the special license and Sir Frederick Lugard will perform the ceremony. May the union be fruitful and the couple constant! The Nigerias are not designed to be a great “Trust” but a great “Federation”.[1]
I shall attempt, within the short time and space available, to examine whether after 102 years of this “marriage”, Nigeria has been “fruitful”, “constant” and, above all, a great “Trust” or a great “federation” I will leave you to decide whether the marriage has failed in any or all the aspirations enunciated by Lord Harcourt.
The Saturday Guardian, August 20, 2016, had the front page captioned “Nobody Can Islamize Nigeria, says Sultan”. The main story on page two of the paper with another caption, “Nobody Can Turn Nigeria to Islamic State” reads: “The Sultan of Sokoto has told Nigerians to forget the fears or suspicion of a grand plan to turn Nigeria into an Islamic State.” Abubakar pointed out yesterday, that it is impossible for a multi-religious country like Nigeria to be converted into a monolithic religious state.”
The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has accused the United States government of stoking ethnic and religious divisions in Nigeria, after the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, visited the Sultan of Sokoto and northern governors.
It is with a heavy heart that the Bwatiye Community represented by our umbrella organization, *PENE* *DA* *BWATIYE* wish to address you today. We draw attention to the massive destruction of the rural town of Kodomun in Demsa Local Government of Adamawa State and the brutal cold blooded murder of twenty five (25) persons comprising our revered elders, young and middle aged men, women and children. As we address you today, the entire population of about 2,500 inhabitants are now homeless and scattered in towns and villages as Internally Displaced Persons.
Islamist Jihadists of the Hausa, Fulani and Kanuri Ethnic Nationalities, who are Negroid immigrants to Nigeria, are pushing the nation to an implosion. It is therefore imperative that the remaining 386 Ethnic Nationalities of Nigeria should, as a matter of priority, convene a Conference to demonstrate to the few Islamist Jihadists of the three Ethnic Nationalities the grave danger of Islamism as a system of governance.
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has called on the Federal Government to take urgent actions to “disarm all Fulani herdsmen ravaging the country.”
The church, which premised its demand on the need to stem the wave of attacks and killings of harmless farmers in the country, also called on the Christian Association of Nigeria to map out strategies to curb the killings of Christians in the country.