The Christian
Association of Nigeria, CAN, has accused the United States government of
inciting ethnic and religious divisions in Nigeria, after the U.S.
Secretary of State, John Kerry, visited the Sultan of Sokoto and
northern governors.
The group said Christians leaders were excluded from Mr. Kerry’s visit between Monday, August 22 and Tuesday, August 23, 2016.
Mr. Kerry made a trip to Sokoto where he
met the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, who is the head of Nigeria’s
Muslim community. He later met President Muhammadu Buhari, before
meeting governors of northern states.
Mr. Kerry’s visit was “discriminatory, personal
and divisive,” CAN alleged, during an interview with journalists on Thursday, August 25, 2016.
The group advised the U.S top diplomat
to stop interfering in the internal affairs of the country, alleging
that the visit was aimed at furthering the federal government’s plan to
continue to persecute the teeming population of Nigerian Christians.
Reverend Supo Ayokunle, the president of
CAN, said Mr. Kerry’s “lack of respect for the heterogeneous nature of
Nigeria, amounted to favouring northern Nigeria and Muslims to the
detriment of the Christian community.”
He said the disposition of the Secretary
of States supported claims that the Barack Obama administration openly
supported the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2016 general
elections, which produced the current leadership of the country.
“Why did he meet with 19 states
governors, without southern governors, is Nigeria the North alone, why
did you go to the North alone?” Ayokunle asked.
“There’s a siege on Christians. Kerry, his actions speak volume, his actions, body language were very divisive.
“If US Secretary of States is coming for
official visit, it’s understandable, but we demand explanation why he
was selective. Has the Sultan palace become another state house? Was
Kerry invited by the Sultan?
“We have 36 States in Nigeria; he only
selected northern governors to meet with them. It was a visit to the
north, not to Nigeria. It was surely a very divisive visit. With the
visit to the north, Kerry’s visit has heightened fear and tension among
Christians in Nigeria, if they cannot bring us together, they should not
interfere in our affairs.”
Ayokunle raised fears over the
continuous the killing of Christians in northern Nigeria, saying, base
“on the government’s selective persecution of Christians mostly by the
Department of State Service (DSS) and the Nigerian Police, it was
obvious the administration was anti-Christians.”
“Have the DSS arrested the Muslim youths
who burnt down a Catholic Church in Niger State because they were
worshiping on Friday? What happened to the ECWA Pastor who was killed in
his farm in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State? What have
happened with Redeemed Preacher who was murdered in Kubwa, Abuja?
“Look at the recent case in Zamfara
State, Christians were burnt alive. What has happened? They will tell
you, they are still investigating. Have they been arrested and charged
them to court? If the government cannot sit up and protect Christians,
tolerance is going to break down, they should do the right thing, they
should not provoke Christians. Have we ever seen this government bring
anybody to book?”
The CAN president tasked President
Muhammadu Buhari “to come out clean,” adding that “a government that
doesn’t listen is not for the people.”
The Christian leader called on the
Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, to as a matter of urgency intervene in
the case of Joe Chinakwe who was arrested for naming his dog “Buhari,”
stressing that naming an animal with somebody’s name is never a criminal
offence.
“The NBA should take up that case and
ascertain whether the man has the right to give any name to a dog. They
should come and protect the man’s human rights and set the record why
the case is not a criminal offence,” Mr. Ayokunle said.
Credit: Trent
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