The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has
advised politicians and government officials to avoid provocative political
utterances and decisions capable of causing religious conflict in the country.
The association expressed concern over the threat by the
Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Agency to demolish the St George
Anglican Church, Sabon Gari, Zaria.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the CAN President, Rev.
Samson Supo Ayokunle, said CAN was concerned that the only reason for
withdrawing such threat was "historical value" and not for the
purpose for which the church was built and the blessings it has brought to the
immediate communities and the entire nation.
"We acknowledge the fact that the Kaduna State
Government has decided to retract their threat to demolish the ancient church
building which has been standing for over 110 years in that location 'for
historical value' of the church.
In a statement signed by its Director of Legal and Public
Affairs, Kwamkur Samuel Vondip, CAN said: "While we commend the state government
for taking the bold step to withdraw from their earlier threat to demolish the
Cathedral, we are concerned that the only reason for withdrawing such threat is
for "historical value" not for the purpose for which the church is
built and the blessings it has brought to the immediate communities and the
entire nation."
Ayokunle said Nigeria was passing through very critical
challenges of insecurity, poverty and high level of joblessness leading to many
Nigerians giving up on life to the extent
of committing suicide, adding that this time called for more commitment to God
and spiritual values.
He further said that all arms and tiers of
government were expected to recognise this and promote more commitment to God
rather than waging war against religious organisations.
He said that the association hasd observed that
some politicians in power were the ones using their "selfish ambitions or
immature political decisions to cause political tensions in our land, not the
religious leaders as such.
"We seize this opportunity to plead with them
to desist from provocative political decisions that border on religion that can
set the religious groups against one another.
"We the religious leaders in the country have
promised never again to allow any politician or any other group to use their
actions or statements to divide us again," he said.
Ayokunle noted that without religious harmony in
Nigeria, there cannot be peace and progress.
"We urge those in political leadership never
to give flimsy excuse of overriding public interest again in this country to
order for the relocation of any church or mosque all over the country," he
said.
Regarding the botched move to demolish the Anglican
church in Kaduna, CAN said: Don’t we
have abundance of land in Zaria Local Government Area to which the so-called
market can be relocated?
The statement said the reason given by the state government
suggested lack of respect for the church in Nigeria and a probability of future
threats to other churches without that long ‘history of historical value,’ not
only in Zaria but the entire Kaduna State.
"By the time that church started there, about
one hundred and ten years ago, how many structures were in the vicinity to now
warrant threat to the existence of the church?
"If the
market came there many years after the existence of the church, should it be
the church which first got there that should have its existence threatened? If
overriding public interest was the excuse given, is the church equally not
serving the public? Is the church serving an individual? The threat issued in
the first instance was a provocation which ought not to happen in the first
instance," he said.
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