News and Events

Communiqué of the Conference on Herders and Farmers Conflicts in Central Nigeria, organized by the Centre for Research Management, Benue State University, Makurdi, held at the Auditorium 1 of the College of Health Sciences, Benue State University from 13th – 16th March, 2017 Christened:

The Centre for Research and Management, Benue State University, having noted that thousands of people of the Central Nigerian States are being killed, with thousands more suffering debilitating injuries; communities being destroyed and hundreds of thousands being displaced from their ancestral homes; and concerned at the deteriorating security situation and the real threat of hunger and starvation in Nigeria as a result of the attacks on the farming communities in the region, which is the food basket region of Nigeria, decided to convene a conference to critically examine the unfolding violence and to explore solutions against the terror.

Christian Association of Nigeria wishes to inform all Christians, both at home and abroad, that based on credible reports of concern, it has decided to suspend the Christian Day of Mourning formerly scheduled to take place globally on Sunday 19th March, 2017.

The President of CAN took cognizance of the preparations that various Christian groups have made to participate in the program which was designed, in all honesty and sincerity, to mourn the death of thousands of Christians murdered by religious insurgents.

A statement from the National Secretariat of CAN states that the suspension of the program was due to “misunderstanding, misinterpretation and subsequent security concerns”.

UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES:

WHY NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS MUST SPEAK OUT GLOBALLY ON 19TH MARCH, 2017

(Part 3)

The clarion call in Nigeria today is “restructuring”. We wholeheartedly endorse this demand. The current structure of the country has proven, over a considerable period of time that it is incapable of fostering peace, unity, and progress.

UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES:

WHY NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS MUST SPEAK OUT GLOBALLY ON 19TH MARCH, 2017

(Part 2)

 Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (as amended) states as follows:

“The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”

UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES:

WHY NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS MUST SPEAK OUT GLOBALLY ON 19TH MARCH, 2017

(Part 1)

Section 38 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (as amended) states as follows:

“Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.”

1st March, 2017

To: All National Leaders,
Bloc Leaders,
Zonal Chairmen,
States Chairmen,
Denominational Heads,

Dear Sir/Ma,

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of CAN, during its meeting in Abuja on Tuesday 28th February, 2017, passed a resolution that the National day of Christian Protest and Mourning which earlier took place on 8th January, 2017, should be repeated on Sunday 19th March, 2017.

To enable it fulfill its multifaceted roles, it has been realized that the Association of Christians should be sufficiently funded. The various challenges confronting Christianity and individual Christians in Nigeria make it imperative that CAN has to be financially independent.
In realization of this need, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of CAN, the highest decision making organ in the Association, approved the establishment of the CAN TRUST FUND.

Non-Governmental organisation, Human Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked the Department of State Services under the leadership of Alhaji Lawal Musa Daura to halt the harassment of Christian leaders by its operatives.

In a statement, the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf condemned as “selective persecution and harassment”, the recent interrogation of National leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria over a global campaigns to attract funds to rebuild churches destroyed by Boko haram terrorists in North East. 

Four key members of the organisation’s BoT, who are also leaders of National Christian Elders Forum, were quizzed for four hours on Tuesday evening at the DSS headquarters in Abuja, following a video by CAN Trust Fund soliciting funds for CAN to rebuild churches destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.

Among those that were interrogated by the DSS were a former Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Joshua Dogonyaro (retd.), representing   TEKAN/ECWA bloc of CAN; a retired High Court Judge, Justice Kalajine Anigbogu, representing the Christian Council of Nigeria bloc; Mrs. Osaretin Demuren, representing the Organisation of African Instituted Churches and a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Lemo, representing the Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria.

Nothing sums up the dangerous way in which the DSS is handling the Apostle Johnson Suleman affair better than the words of the Southern Kaduna-based Pastor Owojaye Matthew. He said, "you want to arrest Christian clergymen who asked Christians to defend themselves against killer FULANI Herdsmen while you allow hundreds of foreign FULANI herdsmen invading Nigeria to kill and maim CHRISTIANS and take over their lands! DSS, tread softly!  Do not play into the hands of chaos! We are waiting for DSS to arrest the kill and go FULANI herdsmen!"