Gyang Bere, Jos
President of Patriotic Christian Youth of Nigeria (PCYN), Evangelist Timothy Nasso, has berated the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), in Ondo State, for attacking Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over recent protest on the Fulani herdsmen killings in the country.
Nasso said this in a press statement issued, on Tuesday, in Jos, Plateau State, while reacting to the press conference by NSCIA in Ondo State, which alleged that Christians did not gave President Muhammadu Buhari overwhelming support in 2015 and also wanted to pull down his government through mass protest.
He accused the NSCIA of standing with President Buhari, who, he claimed, has failed to fulfill his campaign promises of protecting Nigerians, fight corruption and provide employment for the youth.
According to him, “Our attention has been drawn to a press release issued by the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) Ondo State on some national dailies and social media with the above stated subject matter.
“We condemned in the strongest term the public protest against what it described as killings of Christians in the country organized by Christian Association of Nigeria Ondo State Branch as orchestrated by its national leadership.
“They went further to say that the protest was uncalled for, bias and callous. That the protest was segregative in nature, it contradicts divine teachings of obedience to constituted authorities as well as constructive counselling to the people in power.
“The statement also questioned the fact that Christian are the most affected by the killings in the country and stated that Christians never supported the election bid of the present government.
“It is so sad and unfortunate that we have no records where NSCIA Ondo spoke truth to power against the ongoing killings, failed promises made by the government to end hunger, improve economic, protect human lives and property, to fight corruption and to respect the Nigeria Constitution as against what is witness.
“High level of human rights violations, disrespect for Nigerian constitution, Islamic and regional based appointments, employments and developments, yet the NSCIA Ondo has not gotten the courage to speak to power as counselled but rather had enough time and resources to criticise the church leaders who have sacrifice their time, resources, intellect and lives for the peace and development of Nigeria.
“As an organisation, we stand strongly with the Christian Association of Nigeria for the declaration of the protest against the killings and bloodlettings in the nation. We commend the effort of the Ondo State CAN Chairman for mobilising the church well in his state.
“We encourage the church to go beyond road side protest to ensuring that individual Christians and innocent Nigerians go all out to defend themselves in the face of the ongoing unprovoked attacks. ”
He also said any person that frowns at those protesting the unending killings in Nigeria must be part of the conspiracy of the killings and said it was clear that the NSCIA Ondo does not want the killings to stopped since it’s an orchestrated jihad against the church.
Nasso informed that the present government has not hidden the fact that they know the sponsors of the killers when they negotiated with them leading to the released of some notorious Boko Haram and the Dapchi girls with the exception of the only Christian girls, Leah Sharibu.
He said NSCIA’s attempt to defend the ineptitude of the Buhari’s led Federal Government to take decisive measures to curb the killings in Nigeria is very unfortunate and unbecoming of a group that parades itself as religious.
“We encourage CAN and Christian leaders at all levels not to relent in their effort to serve as the salt and light of the world at all times despite the antics of enemies of the Cross”.