The Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety) has called for the immediate disbandment of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), declaring it a failure. The call was contained in a statement issued on Monday in Onitsha, signed by Intersociety Board Chairman Emeka Umeagbalasi; Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Programme, Obinuju Joy Igboeli, Esq.; and Head, Int’l Justice & Human Rights Programme, Chinaza Ndidiamaka Bernard, Esq.

Intersociety said: “The Christian Association of Nigeria formed in 1976 has outlived its usefulness especially since “traders in the house of God” penetrated its ranks or leadership. The leadership of CAN has continuously been running from pillar to pole in recent times in the midst of yearly butchering of thousands of its defenseless members and burning of hundreds of churches and Christian schools. The national leadership of CAN has also become a lobbying platform to secure a juicy visit to Aso Rock and participate in the sharing of “tfare” bounties as recently disclosed by the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF).

“The recent somersault by CAN President, Rev. Dr. Samson Olasupo A. Ayokunle during which he reversed himself by hurriedly and suspiciously canceling the national anti Christian violence processions originally fixed for 11^th July 2018-which he hinged on “forces or circumstances beyond his control”, is a clear case in point. This comes few days after the same CAN President issued a statement informing Nigerians that “CAN leaders in the 19 northern States and the FCT (Abuja) met with President Muhammadu Buhari”.

“We join concerned others to express shock and demand to know what “CAN’s sectional leaders meeting with the Presidency got to do with normal activities of the body such as national anti[Christian violence processions”. It further means that one day very soon, if CAN is not disbanded, a national directive shall be given to all churches to suspend their normal church services and other activities as a fallout of a “meeting with the Nigerian Presidency or for the purpose of meeting the President of Nigeria.

“This is not the first time CAN’s national or zonal leaders have visited the Presidency and spoken from both sides of their mouth. Same was not only the case in their last visit to Aso Rock before the latest one, but also the Christian body was heavily indicted and accused by eminently peopled National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) of collecting and sharing between “N25m and N40m” given and collected as “presidential “tfare” (transport) envelopes”.

“Christians in Nigeria must no longer have or allow a set of leaders under the umbrella of CAN to smile to the bank at the cost of the blood of thousands of their faithful massacred in broad day light and at hours of the blue law or late night. For admitting being overwhelmed by “forces or circumstances beyond his control”, CAN President, Rev. Dr. Samson Olasupo A. Ayokunle and members of his national executive are unfit to remain in their respective national positions as “leaders of CAN in Nigeria”.

“We hereby call for immediate disbandment of CAN and dissolution or scrapping of all its national, zonal, State and local government executives. There shall be formation of new central umbrella Christian body for all Nigerian Christians with strong constitution and ethical codes to sanitise the body and persons manning all its structures and leaderships.

“Two-third majority formula should also be introduced in the new national Christian body under demand to guide all its electoral processes, resolutions and decisions especially such concerning national and international campaigns including national processions against anti-Christian butchery and wanton destruction of churches and Christian schools in Nigeria. Specialist centres such as inter-faith (i.e. trado-Christian), legal, research, documentation, media, lobbying; medical and victims’ emergency management should also be included in the new central umbrella Christian body in the country.”

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