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Kaduna Muslim Leaders, Monarchs Join Christians In Church For Peace
Ahead of the 2023 general election, Muslim leaders and traditional rulers in Kaduna State have commenced moves to strengthen inter-religious harmony by joining worshippers at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Gospel Church, Lemu Road, Kaduna, yesterday.
The Chairman, Community Relation Committee of the church, Senator Haruna Azee Zego, said the invitation extended to Muslims within their host community to worship with them was borne out of the love to sustain religious co-existence and commended the Muslim invitees for coming to the church.
“Their attendance was at the instance of the church in her efforts at strengthening religious harmony and peaceful coexistence among all, regardless of religious differences.
“Some of the Muslims who attended the church service were Nigerians living within and around the community where the church is located,” he said.
Traditional leaders who attended the Sunday Service were the District Head of Barnawa, Alhaji Kabiru Zubairu; the Wakilin Shehu Borno, Bata Madaki Auta; and Sarkin Dutse, Alhaji Shuaibu Balarebe Abdullahi; among others.
Among the Muslim leaders who in the church who spoke on peaceful and religious co-existence were Sheikh Dahiru Abdullahi; Sheikh Hamisu Ya’u; and Sheihk Shehu Ayotola; who unanimously agreed that there was no basis whatsoever why Christians and Muslims should fight instead of being each other’s keepers.
“You cannot be said to be a good Muslim if you don’t like your Christian neighbours and vice versa,” they said.
‘We should join hands and bring back the good old days where Christians relate with Muslims as brothers and vice versa.
“Muslims and Christians are twins, Christianity and Islam have not changed but Christians and Muslims have changed and people have succeeded to divide the two religions for their selfish gains.
“We must return to olden days where Christians and Muslims see each other as brothers,” they said.
The Executive Secretary, Sultan Bello Mosque, Sheihk Hamisu Ya’u, said that “the devil is our common problem and we must all unite to fight the devil.
“Humanity should be respected above religion and we should accept each other the way we are.
“We must love one another and not allow politicians to play with our intelligence because the present political dispensation could cause Nigeria alot of problem.We must not allow politicians to use our heads, we must unite together as one and allow politicians to do their things,” he said.
District Head of Barnawa, WakilinShehuBorno; and the SarkinDutse; all commended ECWA for the good initiative, and called on other churches and Islamic bodies to emulate the peace advocacy.
During the Sunday sermon, the Preacher; Mr. Zak Bungwon, said lack of fellowship was the cause of most crisis, and called on Christians and Muslims to focus on what bind them together and not what separates.
He said the invitation extended to Muslims to worship with them in a programme tagged friends of the church, holds annually
The Senior Pastor of the church, Rev. Joshua Anyam said, the church was willing more than ever before to relate with their neighbours regardless of their religion to promote peaceful co-existence.
“We do this annually, basically to promote religious and peaceful togetherness among ourselves, and we are thankful that whenever we call they respond in their numbers,” he said.
The Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) represented by Mr. Reuben Buhari, said “it is better we live together and survive or live apart and suffer.We must be united.”
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.