Okafor Athanasius, Jalingo.
The Vice-Chairman, North-East Zonal Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (C.A.N). (Dr) Innocent Rubiruka Solomon (PEACE AMBASSADOR), has made a passionate appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to be conversant on the dangers associated with taking the unity among Christians and Muslims for a ride.
Rev. Solomon stated this through a Letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, signed and issued to our Correspondent in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.
The Letter was titled, “Appeal to Mr. President, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR), President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Rev. Solomon said attempting to use religious differences to encourage and strengthen discriminatory politics and to set Nigerian Christians and Nigerian Muslims against each other will attract God’s Judgement.
“Mr. President, Nigeria must do everything possible to avoid the mistake of the past, the mistake of June 12 that led to a bad history in our polity. Mr. President, it took a courageous effort on your part with God’s help and God’s mercies and wisdom to be able to handle and manage the past terrible history of June 12 that was hunting the nation in a bad light and with bad blood. Thank you Mr. President once again for that singular effort”,
“Mr. President, Nigeria may get into another round of deep trouble and unwarranted state of mutual suspicion and distrust if as a nation we do not correct the impression and practice that Muslims can do without the Christians and Christians can do without the Muslims in the highest political offices in the Nation”,
“The attempt to scuttle that tradition, unity, good understanding and mutual relationship that has long existed in Kaduna state has broken a spiritual law that is largely responsible for the peculiar nature of the State of insecurity in that State, in particular, today”, he said.
Quoting from the Scriptures, (ECCLESIASTES 10:8-9 KJV), the Clergy asserted, “He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whosoever breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him. Whosoever removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby”
“Your Excellency, God Almighty has a plan to unite Christians and Muslims in Nigeria to do the will of God Almighty AS ONE PEOPLE in building peaceful and mutually beneficial and prosperous societies and communities so that it will be an example to other nations on the planet earth.”,
“Mr. President you may need to be reminded that this approach of using religion as a tool for discrimination and marginalization has caused untold hardship to the nation and Nigerians especially in Northern Nigeria, creating a state of mutual distrust that made it difficult to peacefully coexist in some parts of the country hence the growing state of insecurity in the Nation”,
The Taraba State-born Clergy who is also the General Overseer, Crown of Life Bible Church with its Headquarters in Jalingo however advised that the Nigerian political process must take this fact into serious consideration and do everything humanly possible to strengthen efforts to build a united, peaceful, indivisible and a strong nation devoid of religious, tribal and sectional sentiments and Mr. President is in the best position placed by God Almighty to strengthen that resolve.
“The attempt by the APC ruling party to repeat the same mistake must be avoided in the interest of the Nation and for the peace, stability, progress, and development of Nigeria”, he added.
