I’ll treat Nigerians equitably – President
By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja
A delegation of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) from the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday had a close-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari and urged him to intervene in the emerging trend of abduction and forced marriage of Christian minors in the region.
Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, leader of the delegation, Mr. Yakubu Pam, said the delegation congratulated the President on the recent marriage of his daughter in Katsina, and appealed to him to convince northern leaders and traditional rulers to emulate such respectable processes in contracting marriages.
He said: “We came to present ourselves as the Northern CAN chapter to the President and to tell him some of the challenges that Northern Christians are passing through. One of those challenges is that we are having difficulties in expressing our faith in the northern part of the country.
“We have also told him some of the difficulties we are passing through with the Fulani herdsmen. The farmers need to be protected and in fact, we told the President that we have been encouraging our youths to go into farming and they need to be protected and when they come into the city, there is no employment; that is why farmers must be protected.
“We also talked on the issue of girl-child abduction in the North. In some Northern states, some young girls and children are being abducted at 12 years old and the parents will just hear that the girls have been married to traditional rulers and emirs.’
Members of the delegation are Rev. Musa Dada, Elder Danladi Yarima, Apostle Adesina Samuel, Apostle Raph Adejimobi, Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Dodo, Rev. John Joseph Hayat, Evang. Emmanuel Joseph, Rev. Sunday Ibrahim, Elder Maisamari Yohanna, Rev. Abare Kala, Rev. Israel Akanji, Bishop David Bakare, Archbishop Nimurl, Rev. Danchollom Datari, S. Salisu, Bishop Timothy Yahaya, Prof. Babaye Daniel, Archbishop John Praise Daniel and Rev. Dr. William Okoye.
Meanwhile, President Buhari has said that he would continue to keep faith with the oath of office he swore, and treat all Nigerians equitably.
“Restoring peace is top priority. We will enable the law enforcement agencies to combat all forms of violent crimes, and ensure that our people live in peace,” he said.
The President urged the clerics to promote religious harmony in the country by “enhancing understanding among different faiths.”
He said government would maintain the priority it has placed on agriculture and mines and steel development “to kick-start the economy.”
In his remarks, Pam said it was not a mistake that God chose the President to lead the country at these challenging times.
“We are ready to support your administration to deliver good governance. You have good intentions for Nigeria, judging from the programmes that have been outlined,” he said.
He also highlighted ethno-religious challenges in the country, freedom of worship, and herdsmen/farmers’ clashes in their discussion with the President.
The CAN leader commended the present administration for the blow dealt Boko Haram insurgents “leading to comparative peace in the North-east” and the return of 21 abducted schoolgirls from Chibok.
He also commended the President for the current anti-corruption war, which he said “should be fought to the logical conclusion.”
