The Presidency has lauded the
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for rising to its duty of sensitizing
Nigerians to stand against the evil being wrecked on the country by
bloodthirsty terrorists.
In a statement issued by the
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba
Shehu, made available to State House Correspondents Tuesday evening, the
Presidency also observed that the protest march, as was carried out last
Sunday, was in order and an exercise of a civic right.
The statement observed that all
Nigerians, irrespective of religious inclination, must join the government to
take actions that disapprove of the activities of the murderous terrorists,
respect the rights others to hold their religious beliefs without harassment
from anyone.
It emphasizes President Muhammadu
Buhari’s, as well as other members of his government, in the standard that all
lives, irrespective of classes or affiliations, are sacred and must be
protected.
“The actions of Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN) in recent days represent the peaceful right of all
Nigerians to protest and express their views on matters of religion, ethics,
politics and society.
“The origination of their
protests is the shocking, unacceptable death of Pastor Lawan Andimi at the
hands of Boko Haram. The President feels their pain, and that of his family,
for his loss.
“The President believes, as does
every member of his administration, both Christian and Muslim in the words of
CAN’s placards: ‘All life is sacred’.
“Whether you are Christian or
Muslim, all Nigerians and their beliefs must be respected. The duty of all of
us is to uphold the rights of others to worship according their faith – and to
respect the rights of each other to do so freely in the spirit of brotherhood
and respect – and without interference.
“This means, however, that we must stop false
claims that only serve to divide one community against the other. There is no
place in Nigeria for those who politicise religion. This is the President’s
message to both Muslim and Christian communities alike.
“In the light of this, the
CAN-inspired prayers and street enlightenment in our cities are much welcome as
sensitizers to the need for ALL CITIZENS irrespective of faith, religion or
language to accept their duty and role in law enforcement, to prevent crime in
all its manifestations, be it corruption, theft, terrorism, banditry or
kidnapping. Without citizen involvement, there is no miracle with which less
than half-a-million policemen can effectively protect a population of 200
million.
“CAN is right to arouse popular
consciousness to this duty to the state.
“One more thing is this: it is
the added need for citizen-consciousness to stand up for nation. Nigerians,
only Nigerians can defend their nation against these abhorrent killings and all
sorts of crimes worrying us as a nation.
“From the prayers and advocacy by
CAN, citizens need to take an important lesson, which is, that our people must
rally around the flag. Together, they rise to defeat the enemy and defend the
state. In Nigeria, some groups rally against the government instead of the
enemy. This is not right. It has the effect of playing into the hands of the
enemy of the state.
“We will not defeat the
terrorists, nor speed the return for those citizens, young and old taken by
them by division in our own ranks. To pull apart is to play into the hands of
the terrorists: this is what they want”, the statement said.
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