With less than 13 days to the inauguration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria has implored the incoming president to stop illegal marriages and forceful conversion to another religion in the North against the wishes of the converts.
CAN contends that Tinubu must be resolute in addressing ethnic and religious prejudice, adding that Nigerians must have access to economic and sociopolitical advantages wherever they want to live.
Archbishop Daniel Okoh, the president of CAN, made these remarks at the Church and Mission Leaders’ Summit, which the Gideon and Funmi Para-Mallam Peace Foundation sponsored in Abuja under the banner of “Peace-Building and Christian Mission.”
The CAN President said, “The incoming administration must utilise the goodwill of faith leaders to seek genuine peace that will be all-inclusive.
“It must be assertive in addressing the issues of ethnic and religious identity. Nigerians should be able to lay claim and gain access to economic and sociopolitical benefits in any part of the country where they chose to reside.
“Addressing the ‘indigeneity’ clause and according to full residency rights to Nigerians will be a right step in the right direction.
“The Federal Character principle should be respected, and total right to freedom of belief or worship should be granted unhindered to citizens to freely subscribe to any religion of their choice.
“Abduction, illegal marriage and forceful conversion of persons to faith against their wish is archaic, reprehensible and condemnable all over the modern world and should not be allowed to thrive here.
“This anti-social practice, which has gained traction especially in northern Nigeria, should be discouraged and condemned by well-meaning citizens and constituted authorities alike.”
The CAN President also gave Tinubu a directive about accountable governance, noting that “it is no secret that Nigeria lacks quality leadership that is yet to transform the abundant economic wealth available in the land towards sustainable development.”
