CAN, Not Buhari, Needs Purging Of Nepotism – Presidency Blasts Christian Body

Presidential aide, Femi Adesina, has slammed the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over its criticism of the President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to secure the release of its official, Reverend Lawan Andimi, who was killed few days ago by Boko Haram insurgents.

Andimi, who was the chairman of CAN in Michika local government area of Adamawa State, was abducted by Boko Haram on January 2, 2019 and murdered few weeks later by the insurgents.

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Following his murder, CAN, through its Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Evangelist Kwamkur Vondip, restated that the church and Christians under President Buhari’s administration were under attack.

“It will be difficult for us to believe that the Federal Government under President Mohammadu Buhari is not colluding with the insurgents to exterminate Christians in Nigeria bearing in mind the very questionable leadership of the security sector that has been skewed towards a religion and region! Is that lopsidedness not a cover up for the operation of the insurgency? If not, why couldn’t the well-equipped security agents of Nigeria get this man killed rescued?” the Christian body had queried.

CAN also said it was “calling on President Buhari to purge himself of the allegations of nepotism and religious favouritism by reconstituting the leadership of security outfits.”

But reacting in a statement on Friday, Adesina, who is Buhari’s senior special adviser on media and publicity, said some church leaders have consistently “tried to dress Buhari in borrowed robes” since 2015 but have failed.

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The presidential aide specifically accused the CAN leadership of harboring “some of the old narratives that have been discredited, and from which majority of people have purged themselves, except the willfully irredeemable.”

Adesina berated the Christian body for asking Buhari to purge himself of the allegations of nepotism and religious favoritism, noting that “If any purging is to be done, is it not by those making allegations?”

He added that, “The allegations lasted for many years, but truth eventually overtook them. If CAN would then still dwell on the discredited accusations, it must be the one to purge itself, as millions of Nigerians, including Christians, have already done. The insecurity in the country is not about any religion. It is pure evil, from the pit of hell.”

On CAN’s call on Buhari to purge himself of alleged nepotism by reconstituting the leadership of the security forces, Adesina said:

“CAN, oh CAN, in a condolence statement? Are you saying under a different leadership of our security forces, insurgency will vanish after they wave their fingers? Why mix the wheat and chaff together? In the leadership of the security forces as we have it now, is the position of Chief of Defence Staff not held by General Abayomi Olonisakin, who is also a pastor? Is he not a member of CAN? Is the Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok Ekwe-Ibas, not a Christian, and under the banner of CAN? Listening to the organization, you would think not even half a Christian is in the leadership of the security forces. This kind of sentiment breeds hatred and malice in a country, and CAN should not be involved in such, for Jesus would not do it. And we’ve been called to walk in His steps.

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“If the leadership of the security forces would be changed, it is a sitting President that has the prerogative. It will not happen when CAN begins to make such demand in what should be a sober condolence press statement. Don’t mix bias and sympathy. They don’t mesh,” he said.

Adesina further slammed CAN and accused it of recklessness for suggesting that the federal government may be “colluding with the insurgents to exterminate Christians in Nigeria.”

He said in response, “Holy Moses! Did CAN say this? Shameful and ridiculous. These are the things that sow malice and animosity in the country, and a Christian body is not expected to be involved in such. You can’t sow discord, and expect concord.”

Adesina further accused the Christian body of “sounding too long like a political party”.

He said Reverend Andimi was not killed solely because he was a Christian, but that “Those evil people (Boko Haram) kill anyone they lay their filthy hands on.”

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