· Rev. Ayokunle accuses Obama’s administration
of supporting the excesses of the APC
· Says Christians under siege
 |
| Rev. Supo Ayokunle, CAN president. |
The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry has come
under strong criticism by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), over his
recent visit to Nigeria.
CAN described Kerry’s visit
to Nigeria as discriminatory, personal and divisive.
Rev Supo Ayokunle, the President of CAN, alleged that
Kerry’s actions during his visit would further the federal government’s plan to
continue to persecute the teeming population of Nigerian Christians. During his
visit, John Kerry only visited the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, he
also met with the 19 northern governors, of whom only three are Christians.
 |
| John Kerry and the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa'ad Abubakar III, during the US secretary of state's discriminatory visit to Nigeria. |
Also at the Presidential Villa, where Kerry was hosted by
President Muhammadu Buhari, he met with select northern governors, which also
led to criticisms about who selected the governors that were allowed to meet
with him.
According to Vanguard, Rev Ayokunle, told journalists in an
interview in Abuja that Kerry disrespected the heterogeneous nature of Nigeria,
while nakedly showing favour to northern Nigeria and Muslims to the detriment
of the Christian community. Ayokunle said that the attitude and disposition of
the US Secretary of State and the discrimination he adopted during the visit
supports accusations that the President Barack Obama’s administration, alongside
Kerry and other strategic US politicians in the Obama’s government openly
supported the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2016 general elections,
which produced the current leadership of the country.
The CAN president
also asked John Kerry to “stop interfering in Nigerian affairs”,
explaining that as far as he was concerned the visit was a complete flop and
exposed Kerry’s negligence of Nigeria’s unity in diversity, an ideology that
has remained the bedrock of the country. He said: “Why did he meet with 19
states governors, without southern governors, is Nigeria the north alone, why
did you go to the north alone?” There’s a siege on Christians. Kerry’s actions
speak volume, his actions, body language were very divisive.
“If a US Secretary of States is coming for official visit,
it’s understandable, but we demand explanation why he was selective. Has the
Sultan’s Palace become another State House? Was Kerry invited by the Sultan? We
have 36 States in Nigeria; he only selected northern governors to meet with
them. It was a visit to the north, not to Nigeria. It was surely a very
divisive visit. With the visit to the north, Kerry has heightened fear and
tension among Christians in Nigeria. If they cannot bring us together, they
should not interfere in our affairs,”the CAN president said.
Ayokunle while
speaking on the killing of Christians in northern Nigeria, said that
based on government the selective persecution of Christians mostly by the
Department of State Service (DSS) and the Nigerian Police, it was obvious the
administration was anti-Christians. He said: “Have the DSS arrested the Muslim
youths who burnt down a Catholic Church in Niger State because they were
worshiping on Friday? What happened to the ECWA Pastor who was killed in his
farm in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State? What has happened with
Redeemed Preacher who was murdered in Kubwa, Abuja? Look at the recent case in
Zamfara State, Christians where burnt alive. What has happened? They will tell
you, they are still investigating. Have they been arrested and charged them to
court? If the government cannot sit up and protect Christians, tolerance is
going to break down, they should do the right thing, they should not provoke
Christians. Have we ever seen this government bring anybody to book?”
Ayokunle tasked President Buhari “to come out clean”,
adding that “a government that doesn’t listen is not for the people.” He
said that the police were slow in persecuting Muslims, but fast in persecuting
Christians. The CAN leader called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to
intervene urgently in the case of Mr Joe Chinakwe who was arrested for naming
his dog ‘Buhari’. He said: “The NBA should take up that case and ascertain
whether the man has the right to give any name to a dog. They should come and
protect the man’s human rights and set the record why the case is not a
criminal offence.”
Meanwhile, Femi Fani-Kayode also criticized
the visit saying in part: “I wonder if they still believe that Clinton and
Obama love ALL Nigerians and not just those that they helped to get into power
last year? Consider the religious war that took place in Lebanon years ago and
that is taking place in Syria today.”Source: Naija news
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