The Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) has reiterated its call on Nigerians not to relent in their prayers for the leaders and peace of the country.
A representative of the association, Rev. Dickson Dangana, conveyed the message at an Extra Ordinary Summit of Leaders and Elders of Nigeria Forum in Abuja on Wednesday.
Dangana, however, urged Nigerians to keep praying for the country and her leaders.
“Above all thing, prayers without action is dead and faith without work is dead, whatever decision taking by the leaders to end the killings and destruction of property should be taking into consideration by the government.”
The cleric called on the Federal Government to urgently address the security challenges facing the nation.
Dangana said the spate of killings in Plateau, Benue and other parts of the north called for decisive action from the country’s security agencies.
According to him, lack of security in the Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs) camps, the yet to return Chibok girls, Benue and Plateau states killings are still unresolved.
“The Kafancha Killing in Kaduna state, no solution has been provided to maintain peace in the land.
“Also, Leah Sharibu one of the 110 students abducted from Government Girls Technical Science College, Dapchi, Yobe State by the Al Barnawi faction of Boko Haram.
“All of these have not been resolved and needed urgent intervention of the security agencies,’’ he said.
The cleric said that mass burial has become the norm and a serious concern to leadership of the association and Nigerians.
He said that CAN had earlier urged President Muhammadu Buhari to re-organise his security team and security architecture.
According to him, Mr President should not be satisfied with the security agencies’ poor performance and the attendant problems that have led to the avoidable loss of lives and property.
Dangana expressed the hope that the ongoing elders’ gathering would bring a lasting solution to the cry of the citizens.
Also, Mr Yusuf Shehu, who represented the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), expressed the need for followers of the two religions, “Christianity and Islam” to be equipped with necessary information toward unity and avoid what can divide them.
According to him, since religion is a personal thing, everyone is free to practice the faith he or she wishes.
“There is the need for us as Nigerians to change our attitudes of how we see others that are not in the same faith with us as outcasts. We are all one family under God.
“A culture is a social system that shares a set of common values, in which such values permit social expectations and collective understandings of the good, beautiful and constructive.
“What every Nigerian required is the fear of God.
“We are all leaders in our own right to bring sanity and unity to the nation.
“No one has any right whatsoever to take a life as we all condemned the recent killings across the country.
“Whoever kills a person unjustly, it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind,” he said.
