Egodi Uchendu: UNN ‘Witchcraft’ Conference Will Hold, Christians Can’t Stop It

[Edoman]

IgbereTV reports that despite the cancellation of the booked venue for a witchcraft conference to be held in Enugu state, the organisers insist that they are proceeding as planned and will announce a new venue soon. Director of the B.I.C Ijomah Centre for Policy Studies and Research, Professor Egodi Uchendu, made this news available to IgbereTV. He said that the protest and campaign by the Christian Association of Nigeria and Christian students in the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka will not deter them from holding the academic conference. “Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right. CAN and others are free to express their opinions just like we have the freedom to have an academic conference on witchcraft”, Mrs Uchendu, a professor of history said. “I’m delighted that the conference is generating the debate it should across the nation. Nigerians should look critically into the subject of the conference and identify how it’s impeding our national existence and personal experience”. She absolved the UNN of blame for the cancellation of the booking for Energy Centre, as venue for the conference, billed to begin 26 November.

She said the centre is owned by the Federal Government and is domiciled in the UNN. Prof Uchendu said; “UNN DID NOT deny us use of Energy Centre. Energy Centre did. Energy Centre is a Federal organ domiciled in UNN. It’s not controlled by UNN. Their decision to deny us their venue may not even be known to UNN”. The conference on witchcraft has generated controversy since it was announced that it would take place in UNN Nsukka.

Students, believing that witches and wizards would descend on UNN, during the conference, printed posters decrying the plan. They were joined by the Christian Association of Nigeria, which escalated the opposition and urged Christians in the South East zone to embark on prayers to dissuade the organisers from holding the conference. Chairman of CAN in the South-East zone, Bishop Dr Goddy Okafor demanded that the programme be called off immediately. Okafor said; “I call on all Heads of Blocks, State Chairmen and other Stakeholders of Christian Association of Nigeria South-East Zone to take up aggressive prayers against the planned convention of Witches and Wizards slated to hold on November 26 at UNN. “This convention is not of God and must not hold in Jesus name. Exodus 22:18 says, ‘Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live’. “I hereby direct, all Christian Churches in South East of Nigeria to take up lamentation and pray against this evil movement in all our churches this coming Sunday. “I also call upon all Christian Campus Fellowship Groups and other Christian Students’ Associations to join in this effort and stand up for JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD against this evil development in South East Of NIGERIA.”


http://igberetvnews.com/1158552/unn-witchcraft-conference-will-hold-christians-cant-stop-prof-uchendu/

[Edoman]

UNN Witchcraft Conference: CAN Fixes Prayer Conference On The Same Date






IgbereTV reports that members of the Christian community in the University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, Enugu State appear not to be relenting in making sure that the 'witchcraft' conference scheduled to hold on to the 26th and 27th of November, 2019 does not succeed.

This issue have generated lots of controversies ever since it was made public. The organisers of the conference have explained that the conference is purely for academic purpose with no spiritual or evil motives. But the Christian community in UNN have continued to think otherwise. The Christian community in collaboration with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), South East zone have severely criticised the conference saying that it is of evil. They printed posters condemning it.

After the organisers have affirmed that the conference will still hold amidst criticisms, the Student Affairs Department of the institution in collaboration with Graduate Students Fellowship finally decided to organise a prayer conference on the same day the witchcraft conference is planned to hold - 26th and 27th November, 2019, possibly with the intention of counteracting the evil effect expected to emanate from the witchcraft conference.


http://igberetvnews.com/1160575/unn-student-group-fixes-prayer-conference-date-witchcraft-conference/

[Edoman]

UNN bows to pressure and changes the theme for the conference on Witchcraft






The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has bowed to pressure after a number of Christians and Christian organizations reacted in outrage to the proposed Conference on Witchcraft.
 
Despite the fact that a literary and social critic explained what the conference is about and said it is not a gathering to promote witchcraft (read here), Nigerian Christians still continued to condemn and pray against the conference.
 
As a result, the organizers of the conference have had to change the theme to avoid a scene and to appease religious Nigerians.
 
Though the theme of the conference was changed from "First International & Interdisciplinary Conference on Witchcraft" to another theme that doesn't include witchcraft, witchcraft will still be discussed at the conference which holds tomorrow in UNN.
 

[Edoman]

UNN holds witchcraft conference in spite of opposition from Christians (photos)






The witchcraft conference organized by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) kicked off today November 26 in spite of opposition by Christians across Nigeria and in Enugu State. 
 
The conference which was shifted to a bigger hall, Princess Alexandra auditorium because of the large turnout of participants reportedly began with an opening hymn by Christ Church choir of the university. Discussions at the conference centered on 'witchcraft' even though it was removed from the conference banner in order to lessen the controversy it ignited.
 
Facebook user user Eze Leo Obinna wrote; 
 

Nigerian Universities are religious centers. Academics is hollow. There is no philosophy.
Academics were forced to change the topic of the Witchcraft conference. Sorry for Africans

 

 
Premium Times reported that a group, Witchcraft Human Rights Information Network had a stand outside where they sold witchcraft-related books and items.
 
A post-graduate student of UNN who shared photos from the event on Facebook, wrote 
 

Our Witchcraft Conference holds.
Day 1. #UNN