CAN Prayer Walk: Pastor Adeboye Leads Protest Against Insecurity (Photos)

[Edoman]

In a bid to end incessant killings in the country, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, is expected to lead members of the church in a prayer walk today.

The prayer walk is expected to start at about 10 a.m. and the general overseer and other leaders of the church are expected to lead the procession from the church’s national headquarters in Ebute-Meta, Lagos State.

Adeboye had previously directed all members of the church to participate in the prayer and fasting programme as well as the prayer walk declared by the Christian Association of Nigeria to address a spate of killings across the country.

CAN President, Dr Samson Ayokunle, had announced that the prayer and fasting session which started on Friday was aimed at praying to God to end the killing of innocent Nigerians and give the government the capacity to overcome the criminals troubling the nation.

The association’s position came barely four days after Boko Haram executes the Chairman of CAN in Michika Local Government, Adamawa State, Pastor Lawan Andimi, who was abducted by the insurgents on January 3 and subsequently killed despite being offered a N50m ransom.

Ayokunle had announced that apart from the three-day prayer session, Christians would also embark on what he called a special prayer walk in all states on February 2.

Adeboye, in a memo dated January 29 and signed by the Assistant General Overseer, Administration and Personnel, Pastor Johnson Odesola, asked members to seize the opportunity of the programme to pray against the killing of innocent people in the country.

He also directed that church services should end early in all the parishes to enable members to take part in the walk which he said should hold within the immediate environment of the churches.

The memo read, “The Christian Association of Nigeria, the umbrella body of all Christians and Christian organisations in Nigeria, has made a clarion call for prayers and advocacy to all Christians in Nigeria in response to the inhuman acts against Christians in the country.

“The General Overseer has therefore directed that all members of the RCCG should participate in this prayer and advocacy with details as stated below;

“Prayer and fasting scheduled from January 31 to February 2, 2020. Since RCCG is currently on a fasting and praying programme, the prayer focus within this period should be against the gruesome killing of innocent people in the country and prayer for the government to develop the capacity to overcome the criminals troubling the nation.

“All parishes of RCCG are enjoined to close the thanksgiving service early on Sunday (latest by 11 am) and have members march around their immediate environment, praying for God’s intervention in the ongoing situation in Nigeria.

“Parishes with functional social media handles are enjoined to publicise this prayer and advocacy using appropriate captions and hashtags.”

Ayokunle had, while announcing the prayer and fasting programme, claimed that Christians had become endangered species in Nigeria.

Apart from the case of Andimi, he also cited the case of Rev Denis Bagauri, who was murdered by gunmen in his residence at Mayo Belwa, Adamawa State, and the beheading of 11 Christians, including a bride-to-be, by Islamic State in West Africa on Christmas Day in Maiduguri to buttress his point that Christians are mostly targets of the attacks.

He also mentioned the case of four seminarians of the Good Shepherd Catholic Seminary in Kakau who were kidnapped along Kaduna-Abuja Road recently.

He had said, “The CAN leadership has declared January 31 to February 2, 2020, as days for special fasting and prayer for Nigeria in all churches, home and abroad, for the gruesome killing of innocent Nigerians to stop and for our government to develop the capacity to overcome the criminals troubling the nation.

“February 2, 2020, is declared a special prayer walk by Christians in all the states in the form of a procession to be led by state CAN chairmen in their secretariats and pastors of churches in all churches in Nigeria.

“Churches should walk around their area, pray for God’s permanent intervention and help from all over the world so that all of us might not be consumed one by one.

“It appears our government is completely overwhelmed. The brutality of Nigerians is happening unabated daily.

“All bloc leaders, zonal and states chairmen, leaders of denominations and all Christians and concerned Nigerians should support and come out en-mass for the programme.

“The church is matching on and the gate of hell shall not prevail against it!”

Sharhttps://punchng.com/insecurity-adeboye-to-lead-rccg-members-on-can-prayer-walk-tod

[Edoman]

Kogi CAN protests, tells Buhari to take decisive action or resign

 February 2, 2020
By
 John Akinfehinwa

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kogi State chapter, has urged President Muhammad Buhari to take decisive actions to save lives and stop the killing of innocent Nigerians across the country.



The state chairman of the association, Dr John Ibenu made the call on Sunday at a press conference at Chapel of Freedom International, Lokoja, to mark the three-day prayer and fasting declared by the CAN National President, Dr. Samson Ayorinde.

The national body of CAN had declared Friday, Jan. 31 to Sunday, Feb. 2, as days for special fasting and prayer for Nigeria in all churches, and to be rounded up by a prayer-walk in form of procession by all Christians to be led by States’ CAN Chairmen on Sunday.



According to Ibenu, “We call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to ‘Act Now’ to save lives. If he fails to act rightly and promptly, then posterity will judge him for standing with the enemy of the people. There must be no more sacred cows.

“Nobody is a singular custodian of ideas. When people are not performing the duties for which they are employed or appointed, they must give way for others to come in.

“In civilized societies, when people cannot perform, they voluntarily resign. Lives of citizens must matter and not political interest, patronage or sectional relationship.



”Kogi State CAN stands 100 percent by all position of National CAN. The three-day prayer and fasting we have done for the nation is a RESCUE OPERATION because even the government has acknowledged their helplessness.

“CAN is the most responsible organization that is saddled with the responsibility of taking care of the welfare of Christians and Nigerians at large. CAN stands with all governments for progressive partnership and will also hold any government accountable where there are lapses that affect people negatively especially Christians.

“CAN will not tolerate ineptitude and will not be silent because we must be the voice of the voiceless and downtrodden. We are the moral custodian and conscience of the society,” he said.



Ibenu stressed CAN’s position on the deteriorating security situation in the country saying ” they had been vindicated even by President Muhammadu Buhari when his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina quoted the President as saying “I was taken aback by what is happening”.

He then wondered the morality and spirituality of the same Special Adviser who attacked CAN last week for speaking the truth to the government, calling on Adesina to immediately apologize to CAN for his anti-Christ comments.

“On Jan. 29, 2020, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria took it further to repeat CAN’s position and the Minority Leader calling for the resignation of Mr. President.

“By this, everyone see that CAN is not insensitive but proactive and forthrightly bold in addressing National issues. We do not want the Federal Government to see this an affront but actually as lending a voice to help her sit up and take decisive actions to save lives and address the concern of Christians who are the most affected and the cry of Nigerians at large.

“The Federal Government can see that under the watch of the present Security Chiefs things are deteriorating further. These are indications that they have overstayed, Mr. President, please thank them and let them give way to others now,” he advised.

Ibenu stressed that the security of lives and property was the business of all hence the call for the involvement of other stakeholders must not be trivialized.

He advised that the federal government should allow states and other groups to get on board in the most responsible way, for the safety of all, saying, ”We must stop playing politics with lives”
He, therefore, assured government at all levels that CAN is ever ready to pray, partner and participate in whatever way that would bring peace, prosperity, and progress to our beloved nation, Nigeria.

”Nigeria belongs to all of us and nobody is a second class citizen. This nation is the gift of God to all of us and we must all defend her honour and glory. Jesus is Lord of all!”, Ibenu said.

[Edoman]

"Will Osinbajo Join?" - FFK Reacts To The RCCG Protest


The Redeemed Christian Church of God who had a nationwide protest as ordered by the General overseer was the attraction yesterday.

The protest which was led by the General overseer himself, Pastor EA Adeboye and other of his head pastors around the vicinity of their churches.

This got so many reactions as it trended yesterday, and Femi Fani Kayode also joined in as he commended the church for undergoing such protest.

He wrote...

Pastor Enoch Adeboye and RCCG are conducting a protest march against the killings in the land.I commend them & hope that they will find the courage to accept that they made a mistake by supporting Buhari in the first place. Will RCCG Pastor Yemi Osinbajo will join in the march?

https://mobile.twitter.com/realffk/status/1223931919546626050

[Edoman]

You are misinforming Nigerians with claims of Buhari’s administration paying ransom to terrorists selectively - Presidency warns CAN






The Presidency has warned the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to desist from misinforming Nigerians following its recent claim of Buhari’s administration allegedly paying ransom to terrorists selectively. 
 
This came after the Spokesman of CAN, Kwamkur Samuel was quoted saying that ransoms were paid to secure the release of Muslim Chibok and Dapchi school girls who were held hostage by Boko Haram. Kwamkur also allegedly accused the Buhari-led administration of having cold feet in paying same ransom when christians fell victim to same. 
 
Reacting to the claim, President Buhari's Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina described the allegation as "unfounded". He stated that no ransom was paid to secure the release of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls on March 21, 2018. 
 
The statement read; 
 

“We are again constrained to react to unfounded allegations by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) about the payment or non-payment of ransom for the release of the Chibok and Dapchi schoolgirls.

“Media reports quoted CAN’s Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Kwamkur Samuel to have said inter alia: ‘Nigerians need to know, if they have not known the reason why the Presidency could not pay ransom to rescue Chibok girls. It is because 80% to 90% of the girls are Christians.

The reason why Dapchi girls’ ransom was quickly paid and they were returned is the discovery that most of the girls were Muslims except Leah Sharibu who is still in captivity.’

“When the media in August 2018 quoted a United Nations Report alleging that the Federal Government paid a ‘huge ransom’ for the release of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls on March 21, 2018, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, immediately disputed the report, insisting that no ransom was paid, ‘little or huge.’ According to the Minister, ‘There must be a conclusive evidence to support such a claim. Without that, the claim remains what it is – a mere conjecture.’

“And we ask, ‘Who should Nigerians or CAN rather believe, if there is good faith?
“We urge CAN to desist from disinformation which can further divide Nigerians. The letter and spirit of the Holy Bible do not support discord, which CAN’s allegations are liable to cause.

“The Christian body need not be antagonistic to every attempt by the administration to move Nigeria forward, before it can champion or defend the Christian faith.

“President Muhammadu Buhari made it very clear in 2015 that if ransom needed to be paid to free the Chibok schoolgirls, he would pay.

That is a testament to his commitment to get the girls back.
“Notwithstanding our different faiths, we are all stakeholders in the promotion of peace in our fatherland. And the Holy Bible enjoins us to, “Seek peace, and pursue it”