CAN Re-elects Oritsejafor For Second Term

[TGD]

 THE Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has re-elected Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor for a second term. The re-election took place, last Thursday, in Abuja.

It will be recalled that early this year, the Catholic Church, which is part of the five blocs that make up the organisation stated that they have pulled out from CAN.

Stating reasons for the pull out, the Administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta, Monsignor Christopher Ajala, said, "the Catholic Church suspended its activities in the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), because the Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor-led CAN has derailed from its objectives and too close to the government, stressing that the Catholic Bishops Conference was not comfortable with the development, hence its decision to pull out.

"The Catholic Church took its stand before the aircraft was donated to Oritsejafor. But what the Catholic Bishops Conference is complaining about is the way they are running CAN, National, now that it is no longer meeting the goals and objectives of the founding fathers.

"CAN is now run as part of the government and we have to say no to that. If we allow that government will dictate to us on what to do and they won't take our advises serious. The Catholic Church decided to withdraw from the activities of CAN at the national level, but we are still part of the state level."

Declaring the results of the CAN presidential elections at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, the returning officer of the five-member Electoral Committee, the executive Secretary of Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mr. Kennedy Opara, said, "Pastor Oritsejafor scored 80 votes while his only opponent, Rev. Oyekunle had four."

The 82 accredited delegates drawn from blocs that is not part of the five that make up CAN overwhelmingly opted for the Open Ballot System of balloting because of its openness.

The electoral victory, which marked the second of a three-pronged exercise for Oritsejafor, who was give A True Servant of God Award by Christian Elders Forum of Northern States, NOSCEF, will, however, be ratified by the General Assembly of CAN scheduled for July 9, this year.

In what appeared to be an acceptance speech, Oritsejafor condemned the menace of the Fulani headsmen, saying it was part of the agenda to Islamise the nation.

He noted that the cattle herdsmen are illiterates who have been schooled in the art of using sophisticated weapons including AK 47 and others.

He put the blame on greedy traditional rulers in parts of the South, who collect cow gifts and huge sums of money in exchange for farmlands in their domains, which the Fulani headsmen use as bases for their nefarious activities such as raping of women and killing of innocent indigenes.

Urging Christians to be vigilant about the activities of this group of people, Oritsejafor said Christians are not against cattle rearing, but Nigerians can no longer continue to accept crude methods of grazing cows.

According to him, European and American citizens eat beef just as other nations of the world do, "but where in those nations do you find cows on the highway?"

Oritsejafor said, the headsmen should take their cows back to where they come from while grazing their cows in their homesteads, if they want to carry assault weapons, they are at liberty to do so."



The Guardian

[Shola Sholaz]

They feel he is the right man for it so the re-election makes a lot of sense to me. They've done very well by doing this