The National President of the Christian Association of
Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and the Sultan of Sokoto,
Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Monday clashed on the
unabated violence being unleashed on parts of the country by
Boko Haram.
According to the Punch newspaper, the two leaders
clashed at a meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on
Monday with special advisers on religious affairs from the 36
states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
It was gathered that the meeting, organised by the Offices of
the Senior Special Assistants to the President on Islamic and
Christian matters, was declared open by Vice-President
Namadi Sambo.
While speaking at the event, Abubakar said Islamic leaders
had “tried so much” to preach against the activities of the
sect, Oritsejafor said they had not done enough in reaching
out to the insurgents and making them understand the true
teachings of Islam.
It had “Toward synergising and interfacing in the religious
sector for national development” as its theme.
Abubakar, who is also the leader of the Jama’atu Nasril
Islam, had in his remarks said there was no problem between
Islam and Christianity. He argued that if there was any
problem between Christians and Muslims, such matter should
be dealt with at that level.
He heaped the blame on what he described as lack of
education about religions which breeds lack of trust and
sincerity.
The Sultan regretted that while Islamic leaders had continued
to condemn the insurgents, they were still being accused of
not doing enough.

This, he said, was not fair to the religious leaders.
He said he had personally gone across the globe to preach
peace and uphold the fact that there was no problem between
adherents of Islam and Christianity.
In his quest for peaceful relationship between the followers of
the two religions, the Sultan said he had written two separate
lengthy letters to the Pope and the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria.
He said when people were asking Islamic leaders to sit with
insurgents and discuss, they fail to note that the current
situation could not be compared to the activities of militants
in the Niger Delta.
Abubakar said, “In a situation where Muslim leaders
condemn insurgents and they will still be told they have not
done enough. That is not fair.
“We don’t tell ourselves the truth. Followers are not telling
the leaders the truth, and the leaders will think they are doing
the right things.
“If the governor in Sokoto is told that he should sponsor four
people to Christian pilgrimage, so be it. It is government’s
fund. If a land is needed in Kano for a church, they should get
it after following the due process.
“Muslim leaders have tried so much. I have gone across the
globe to say that there is no problem between Islam and
Christianity.

“We wrote to the Pope, the document is titled the Common
World – published in 2010. He replied us and since that time,
we have been having meetings.
“We also wrote to the ISIS to tell them that they should not
continue to do what they are doing in the name of Islam. If
we read those documents we must trust what we have said.
“If we don’t trust one another, we cannot move forward. If we
say one thing here and go back to our states to do other
things, we have wasted our time and resources.”
While urging followers to stop telling their leaders what they
want to hear, the Sultan said he and Oritsejafor had, two
years ago, written a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan on
how to end the Boko Haram violence.
He said he again called the President’s attention to the letter
when they were invited recently to an expanded meeting of
the Security Council.
The monarch explained that he had told the President that
they had done their best because they could only advise the
government.
He said, “Followers should stop telling the leaders what they
want to hear. We wrote a letter to the President on what to do
to end the scourge about two years ago.”
Abubakar also noted that religious leaders under the
auspices of the Nigeria Inter Religious Council had been
meeting and going round the country to interact.
He said members of the council had not been able to meet in
the last one and a half years because of insecurity.
The Sultan alleged that while they decided to move an earlier
meeting fixed for Gombe State to Abuja, the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation failed to release funds to them.
He said like every other Nigerians, Islamic leaders also feel
the pain of insurgency because one life lost, especially to
insurgency, meant a lot to them.
Mohammed reiterated his position that the insurgents were
not committing the atrocities in the name of Islam.

The Sultan advised that as the 2015 general elections
approach, politicians should carry out their campaigns
without reference to candidates’ religious or ethnic
background or colour.
Oritsejafor, in his reaction, commended Abubakar for writing
the ISIS, saying he had not heard about the letter before.
He however called on the Sultan to also write another letter
to the Boko Haram, which according to him, had killed more
people than the ISIS.
The CAN President said since Boko Haram members have
clerics they listen to, Islamic leaders must find a way of
reaching out to them and present the teachings of true Islam
to them.
Oritsejafor said the insurgents would not listen to him but
would rather kill him fast if he dared to reach out to them.
He said, “His Eminence said he wrote a letter to the ISIS. I
have to truly congratulate you for that because that was a
very good move. I didn’t know about it until now and I am so
glad it happened.
“But I want to appeal that you also write to Boko Haram
because Boko Haram is worse than the ISIS. They have killed
more people than the ISIS, they have caused more atrocities
than the ISIS, they need to be written to as well, it is very
important; it will help.
“I have made an appeal several times that there are some of
our leaders who must come together: religious, political and
traditional. They must come and discuss.
“I have been told that Boko Haram members , to a very large
extent, are very vast in scriptures. What scriptures do they
use?
“There are still religious clerics that they respect. If these
people are not presenting the right thing and are
misrepresenting Islam, which I agree it is so to a very large
extent, we agree that our brothers should reach out to them
so that the real Islam can be presented to them.
“They won’t listen to me, in fact, they will kill me faster than
anything else if I go to them, oh yes, that is the truth. I am
aware of that. In fact, as I speak, I know what is going on
around me all the time, so I know.”
According to him Oritsejafor, Muslims fall victims to the Boko
Haram sect for two reasons.
He stated that Muslims who are killed are those who
disagree with the sect’s ideology or those who refuse to work
with them by giving information.
The religious leader condemned a situation where all
churches in Mubi in Adamawa State and other places had
been levelled, adding that a situation where a state governor
would vow that he would not use government money to
sponsor adherents of a particular religion on pilgrimage is
uncalled for.
“The problem with gatherings like this is that if we are not
careful, it becomes an occasion for good photographs,
shaking of hands and talking very nicely.
“We don’t want to offend each other. Please let us offend
each other, we need to. Because if we don’t offend each
other, we will not tell each other the truth and that is part of
Nigeria’s problems.
“If you come out to say certain things, there are those who
feel you are rocking the boat but God is in the boat, the boat
will not sink.
“Let us talk to each other, let us tell the truth to each other,
let us not sweep it under the carpet.
“It is true that Islam and Christianity have no problem. I am
glad you (Sultan) said there could be problem between
Christians and Muslims.
“Why should a church in the North for the past 30 years not
get a Certificate of Occupancy? Any mosque or church in any
part of the country should be able to get C of O.
“Why is it that people will want to build a place of worship in
a particular part of the country and they will not get land?
“We must create a level playing field for everybody; we must
deal with everybody equally,’’ the CAN leader said.
Meanwhile, Sambo, who represented President Jonathan said
religion must be applied as a guiding light against the
backdrop of all the problems confronting the nation.
He added that religion must be used for conflict resolution,
sustenance of peace and the establishment of a just and
egalitarian society.
The vice-president said the activities of the insurgents would
not deter the government from positively transforming the
lives of the citizens.

http://www.naij.com/330824-sultan-oritsejafor-clash-over-boko-haram.html

@Op u try!
U copied from a newspaper without the source even the same headline

This kind of mediocre journalism leads to crisis, this is not a clash but rather two leaders with different opinions!!!

dimples2:
@Op u try!
U copied from a newspaper without the source even the same headline

This kind of mediocre journalism leads to crisis, this is not a clash but rather two leaders with different opinions!!!

U want source ba, there u hv it

mouth fighting.

Franchise21:
U want source ba, there u hv it

good.

Thanks Pa Ayo, another reason for APC to call him names. The Satan of Sokoto wrote to ISIS but don't have ink to write to his foot soldiers in borno. Smh

brownlord:
Thanks Pa Ayo, another reason for APC to call him names. The Satan of Sokoto wrote to ISIS but don't have ink to write to his foot soldiers in borno. Smh

That was referred to Emir of Kano n nt Sultan of Sokoto

Evathyst was here, should ds make front page....

brownlord:
Thanks Pa Ayo, another reason for APC to call him names. The Satan of Sokoto wrote to ISIS but don't have ink to write to his foot soldiers in borno. Smh

He Ayo is a satanic gun runner and a clannish pretender.

The sultan should have simply asked orisejefor to provide BH postal address since he obviously runs guns for them!

aurenflani:


He Ayo is a satanic gun runner and a clannish pretender.

I can feel your pains bro, but please they were not caused by Pa Ayo!
If on the other hand Pa Ayo is a gun runner may evil follow him, but if he is not but you insist he is when he is not, then may that evil follow you.

Say Amen, if you are sure of what you are talking about.

Cheers

They still hiding the truth. They will never speak the truth as long as boko haram do not touch what belong to them