Friday Olokor, Jos

The Evangelical Church Winning All has alleged that higher institutions in the North have been denying Christians admissions into professional courses while Christians have also been denied employment on account of their religion.

ECWA also expressed concern over the activities of Fulani herdsmen in the country with a call on the Federal Government to explain why no conviction had been secured against perpetrators.

The church also said contrary to the claim by the government that it had technically defeated Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East, the orgy of violence had increased, witnessing the killing of residents on a regular basis.

These were part of the 10-point observations made by ECWA and contained in a communiqué signed by its President, Dr. Jeremiah Gado, and the General Secretary, Rev. Yunusa Nmadu, after its five-day Pastors International Conference, held at Bingham University, in New Karu, Nasarawa State.

The communique was obtained by journalists in Jos on Sunday.

The church also accused the federal and nothern state governments of orchestrating retrogressive plots against Christianity through deliberate denials of candidates of Christian extraction admission into professional courses in tertiary institutions, especially universities.

ECWA stated, “We have noticed with great dismay the negative happenings in our country, especially the northern part of this country. It is the issue of admission into universities and other tertiary institutions, whereby qualified candidates are refused entry on the basis of their faith especially into professional courses.

“This does not augur well for national unity nor does it promote the tenet of equity and fairness. Many Christians have complained and we see this happening in many universities and other tertiary institutions of the North. We challenge the federal and state-owned institutions to publicly publish the list of those offered admissions.”

The church also accused the federal and northern state governments of denying Christians employment on the basis of their faith.

“Closely related to this is the issue of employment, where again, many qualified persons are denied employment on the basis of their faith. As a denomination, we condemn these practices and call on the Federal Government to check these happenings as they constitute a grave threat to the unity of our dear country,” it said.

ECWA also threw its weight behind the calls for the restructuring of the country, describing the development as a “noble one.”

The church stated, “The recent call for the restructuring of our nation ‘Nigeria’ is a noble one. As an indigenous church, we are aware of the injustices that have created dissatisfaction among the Nigerian people. We believe that the only way to maintain our corporate identity, as one indivisible nation, is to restructure and promote equity and the enforcement of the rule of law.

“This restructuring might not necessarily be done in the way that people are suggesting; but we need a restructuring that is based on the foundation of equity and honesty where everyone is treated equally. We need to return to the ideals of our founding fathers so as to keep the nation moving.”

While also raising the alarm over the abduction and giving out of underage Christian girls into marriage by force to people “most times old enough to be their fathers,” ECWA called on the Federal Government to check the trend which it best described as “evil practice.”

It added, “The Fulani herdsmen emerged from nowhere and continue to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens in the central and other parts of this country. The silence of government in this regard leaves so much to be desired. It seems approval has been given by the government. If not, why has there not been any conviction in a court of law?

“The federal and state governments should be proactive and be up to their game of protecting lives and properties. A renowned Islamic leader, speaking on the Numan killings in Adamawa State, opined that the killings of the Fulani must be handled properly or else the worst could happen.

“As a denomination, we want to support the clamour for ranching rather than open grazing so as to reduce the constant clashes between the farmers and herdsmen.”

According to the communique, the North-East is experiencing increase in the killings of people by Boko Haram terrorists, who feel they have the right to take lives even without provocation.

“The government had informed the populace that it had curtailed the activities of this terrorist group. But it appears it has not been able to do so as the terrorist group continues to unleash their mayhem on innocent citizens in the north-eastern part of Nigeria,” it said.

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Not surprised