The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states has asked the federal government to withdraw the query issued to Odimegwu and apologise to him.


The Christian body said the call by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that the chairman of National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Festus Odimegwu, does not supervise the 2016 census was misplaced.


In a statement made available to THISDAY last night, the group wondered which part of the North the ACF was referring to, asking when the ACF became a political party that every time they will always dabble into politics?


The statement which was signed by its Public Relations Officer, Sunny Oibe, the body said: “There was a census that was conducted during the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s administration. Lagos was given a figure more than Kano. Then the late General Sani Abacha came and split Kano into two, making Jigawa and Kano States. As at today, half of that Kano is more than Lagos. So are we saying that Lagos is not growing, meaning that it’s only the core North that is growing?


“Before the 2006 census, we confronted the former chairman of NPC, Mr. Samu’ila Makama from Plateau State on why religion and ethnicity are not included in census matters to be able to ascertain who is who in Nigeria and the man was sweating. We wanted to know which tribe and religion exist in Nigeria and that these information must be included in census data. The man was sweating. The North then blackmailed and intimidated ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo that if the indices were not removed, they won’t participate in the exercise.


Why is it that it is always the North that is causing problems, claiming that they are in the majority but always afraid of coming out with a true figure that will enable Nigeria to plan well?


Odimegwu has not said anything worse than that of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. We Christians are always sacrificing because we want the unity of Nigeria to remain. We are also shocked that Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State went so far to intimidate Jonathan and the federal government into issuing a query to Odimegwu. Why did Kwankwaso not go to Jonathan to demand that a civil servant in the person of Sanusi who has turned CBN into an Islamic agenda be sacked?


“What Odimegwu said was the truth; the figure of the 2006 census was cooked to support and favour the core North. The Middle Belt was grossly undermined and we are not happy with that. Odimegwu has stated the fact of the matter. The coming census must be addressed in such a transparent way.


“The North is using all these as a blackmail for the 2015 elections. Obasanjo sacrificed for them, yet they opposed his third term agenda. Therefore, Jonathan should not allow himself to be deceived into sacrificing Odimegwu because of 2015 elections. The core North never voted for Jonathan and they will never vote for him. We know those who voted for Jonathan, it’s the minority Christians in the North who gave him the vote. When we put the figures together, we know the impact of our votes. Jonathan should therefore not be afraid of the majority. All things being equal, God will allow him to get re-election.


“The only solution to these problems is a national conference come 2014 to address all the issues in Nigeria where it would be determined whether we will remain together or peacefully part ways. We will not accept and agree with a situation where one part of the country will always be dictating for others.”


Similarly, an Igbo group, Orlu Council of Elders, has urged Kwankwaso to refrain from verbal attacks on Odimegwu, or be seen as espousing fraud and forgery.


Describing the governor's vituperative attacks on Odimegwu as unprovoked and unnecessary, the group in a statement titled: 'Governor Kwankwaso's Unprovoked Personal Attack on Chief Festus Odimegwu' and signed by its Secretary, Mr. Sonnie Hart Ibeh, said rather than condemnation, the NPC chairman deserves accolades.


The body argued that: "Since Odimegwu's revelations were undefended, honest people will see the governor's action as espousing fraud and forgery."


"The Orlu Council of Elders has read with utter disgust and condemnation the inexplicable vehemence of the attack by the governor of Kano State, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso on the person and office of Dr. Festus Odimegwu, the Chairman of the NPC.


"To unleash such virulent attack and denunciation on the chief executive of a very technical and sensitive outfit of the federal government for making an informed criticism of the work of his predecessors is most unfortunate," Ibeh noted.


While calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to discountenance Kwankwaso's utterances over the statement credited to Odimegwu, where he said previous censuses in Nigeria were marred by insincerity, the group advised that with his position as a governor, Kwankwaso "should conduct affairs as a statesman", adding that, "by his disclosure, Odimegwu has set a target by which he should be judged at the end of his tenure."

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/northern-christians-ask-fg-to-apologise-to-odimegwu/157927/

EEEEEEERRMMMMM I de come....