#EndSARS: CAN advices FG, makes case for youth
The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Dr. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, has urged the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, listen to the cries of the youth in the interest of all.
While encouraging Nigerians, particularly the youth, not to despair, the CAN President, said the federal government should know that the youth are formidable future generations and they should be catered for.
Ayokunle, who stated this weekend at the consecration ceremony of RevJames Bayo Owoyemi, as the president of the United Apostolic Church of Christ (U.A.C.C) worldwide, held in Akure, the Ondo state capital, also appealed to youth to give the federal government time to plan.
He said the youth of the country have woken up to show to our leaders that they are not an appendage to society.
Ayokunle said: “I want the government not to trivialise the voice of the youth but to ensure and work assiduously and make concrete plans for them in the developmental programme of the country, especially in creating an enabling environment for employment for the youth.
“With the way they have spoken, I also want to advise the youth to be patient because Rome was not built in a day. They also need to allow the government to have space to rejig things and make plans for them.”
He encouraged people to be steadfast in their prayers for a better country.
He said:” If any year is good, we need to praise him and if otherwise, we need to talk to him more on the need to make the year better for us.
“The situation of the country has shown to us that power belongs to Him and not to us. Any good we receive is not because we merit it. It is because of His grace. We need to be humble in our dealings with God. We need to appreciate him for the little we have so that he can open the doors for the plenty.”
In another development, CAN has cautioned the federal government against any form of clampdown on EndSARS promoters.
The CAN gave the charge amid reports of freezing the accounts of some Nigerians involved in the recent End SARS protest across the country.
However, speaking on the development, CAN said freezing of accounts, shooting and arresting of #EndSARS promoters would never provide the country the solution to the problem.
The national vice president of CAN, Dr. Joseph Alima, gave this warning in Enugu while inaugurating the new CAN executives in Enugu state.
Alima stated that Nigeria would only be saved by God’s intervention and urged Christians across the country to move away from formalised religion to a heart religion to salvage the nation from ‘disastrous situations.’
He pointed out that Christians are the salt and light of the nation and should lead the fight against evil in the land.
“We cannot surmount all these challenges without God. That is why I said there must be God’s intervention to save the country and the Church is said to be the salt and light of the nation. The church has to solicit for God’s intervention and he can’t look away from that.
“The church has been given the authority to fight and if it does not do that, we won’t have a solution.”
That is why we are warning against clampdown on EndSARS promoters. Government can freeze people’s accounts, lock and shoot people, but that can’t be the solution.”
Those inaugurated include: Emmanuel Edeh, chairman, Most Rev. Dr, Ernest Obodo, vice chairman, Barr. Onuora Okeke, secretary, Ven. Jonathan Agbo, assistant secretary, Rev. Peter Ibe, treasurer, Bishop Joseph Ajujungwa, director of ecumenism, Ezinwa Paul Ogugua, legal adviser, among others.
