Leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, yesterday accused Nigerian politicians of using terrorism for short-term political gains.
The outspoken cleric said things might never work in Nigeria, until leaders and followers accepted the truth.
Speaking during a peace parley between the Northern Christian Elders Forum and traditional rulers from the North, Oritsejafor noted that the greatest war confronting Nigeria today was the war against the truth.
The cleric noted that Nigeria was still experiencing the Boko Haram insurgency “because Nigerians are pretenders. They are always in the habit of running away from the truth.”
According to him, “As you strengthen this body, I urge you to reach out to those across the Niger so that a true national dialogue can begin. Share your experiences with your colleagues from the South and learn from each other.
“The greatest war we are fighting is a war against the truth. We hate and fear the truth. It is so unfortunate. Nigeria is not free because we are running away from the truth. Truth can be bitter, but when you swallow it, it becomes sweet. No nation can grow without embracing the truth.
“We are like ostriches. We are a nation of pretenders. We run away from the truth and expect our problems to just vanish. Truth has a way of creating a level-playing field for everybody. We must build a nation on truth. What is happening here is a bold step towards embracing the truth.”
He further advised the over 30 traditional rulers drawn from North-Central, North-West and North-East zones present at the parley to correct the misconception.
He said, “There was a time in this country, if you needed to call Ivory Coast, you will have to call France in order to connect with the person. It was a terrible system. In a sense, that is what has been happening.
“Let me say that when I was growing up, we were deceived to believe that everybody from northern Nigeria was a Muslim. We were deceived in a sense to think and believe that everybody in northern Nigeria was Hausa/Fulani. It was one Musa who lectured me and brought me out of my ignorance. So many people in the South are also ignorant like me. You may not know, but most Nigerians do not know that Christian traditional rulers from the North exist in this country”, he added.
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