The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has congratulated Muslim counterparts across the country as they celebrate this year’s Eid-el-Kabir.
CAN’s president, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, in a congratulatory statement signed by his media aide, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, on Monday in Abuja urged all Muslims faithful in the country to trace their steps to ‘Father Abraham’ and embrace love in order to stop killings.
Ayokunle urged them to know that no sacrifice was too great to promote peace, harmony, love, unity, forgiveness and accommodation in their relationships with those who are non-Muslims.
The statement read: “God must have reasons for allowing both Christianity, Islam to co-exist in the nation.
“We appeal to the adherents of the two religions to embrace peace and love.
“Once this is done, most of the ongoing killings in Nigeria will become history; after all Christians and Muslims traced their sources to Father Abraham.
“If we are both his children, what joy do we derive in killing ourselves? Abraham was a man of peace and faith, it is high time we followed his footsteps.”
He further expressed sadness with some northern state governments who would literally declare war and hatred on Christians.
“For example, most of them have it as a policy not to give Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) to churches with a view to denying them places of worship, when the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) allows freedom of worship and association.
“This is not so in the Christian dominated states in the South. This policy must be discarded to promote peace and unity.
“May God deliver our country from whatever bondage we are in and may the peace and unity of this country become the watchword of our leaders at all levels,” the statement added.
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