A conglomeration of 15 Churches in Northern Nigeria under the aegis of Tarayar Ekklisiyoyin Kristi A Nigeria (TEKAN) on Wednesday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to make frantic efforts by ensuring that the remaining Dapchi girl (Leah Sharibu) and other abducted victims of Boko Haram are released.
TEKAN equally urged President Buhari to ensure that the looming food insecurity in the country is forestalled, by ensuring that killer herdsmen occupying farming communities’ lands are forced out without delay and also prevented from further taking over farmers’ indigenous lands.
This was disclosed by the body’s President, Rev. Caleb Ahima, while reading a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency meeting of TEKAN Executive Council, held at its headquarters in Jos, the Plateau State capital. TEKAN called on President Buhari to ensure that the security apparatus of the country is not used for partisan activities in the forthcoming general elections.
The communiqué reads, “TEKAN call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the immediate release of Leah Sharibu and other abducted victims of Boko Haram.
“TEKAN is sad that the activities of this Islamic terrorists have continued unabated and have brought untold hardship on Nigerians, particularly the Northern region of the country.
”The Church expressed its concerns about the increasing spate of kidnapping and called on government and security operatives to put an immediate stop to the dastardly act.
“The Church is worried about the pretentious attitude of President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government, as seen in the deaf and dumb attitude towards the continuous killings of Nigerians without providing visible, dependable and concrete solution to the attacks.”
On the high level of poverty in the country, TEKAN said, it is deeply disturbed at the, “excruciating poverty and hardship”, experienced by Nigerians, and called on government at all levels to ensure that the dividends of democracy put food on the table of the common man.
The Church called on President Buhari to provide adequate security to teeming Nigerians who are mostly farmers to return back to their farms to avoid “foreseeable famine in the land”.
On political activities in the nation ahead of the upcoming general elections, TEKAN called on the electoral umpire (INEC), “to not only be said to be neutral but be actually seen by good Nigerians and observers to be so”.
The Church said it is disturbed by the signs and utterances of political actors as they gear up towards the 2019 polls, and urged them to consider the interest of the country over and above their political interests, by being civil in their statements, saying that, “It will be a grave disservice to Nigeria, Africa and international communities if the 2019 elections fall short of acceptable standard.
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