Dr Obadiah Mailafia in an Interactive Session with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)



On Friday 7 December Dr. Obadiah Mailafia was among the presidential candidates that were invited to an interactive session with the President and Council of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The event took place at the Christian International Denominational Centre in Abuja. The association invited about a dozen presidential candidates for an interactive session to exchange views on the state of the nation as we prepare for the 219 elections. In his submission, Dr Mailafia made it clear that the church has an important role in ensuring peaceful and fair elections and also prevailing on political leaders to govern with righteousness and justice. On his part, he expressed strong commitment to addressing issues of insecurity, poverty and human development. He called for unity between Christians and Muslims in advancing the cause of peace and collectively confronting the common ills that afflict all of us as fellow citizens of this great country. 

In a related development, Dr Mailafia has been told by some Northern Muslim groups that, although they believe him to be the best candidate in the upcoming elections, they are not comfortable by his criticism of killings in the North. I have made it clear that I embrace fully and wholeheartedly all Muslims and Christians as fellow children of Abraham. What I have never minced words about is my total condemnation of the bloodshed in the North, either by Boko Haram or by so-called herdsmen militias. I believe that the shedding of innocent blood -- especially children and women, including expectant mothers, is a curse on the land. Nothing will ever justify it, in my opinion. It is for me a matter of conscience and Humanity. On that one, I shall never ever compromise! For the peace that we seek, for the progress that we cherish, our New Nigeria must be built on peace and solidarity, human rights, the rule of law, freedom of religious worship, and on nonviolence and respect for the humane values of civilisation.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Requiem for Mother Dearest

Image
Where do mothers come from? I have always pondered this question. All humans come from planet earth, of course. But, what of mothers? They have this uniqueness about them that makes me wonder if they could only have come from earth like everybody else. For one thing, everybody that breathes on earth came out of a mother. Even the Pope, the President and the most powerful men and women on earth -- all those men and women of pomp and pageantry. Everybody must have done their plus or minus nine months in the womb of a woman. Every individual was nursed as an infant in the warm arms of a mother. Whenever you were hungry, mother was there. Whenever you felt fear, mother was there. Whenever you were in perplexity, mother was there. Mother was the one who would sacrifice everything to make you into a person of worth. My own mother was barely out of her teens when she married my father, a much older man. Mother was 19 when her first child was born. She said she was preparing for...
Read more

What’s love got to do with it?

Image
  Saturday 16 February was supposed to witness the first leg of a series of elections that will likely determine the future direction of our country. Unfortunately they were postponed to Saturday 23rd February. Last week also witnessed Valentine’s Day, precisely 14 February. St. Valentine dedicated his life to love and to helping others. Lovers the world over mark the day by re-dedicating themselves to each other and reaffirming their testimonies of undying love. I don’t care what you profess, the person you spend that day of all days with is your true love. And so it has always been for ages and ages, world without end! The stellar constellations may be telling us something by putting the elections in the same week with St. Valentine’s Day. Love and politics have more to do with each other than we imagine. It is said that electioneering politics is a form of warfare without bullets. It is also true that war is the continuation of politics through the barrel of a gun. ...
Read more

Shehu Shagari was a Good Man but not a Successful Leader

Image
Former President, Turakin Sokoto Shehu Shagari, passed away on Friday 28 December at the National Hospital, Abuja, after a brief illness. He was buried next day Saturday according Muslim rites. Eulogies have poured in from far and wide. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo, who handed over to him the mantle of leadership in 1979, describes the late president as “a unifying force for the nation" who died at time when his wisdom and experience were in dire need "to tackle the multifaceted challenges facing the nation”. On his part, retired military president Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida described Shagari as a “dependable bridge builder”, lamenting that, “Nigeria and indeed Africa, has lost a statesman and democrat whose wisdom, counsel, presence and experience and his sterling qualities of honesty and transparency are needed in these trying moments of our national life”. By outlook and comportment, he was the mild-mannered schoolteacher that he was by training a...
Read more