Nigeria is Having the Biggest Humanitarian Crisis Over IDPs- CAN President Cries Out

CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA :

The CAN President’s Introductory Address @ the Seminar Organised in Collaboration with the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative, USA on Reports of Insurgency in Nigeria.

Presented today, September 19, 2016 at the National Ecumenical Christian Centre, Abuja, Nigeria

PREAMBLE
I welcome you all to this conference which is the first of its kind since this administration came on board about two months ago. Thank you for finding time out of no time to come for this all important report which has to do with one of the most challenging things in our nation today, Insurgency.

PURPOSE
This conference is also about finding peace in the midst of  the  various violence going on in our nation.

You are all  aware of  the different types of violence we are experiencing today such as the violent attacks by Islamic Fundamentalists called Boko Haram, Fulani Herdmen’s  murderous  activities in Nigeria which is today classified as the fourth most lethal attack in the world. We have also the violence of kidnapping, armed robbery and so on and so forth.

PASSION OF FACILITATORS FROM USA

I want to thank the leadership of the 21st  Century Wilberforce Initiative which is led here by the Vice-President, Dr. Elijah Brown who is also the General Secretary of North American Baptist Convention. He is here with Nathan Wineiger to present to us the report  of their research  on Insurgency in Nigeria and how to build peace.

They came at their own expense. We need to be grateful to God for them.
They have the interest of our country in their hearts and want us to be a nation that knows peace again. May the Prince of Peace, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ lead us as different ethnic and religious groups to peace again in the name of Jesus.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER :
Knowledge is power. Many of us have been hearing about the activities of terrorists in Nigeria without documented statistical  idea of the impact of their activities.
This conference would afford us this opportunity and help us to watch out against terrorism. This conference would as well enable us to rise to the aid of the victims of insurgency in many internally displaced people’s camps all over Nigeria.

A GREAT CONCERN
This displacement is regarded today by many international bodies as the biggest humanitarian crisis/disaster in the world. However, the most disheartening thing about it is that it has not received substantial humanitarian response from the world, especially, the world’s most powerful nations as other disasters of smaller degree in other parts of the world.

APPEAL TO THE WORLD POWERS

I am therefore calling on the world’s powerful nations to come to the aid of Nigeria in seeing the end of insurgency. Come to the aid of many victims of insurgency in many internally displaced people’s camps or homes who are naked, jobless, orphaned, maimed or widowed. They are human beings and need your and our assistance  in order to bounce back to life again.

CONCLUSION
MY COMMENDATION TO THE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA

In closing, let me publicly once again as I have done elsewhere before now commend the unrelenting effort of the Federal Government of Nigeria, especially, His Excellency, The President, Muhammadu Buhari,  GCFR, in confronting Boko Haram insurgency frontally in order to restore peace to Nigeria.

Nigerians are completely behind you and our gallant soldiers on this and we are praying that very soon, Nigeria would witness lasting peace again. I prophesy that prosperity would be the resultant outcome in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Once again, you are welcome to this conference. May you be richly blessed in the name of Jesus Christ.

Rev. Dr. Samson Olasupo A Ayokunle
President, Christian Association of Nigeria