The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has described the protest staged against the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch A. Adeboye as unfair, embarrassing and ill-motivated to tarnish his image.
National Director, Legal and Public Affairs of CAN, Evangelist Barrister Kwamkur Samuel Vondip, in a statement on Wednesday urged the protesters to take their protest to President Muhammadu Buhari and government officials to end herdsmen killings, kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminality in the country rather than attacking the man of God.
“The attention of the Christian Association of Nigeria has been drawn to the news of a protest led by some secular musicians against one of our highly- respected leaders of the Church, not only in Nigeria, but worldwide, namely, the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch A. Adeboye, over his purported silence on some unpleasant national issues and the call for his suspension from the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, (PFN).
“While we appreciate the concern of the protesters over the issues they raised and the call for a better nation, we strongly believe, as the umbrella body for Christians and churches in Nigeria, to which the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Pastor E. A. Adeboye belongs, that to single out one of our leaders and members, to say the least, is unfair.
“The entire exercise, in our view, was ill- motivated. The people who staged this insulting protest against a highly-reverred servant of God in the person of Pastor Enoch A. Adeboye are totally ignorant of the operations of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
“It needs to be known to all that for more than once, Pastor E. A. Adebayo has addressed the press and said that as a ‘man under authority’, he cannot speak on issues that CAN or PFN has spoken about, unless by the express permission of the two bodies.
“Our highly-respected worldwide, Pastor Adeboye is an unusually humble man and a man of the spirit, who has learnt to operate under authority in line with scriptural injunctions as a servant of God. He has said more than once that he cannot say anything again after CAN and PFN have spoken on issues.
“Any protest against Pastor Adeboye will be seen by us as a systematic insult against the leaders of the church in Nigeria. Why should any group of people think that it is their right to protest and demand that Pastor Adeboye should speak on the issues they listed when CAN and PFN have not spoken on them?”
Evangelist Vondip said CAN had visited and written several times to President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to work hard towards releasing those in captivity and address the insecurity that has claimed several lives in the country.
“For emphasis, if we go the memory lane, on not less than three occasions, CAN has taken many of the issues which the protesters were mentioning to President Muhammadu Buhari, requesting the government to do more to get the people in captivity released such as the remaining Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu, the captive of faith and El Zakzaki, the Islamic preacher that is still kept in detention against the ruling of the court.
“CAN has spoken to those in government, especially the Christians among them, who belong to our association, to speak for the oppressed like Esther of the Bible did, and defend the faith rather than explain away evils in order to protect their jobs and daily bread. On some occasions we have written to the National Assembly for their intervention to no avail.
“We further urge those who protested to direct their future protest at those in government who should do more to free people in captivity for no sin of theirs. They should direct their protest against the people in power to make the nation safer from the attacks of herdsmen, kidnappers, ritual killers, armed robbers, armed bandits and Boko Haram terrorists. We have no gun to fight our battles except to speak out as we have been doing and never at the same time give up praying to God who can do all things.”
