AFRICA/NIGERIA - 40 days of fasting and prayer for the unity of the country

Friday, 13 October 2023 ecumenicalism politics dialogue

NIGERIA

2024-04-10
Nigeria questions the role of the military after the massacre of 17 soldiers in a village in Delta State

2024-04-03
The bishop of Sokoto: "Let us develop agriculture to give dignity to our people"

2024-03-25
Leader of the gang that caused the death of a seminarian has been arrested

2024-03-22
President of the Bishops' Conference calls for the release of independence fighter Nnamdi Kanu

2024-03-12
Mass kidnappings widespread: a criminal and political phenomenon rather than “religious”

2024-03-07
More than 200 pupils kidnapped from a primary school in northern Nigeria

Abuja (Fides News Agency) - "One of the things that caused tension during the last election period was the fact that many Christians in Nigeria were frightened by the idea that a President and a Vice-President, both Muslims, were up for election. Many were afraid but the fear has subsided", said Prof. Anthony Bature, President of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Nigeria ("CCRN") at the "National Solemn Assembly" (NaSA). The ecumenical platform, representing various Christian denominations in Nigeria, met at the National Ecumenical Center in Abuja and decided to call for 40 days of fasting and prayer for the good of the nation from Oct. 20 to Nov. 30.
NaSA representatives credited President Bola Tinubu, and Vice President Kashim Shettima for balance in government action and political appointments. "The President and his deputy have shown nothing but balance in the kind of political appointments they have made," stressed Anthony Bature.
Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu was elected president in February and took office last May 29. He is assisted by deputy by Kashim Shettima, also a politician of Muslim faith, subverting the unwritten custom of flanking a Christian president with a Muslim deputy and vice versa.This had raised fears that the "Muslim" presence in the administration of the federation would be strengthened after the regime considered by many to be clientelistic by his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari.
"Since the beginning of the election campaign, there were many prophecies of doom spread that Nigeria will burn and disintegrate, but Almighty God has kept us together in peace, in unity, in harmony, and brought us safely through the elections, and we now have a government that has been formed under the leadership of our able president, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his deputy, Senator Kashim Shettima," said Leonard Kawas, and General Overseer of World Harvest Ministry who led the ecumenical meeting. "By God's grace, we as church leaders have a duty, according to the word of the Lord, to pray for and support any government of the day, and as of today, we have a government in place. It is our duty to pray for the government, and it is our duty to encourage a peaceful atmosphere in the nation so that the government is able to do the job it was elected to do because meaningful progress cannot be achieved in an atmosphere of chaos," he concluded. (LM) (Fides news Agency 13/10/2023)