2023: CAN Laments Leadership Failure, Prays For Peace, Security, Inclusive Leadership

By Frederick Peters, KADUNA

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA: The Christian Association of Nigeria,(CAN) Kaduna,state chapter has embarked on special prayers for peace, security and the emergence of the right leadership to deliver the state and country from several challenges bedeviling it ahead of the 2023 general elections.

CAN noted the failure of leadership as the bane of the greatness of Nigeria as a nation hence the need for all and sundry to close ranks and  do the needful by getting the right people into leadership positions to rescue Nigeria from imminent collapse.

Speaking to journalists, shortly after the Kaduna central zonal prayer on Sunday, in Kaduna, Chairman, CAN Kaduna State,  Rev. Joseph Hayab pointed out the need for the faithful and Nigerians to unite and elect competent candidates ,who would secure the country and ensure inclusiveness in the polity and deliver the country from the plethora of challenges

” One is the challenge of insecurity another challenge is that there’s so much division across the land. Nigerians have complained across board of the kind of nepotism that we find in the kind of way leadership is being constituted in this country, 

“And those are the key sensitivities that’s  making people crying and they are saying no, we want a balance, we want this, we want that. So because of nepotism we have incapable people leading Nigeria, or governing or carrying out one function or the other in Nigeria, which- is not helping us”

He further lamented how the people have lost faith in the process of emergence of leaders ” because we never allowed the process to produce the right people”

According to him, what Nigerians are now clamouring for are leaders who will meet their aspirations ” Nigerians are saying, we want competent leaders, inclusive leaders, leaders who understand the yearning and aspirations Of Nigerians and leaders who can deliver the goods and that’s just what we saying, so we will refuse any leader that is not competent even if he comes from the family Of Hayab”

The CAN Chairman however said  competence alone is not good enough, because the person must give every segment a sense of belonging” We will refuse every leader who wants to use competence and then he’s not loving and caring to other Nigerians, because Nigeria does not belong to only Christians, or Muslims, nor Nigeria belonging to northerners or southerners, Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians and every Nigeria must feel this country respects, appreciates and recognizes their existence” 

He further said ” lf we want to develop a true spirit of patriotism in Nigeria, we must make every Nigerian feel that this country belongs to him, the moment you do that you will be shocked at the progress Nigeria is going to make, but if we continue this suppressing and silencing others and thinking they don’t belong; they not are going to play a role and when they don’t play a role, then you are not going to have the best of leadership and we’ll all continue to suffer, So we are appealing to our leaders not to be blinded by sentiment”,

 On issues arising from Muslim-Muslim ticket and CAN stance, he said” we as CAN, we are not worried with some of  the things that are going on. We simply just made our point clear that we encouraged and advised that inclusiveness should be the order of decision of leadership, so people who feel they don’t need that have had their decision, and we say okay, you’ve taken your decision, but know we did warned you, that it’s not good for Nigeria, but now they are making it look like a competition of faith;

He pointed out that true Nigerians across faith tradition, across divide are talking about how to find a good leader, an inclusive kind of leaders and competent leaders for Nigerians, thus wondering those who are thinking narrow mindedly, adding that as a nation we have failed in the area of leadership and we cannot afford to fail this time around.

CAN  reiterated its position on one faith ticket saying ” we said no, we told the people here that on one faith candidate, we say no, we have 17 of them and none of have started campaign , I wonder why people are working themselves up,

” what we are doing now is to sensitizing our people to make sure the have their voters cards, their conduct before, during and after the election, so that’s what we are really going to do, we are not going to waste our votes, we are going to vote true leaders in Kaduna state and true leaders in nigeria, we are going to choose leaders that will unite , build a formidable nigeria so that our children can come and be proud of” he added

He further lamented the humongous amounts running into billions paid as ransom to kidnappers which would have been used to develop and build infrastructures in the state and country.

” we are talking about billions that have gone to criminals, so what we are simply saying is, if our government have secured us, we wouldn’t have given criminals that kind of money and I am even wondering which bank are they taking these monies and no body noticed them, that’s why we are asking so many questions, who is behind these criminals?

He charged the faithful and Nigerians to  close their ranks to fight insecurity, according to him the criminals whether, terrorists or bandits, are not more than us, saying ” since our government is not ready to pursue them to the bush ,so when the come to our community, we  must work out ways to pursue them” he stressed

He said the association has not concluded on who to vote, but have concluded who not to vote, saying ” when people apply, you look at the criteria of those who apply, some are knocked out by age, some are knocked out by qualifications, some are knocked out by certain indices, so for us we have knocked out some by certain indices and so it limits us on what we are going to do, so we don’t need to waste time 

” and that’s why they are sponsoring characters, parading and insulting us, adding that they would have proberly made an appeal, this is why, we took this decision, it would have sway us to look into their issue ,

” but to just start employing characters, Christians now know the difference between Christian leaders and opportunists, so you can wear gowns, bear titles, but if you are not still a Christian leader, you are an opportunists, and when it comes to Christians leaders sitting down to talk you’ll not be there there” he maintained