Nigeria Christian Leaders Urge End Persecution And Better Constitution

constitution Tuesday, June 21, after appeals from church leaders to the government to end the persecution of Christians in parts of the African nation. Leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) submitted a memorandum to the NPRC "cataloguing cases of persecution and discrimination against Christians," Christian news agency Compass Direct reported.

PROMOTING ISLAM 

"While the Nigerian constitution professes a secular status for the nation, state governments in northern Nigeria are Islamic institutions whose main task is to promote and propagate Islam using public funds," Compass Direct quoted the leaders as saying.

12 northern states have implemented Islamic law. The memorandum alleges "discriminatory religious policies, including confiscating mission schools, hiring Islamic religious teachers, and denying land for church buildings."

President Olusegun Obasanjo was expected to receive the "revised constitution" shortly. “CAN is sad to say that most states in the North have denied Christians land to build places of worship. In some of these states [including Kano state], land has not been given or allocated to our members to build churches in the past 35 years. The denial of such land to build places of worship is a way of causing religious disharmony in the country and most especially in the northern states," the CAN said in a statement released by Compass Direct.

DISCRIMINATION CHRISTIANS

"Christians in the north have not been given equal opportunity in the state-owned, national media organizations to propagate or evangelize our faith. Even sponsored Christian programs are denied coverage in both state and national electronic media in states like Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina, among others," the Christian leaders added.

"As important as moral instruction is, CAN has observed that Christian students in most northern states are being denied teachers of Christian Religious Knowledge [in comparison to] the massive employment of Islamic teachers. This discrepancy is heightening tension in this part of the country," Compass Direct quoted the memorandum as saying.

In addition "mission schools have been taken over by the government without compensation. We demand that states which took over these schools should return them," CAN said

RELIGIOUS LAWS

The CAN urged the NORC "that all provisions for religious laws in the Nigerian constitution be removed, that persecution of Christians in the country be stopped, and that all Nigerians be given equal opportunity in the country," Compass Direct said.

The news agency added that President Obasanjo told on national radio and television in February that he believes the Political Reform Conference provides, “… one major chance that we all have to be part of history, to put all our cards on the table, to discuss as one family, engage in exchange of ideas, vigorous debate and innovative involvement in shaping the future of our nation.”

The reform conference has seven major issues on its agenda for discussion. These include the constitution, political parties, elections, judiciary, civil society, structure of government, and consensus building, Compass Direct reported. (With reports from Nigeria and Compass Direct).