Christians are marginalised in Kebbi —Ven Kanta, Kebbi CAN chair

Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kebbi State chapter, Venerable Ayuba Kanta, is also the Pastor in charge of St. Luke Anglican Church, Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State. In an interaction with AYODELE AJOGE, he speaks on the challenges facing the Christian community in the state.

YOU want the state government to dissolve the present Committee of Christian Pilgrims, and reconstitute it to assume the status of the Christian Pilgrims Board. Why is that?

At our recent courtesy visit to the governor, we informed him of the need for the government to dissolve the present committee in charge of Christian pilgrims and replace that with the Christian Pilgrims Board. Unfortunately, since this government came into power, we don’t seem to have benefited anything. Christians don’t have the opportunity to go on holy pilgrimage. The committee that has been in place has overstayed its usefulness and that was the reason we met with the governor. He was not the one that constituted the committee, but there is need for him to dissolve it and for a new one to be constituted. Since we came on board about a year ago, our people have been calling for the committee to be upgraded to a board, so that it can have impact on the Christian community as the board will have a chairman or an executive secretary, just as we have with the Muslim board. If you have a committee, it can only make recommendations; it cannot take decisions as it is just there by name. However, up till now, the government has not responded. I told the governor during the visit that he is running a non-inclusive government, as Christians are marginalised. There is no Christian in his cabinet; it is that bad. Although he claimed his cabinet is all-inclusive, we don’t agree to that.

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You complained about the deplorable condition of roads in Badariya area, where there is a concentration of churches. Has government responded?

It is very sad and unfortunate that there are no good roads, not only in areas where there are churches, but the entire Badariya area. However, the church areas are the worst-hit. This was why we told him during our visit to take advantage of the series of road construction going on in the metropolis to extend it to Badariya, since that area is part of the city of Birnin-Kebbi. You can see road rehabilitation going on here and there, but that area remains untouched. We can’t blame him for the neglect, because the previous administration neglected the area. However, it would be a landmark achievement for him if his government can work on the roads in Badariya. These roads are not only for the Christian community but for the entire communities of Badariya. Muslim indigenes also have houses in the area.

 

You also advocated that the Christian Religion Knowledge (CRK) be included in the government school curriculum. What has been the government’s response to this?

This is one of the issues I raised, but the governor lamented that he could not trace where the problem emanated from. He admitted that he remembered when Christian and Islamic knowledge were taught in all sectors of education in the state. However, that was just a political statement. For me, this is a conspiracy. This conspiracy against Christians has been on for a long time, but our people did not see the handwriting on the wall until lately, and the governor is not willing to do what is needful. I know the constitution gives every citizen the right to practise his or her religion without any undue interference. On that, I will not stop talking. I will continue to raise my voice loud and clear. The money paid to those who teach Islamic religion comes from tax payers and Christians are also tax payers. Yet, Christians being denied teaching about their religion. It is a gross violation of their fundamental rights. Another mistake they are making is that you cannot separate morality from religion; it is religion that moulds people. If you teach Christianity alongside Islam, it will engender good in the society. I cannot just understand the exclusion. For me, what they are doing is not morally right and we have left those leaders for God to judge them.

 

How far has the government addressed your request to provide Christians a cemetery?

As I speak, there has been no positive response from the government, an action that amounts to violation of our rights as Nigerians. Moslems have theirs all over the place across the state, but Christians don’t have where we can bury the dead. It will interest you to know that we have written another letter as a reminder, after that visit to the governor, but we have not got any response. We are planning to write another, and if there is still no response, we have a piece of land which we bought and which is located on the outskirts of the town and we will utilise it for that purpose. Since government doesn’t want to listen and reason with us, we will go ahead and apply to the appropriate quarters and most likely, make use of the land, if it will be suitable for us.