Don’t relocate Methodist Church, el-Rufai tells Prelate

The Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria (MCN), Dr Samuel Uche, has urged the Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, not to relent in his quest to restore peace and security in southern Kaduna.

His advice followed a plea by el-Rufai to the Prelate to reconsider his threat to relocate the church from the state.

Dr Uche, who was speaking with the governor in Kaduna, said that he should take the blames flying around as the price of leadership.

“We call on the people of Kaduna State to accept each other, to be tolerant, and to say no to violence. I have served in Kano. I do not see why we should fight each other. Nobody can Christianise or Islamise Nigeria.

‘Let us learn to live together in peace. Religion should preserve lives. Anybody who kills is a criminal. Those who sponsor killings should be arrested,” the prelate stated.

Dr Uche, who was accompanied by the Methodist bishops of Kaduna and Kano, said he came in solidarity with the people of the state.

“My church is affected by the violence in Kafanchan. We want your assistance with land to relocate the church and to rebuild it. We thank you for the plots of land you allocated to the Methodist Church in Abuja. I have seen your signature on the Certificates of Occupancy, and I know that you have nothing against the church,” the prelate stated.

el-Rufai thanked the prelate and his team for their solidarity with the people and government of Kaduna State in this trying moment.

“I visited your church in Kafanchan after the violence. We are willing to give you another plot of land in Kafanchan. But please consider using it to build an additional church. We request that you do not abandon or relocate the church from your present site. Let us not succumb to the agents of blackmail and division.

El-Rufai said that the government was committed to securing the area and promoting a return to normalcy.