Oritsejafor attacks Politicians

President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor

President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has again come hard on political and traditional leaders in the country, accusing them of insincerity. “Nigeria is a country of pretenders,” he said. Speaking in Abuja yesterday during a parley between Northern Christian Elders’ Forum and traditional rulers from northern states, Oritsejafor stated that nothing would work in the country, until leaders and followers began to tell one another the truth.
He said there was still a misconception in the South about northerners and their religious leanings despite the fact that both the North and the South had existed since 1914. He urged the over 30 traditional rulers drawn from North-Central, North-West and North-East who were present at the parley to correct the anomaly. Addressing the traditional rulers, Oritsejafor said: “There was a time in this country, if you needed to call Ivory Coast, you will have to call France in order to connect with the person. It was a terrible system.
In a sense, that is what has been happening. “Let me say that when I was growing up, we were deceived to believe that everybody from northern Nigeria is a Muslim. We were deceived in a sense to think and believe that everybody in northern Nigeria was Hausa/Fulani. It was one Musa who lectured me and brought me out of my ignorance. So, many people in the South are also ignorant like me. You may not know, but most Nigerians do not know Christian traditional rulers from the North exist in this country.” Urging them to reach out to their counterparts across the Niger, Oritsejafor said such synergy would bring the much-needed peace that Nigeria needed at this critical stage. “As you strengthen this body, I urge you to reach out to those across the Niger so that a true national dialogue can begin. Share your experiences with your colleagues from the South and learn from each other. The greatest war we are fighting is a war we are fighting against the truth.
We hate, fight and fear the truth. It is so unfortunate. “Nigeria is not free because we are running away from the truth. Truth can be bitter, but when you swallow it, it becomes sweet. No nation can grow without embracing the truth. “We are like ostriches.
We are a nation of pretenders. We run from the truth and expect our problems to just vanish. Truth has a way of creating a level-playing field for everybody. We must build a nation on truth. What is happening here is a bold step towards embracing the truth,” Pastor Oritsejafor added.

SOURCE: THE SUN NEWSPAPER