MURIC kicks against planned Yoruba Nation Christian Association
By Peter Usman:/
Islamic human rights organisation, Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has kicked against the planned inauguration of the Yoruba Nation Christian Association, YORNCA by the Power Apostolic Church International, Ojoo, Ibadan, Oyo State.
MURIC, in a statement issued yesterday by its director Professor Ishaq Akintola described the event billed for tomorrow, Wednesday, July 28 as an act that “will give the impression that the agitation for the establishment of a Yoruba nation is a Christian agenda.”
The group, therefore, called on leaders of the Christians Association of Nigeria, CAN in Yorubaland to prevail on the leadership of the Power Apostolic Church International to shelve the inauguration plan.
It further described the inauguration plan as reckless, immature and an attempt to put the cart before the horse.
MURIC informed that letters of invitation have already been sent out to guests some of which it added were leaked and have gone viral on the social media.
The statement reads in part: “We assert that the inauguration of an organisation that bears the name of a non-existent ‘nation’ is, to say the least, reckless, infantile and an attempt to put the cart before the horse. Which one should come first, the ‘nation’ or the organisations that will be formed within it?
“Do we have a Yoruba nation already? Has the Nigerian Constitution which describes the country as ‘one indivisible and indissoluble Sovereign Nation’ been amended yet? Can you build an illegality on an illegality? Can you build something upon nothing? YORNCA or whatever it calls itself should therefore wait. It cannot exist in a vacuum.
“MURIC pays special attention to the last sentence in the last paragraph of the letter of invitation where the organizers gave the reason for forming the organization (YORNCA): ‘The reason being that, it is now we can catch our Land for the Lord. Shalom
“We find this sentence worrisome. Because it presupposes that the real motive behind the agitation for a Yoruba nation is to ‘catch’ Yorubaland ‘for the Lord’. Well, the cat is now out of the bag. All the noise about marginalization is therefore mere smokescreen intended to deceive Yoruba Muslims in particular and the general public in general.
“So, the question must be asked by rational people. Is the Yoruba nation project a Christian agenda? If not, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) should call the Power Apostolic Church International, Ojoo, Ibadan, to order. We are aware that CAN had earlier dissociated itself from all kinds of separatist and insurrectionist projects. That puts CAN in the right position and gives it the moral right to call any church which is promoting chaos to order.
“For the avoidance of doubt, MURIC does not consider the Yoruba agitators as enemies. But we disagree with their methods. They are becoming overzealous and they can only make things worse for the same people they claim to be fighting for. They must eschew violence, threats, blackmail, subterfuge, false propaganda, intimidation and coercion.”
