Left: Samson Olasupo Ayokunle (standing), president of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, presides at a session of the Christian Association of Nigeria, which he also leads as president Below: A Fulani herdsman with his AK47 rifle. These herdsmen have created much dislocation in Nigerian villages

In 1976 the military government called Christian leaders and told them of the need to begin to teach people about nationalism and patriotism, and they saw the church as the medium for doing that. It got the heads of churches together, including the Catholic Church, and sold the idea to them. It opened their eyes of the need for a Christian body. It was decided to form the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), an association of all the churches in Nigeria, formed by the Christian Council and the Catholic Church in Nigeria.

The Move to Full Ecumenism

Later they saw there were other denominations that didn’t belong that ought to be brought in, too. The African indigenous churches came together and formed the Organization of African Indigenous Churches. There was the Evangelical Church of West Africa, which has since been changed to the Evangelical Church Winning All, as well as about 13 denominations from the north. CAN now comprises five distinct blocs. The first bloc is the Christian Council of Nigeria to which the Nigerian Baptist Convention belongs; the second is the Catholic Church of Nigeria, which stands on its own; the third is the Organization of African Indigenous Churches; the fourth is the TEKAN/ECWA bloc, the Evangelical Church Winning All; and the fifth is the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria. All these came together to be what we call the Christian Association of Nigeria. There is no church that is excluded.

I was one of two candidates for the position of president

and was elected in June. The other candidate was from the Organization of African Indigenous Churches and me from the Christian Council of Nigeria. The inauguration was held on July 19 during the CAN General Assembly. The term is for three years and can be renewed for a second term. The Christian Association of Nigeria is a complex organization.

You have to work with leaders of different traditions. That’s like opening Pandora’s Box itself. You have to have a mix of intelligence and be guided from above. CAN is the organ or the mouthpiece for Christians in Nigeria,

to defend their welfare, their rights before the government, to be the link between the church in Nigeria and the government. CAN participates in many national services that have to do with the nation, such as the Independence Day Service, the Armed Forces Remembrance Service and any other service that is national. In conjunction

with the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims

Commission we plan trips to the Holy Land, Israel, yearly or twice in the year. Different groups go to strengthen and boost their faith. Faith becomes sight to let them know that the stories in the scriptures are not fables, they actually happened in history.

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We liaise with government in planning these pilgrimages to the Holy Land. CAN liaises with the National Assembly, the par- liament, to make sure that the legislative process is in line with the constitution and that the secular nature of the nation is maintained. CAN guards against the passing of antireligious laws

and speaks as the conscience of the nation when it matters. We advise those in leadership. Whenever there is a crisis the Christian houses of Nigeria call the political leaders together and offer them advice on what to do. It takes courage to be in this position. You must defend the truth, speak the truth. You must be the conscience of the nation. You must be courageous enough to stand for what is right.

Islamic Persecution

Nigeria has one of the highest concentrations of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world, though the world has not shown compassion toward them. The church in Nigeria cannot neglect their own. We ask the denominations to take responsibility for the different IDP camps by providing assistance and buying supplies.

One of the challenges facing the church in Nigeria is persecution from the Islamic faith. They have been killing our people, maiming our people. We are witnessing persecution as we have never witnessed it in our land. The situation is being neglected by the international community. The IDP situation in Nigeria is such that there is nowhere else for the people to go. There is another group, cattle rustlers who are Muslims from

the Fulani tribe. They speak Fulani, a Semitic language, as well as Hausa and are related to the Arabs and the Jews. They are from Northern Nigeria and are spreading all over West Africa. They don’t settle. These are men who herd and follow their cattle and sheep in the bush. They graze their animals on farmlands and consume everything that is cultivated by the farmers. Many are dislodged Boko Haram fighters from the north with AK47 rifles. The farmers don’t have weapons. At night Fulani herdsmen burn villages, most of which are Christian villages in the south. They are everywhere, as far south as Lagos. It’s a big problem in Nigeria.

The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council comprises Christians and Muslims. The head of the Muslims and the head of CAN are joint chairs of that council. They are in dialogue together on what will lead to peace. After we have consulted, both report to their respective members. The World Council of Churches (WCC) has adopted Nigeria as a place for critical attention. In March this year they established an international interfaith center for Christians and Muslims to form a body that will foster peace in Nigeria. WCC will be paying the staff.