In Kaduna State, People Are Governed By Coercion Not Rule Of Law – CAN

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State chapter, has declared that the state is being governed by coercion and not rule of law as expected in every democracy.

The State Chairman of CAN, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, who stated this when he received in audience the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Pilgrim Welfare Agency, Mallam Yusuf Yakub Arrigarayyu, said that while it is a conventional practice Worldwide and accordance with laid down laws and practice, that government can only establish an agency through processes known to law, that of Kaduna State is through coercive method not known to democracy.

He particularly noted that it is only in Kaduna State that an agency of government would be established without any Bill passing through legislative process and procedure by the State House of Assembly.

According to him; “It is the conventional practice Worldwide and according to law and practice that if you want to do anything like establishing an agency, you don’t do it by being coercive, but send a Bill to the State House of Assembly. The House will have a first or second reading and then have a public hearing. We are stakeholders. A letter will be written to us and we will come as stakeholders and give our contributions on the issue supporting or against the establishment of the agency. Then, the House will vote on it. But, in Kaduna State, we are not being governed by law but by coercion and whatever is given to us, we take it and nobody will talk”.

Rev. Hayab specifically noted that the Kaduna State Pilgrim Agency which is meant to serve the interest of both Christians and Muslims has almost all the Directors practicing the same faith.

In the words of Hayab; “And you wonder if the state government thinks that the Christians are fools by not knowing what is happening. We should stop deceiving each other and fear God, because in all we do, there is God’s judgment”.

The CAN Chairman said that Christians in Kaduna State cannot afford to go on pilgrimage to Israel this year owing to the fact that they are at the receiving end of the kidnapping by bandits and other forms of criminality.

Hayab further said; “In 2019 when this evil of banditry and kidnapping started, within a short time, over 500 Christians were kidnapped and over N300 million was paid as ransom.

“CAN found out by issuing questionnaires and served about 1,500 Pastors for them to fill and tell us the number of members kidnapped, how much paid as ransom and those killed.

“So many things have happened in the state. Sometimes, we are forced to talk, sometimes, we don’t talk as if we don’t know and the establishment of the pilgrim welfare agency is one of such.”

“The issue of going to pilgrimage, to us at CAN is not the priority, our priority is how people can be secured and live peacefully. Christians in Kaduna state paid huge sums of money to bandits and I can’t see a group of Christians that have paid bandits millions of naira to again sponsor themselves to Jerusalem for pilgrimage. It is not about going to Jerusalem but it is about the restoration of peace in the state.

“Today, people think it is well in Kaduna but we can’t just stop talking about the kidnapping. You know very well that every day, things are happening. What we want now is how we can work together to restore peace in Kaduna and stop the pretense and face the reality of what is happening around us,” Hayab stressed.