Nigeria Not An Islamic State, CAN Says, Blasts Buhari For Supporting Palestine

BEVERLY HILLS, May 18, (THEWILL) – The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned President Muhammadu Buhari to desist from lending support to Palestine against Israel in current hostilities raging between the two.

Accusing the Nigerian President of supporting the Palestinians since he came into power in 2015, CAN said Buhari should remember that Nigeria had always been a secular nation, despite the country’s “unlawful” membership of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).

In a statement issued on Monday by the General Secretary, Daramola Bada, CAN also took exception to the invitation by the Turkish President that Nigeria should identify with the Palestinians.

It pointed out that “millions of Nigerian Christians” actually threw their weight in full support of Israel contrary to the exertions of the government.

CAN said it fully agreed with the position of the United States that Israel owed itself the right of self defence when attacked.

The CAN statement reads in full: “We are worried that Nigeria which was wrongly labelled an Islamic State because of her unlawful membership of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) has been taking side with the Palestinians since the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari; hence why the Turkish President asked Nigeria to identify with the Palestinians.

“On behalf of every Nigerian Christian, we call on the Federal government to reverse itself on the support that has been given to the Palestinians to date. For the record, millions of Nigerian Christians are in support of Israel against the position of the government. We once again remind the Federal Government and the National Assembly that Nigeria is not an Islamic State.

“We call on the International community to intervene in the ongoing bloody actions in the Middle East without taking side if they truly wanted an enduring peace. We agree with the United States that Israel has the right to defend herself against external aggression. We see no reason why Nigeria should take side with either of the warring factions.”