The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Reverend Samson Ayokunle, has urged relevant security agencies to investigate the allegation against the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami.
Pantami has been in the eyes of the storm for about a week over his controversial Islamic teachings which reportedly lent credence to terrorism activities and killings – a stance which has forced a cross-section of Nigerians to demand for his resignation or sack.
The minister admitted making such comments but blamed immaturity and limited knowledge for his views back then.
But speaking during a press conference on the 108th convention of the church which will hold from April 24 to April 29 at the 37,000- seater auditorium Baptist International Conference Centre, BICC along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Reverend Ayokunle prompted security agencies to act.
“What is the State Security Service doing? What are the police doing? What is the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency doing about the allegation? Such allegations should not be taken with levity. It should be taken seriously especially if we have data, written evidence, implicating statements or whatever. Why have they kept quiet? The question should not be directed at me as I am not in the security sector and I may not have the best information about the situation. I don’t want to make any statement that is not informed. Direct your question to DSS on why they have not investigated the allegation. Or is there no basis for it? Once they come out on the basis of empirical evidence, the situation will be settled,” he said.
The cleric, who said the church will continue to pray for the nation and her leaders, expressed worry over the high rate of unemployment in the country, noting that Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.
The CAN president said such unemployed youths can be easily recruited by bandits and other criminal elements.
He tasked the government to mop up illegal arms and investigate the sources of such weapons into the country.
He also called on the government to recruit more men into the security agencies as part of efforts to address the insecurity in the country, lamenting that the number of security personnel per citizen is abysmally poor.
Dr. Ayokunle, who will be rounding off his 10-year tenure as President of the Baptist Convention, said he has no regret as he was not ambitious about the position.
“I don’t have regret about being called by the Lord to lead the Nigerian Baptist Convention for the last 10 years because I did not take this assignment as what I desired, as an ambition. No, I wasn’t ambitious about it. I wasn’t at the national leadership of this denomination when God called me. I was serving in a little corner in the church. It was God that took me there. So, any day that I wake up, I know that I am in the will of God for my life,” he said.
