Nigeria

It's uncharitable to diminish the sacrifices of our military - Yoruba youths

Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 6:05 PM by Nnenna Ibeh

- The Christain Association of Nigeria (CAN) have been accused of diminishing the efforts of the Nigerian Military leadership and personnel

- Youths from Yoruba said some organisations have continued with an agenda of pitching the Christians against the Muslims

- The youths said these organisations paint the Boko Haram/ISWAP activities as an agenda against the Christian faith in Nigeria

Some Yoruba youths have said that it is uncharitable for any individual or group to diminish the Nigerian Armed Forces’ leadership as well as the enormous sacrifices of officers and soldiers in the war against terrorism.

The Progressive Yoruba Youth Congress (PYYC) said the Nigerian Military has turned the tide against the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist since 2016 hence deserve maximum support from Nigerians.

The socio-political group in a statement on Monday, January 27, said condemned remarks of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over recent happening in the country especially on the killing of the Adamawa-based preacher, Lawan Andimi by terrorists in the north east.

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The group called on CAN to desist from heating the polity through unguarded utterances laced with ulterior motives.

The statement jointly signed by Kola Salawu and Majekodunmi Omolola, the president and secretary of the group, PYYC commended President Muhammadu Buhari for providing the necessary succour to the military's top shots, visible in troops' morale.

However, the Yoruba youths were critical of some groups, CAN in particular, engaged in acts to divide the nation and demoralise the gallant troops.

PYYC accused the Christian umbrella body of partisanship, making unguided claims counter-productive in the fight against terrorism and capable pitching the Christians against the Muslims.

The Yoruba group, therefore, concluded that CAN and its likes who have failed to recognise the remarkable sacrifices of the military's leadership and troops in the frontline does not have the interest of the country at heart.

Alleging that the Boko Haram/ISWAP agenda is a politically motivated one, PYYC said Federal Government and the Military leadership have displayed a certain level of commitment in the fight against terrorism.

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The statement said: "The war against terrorism in Nigeria has received wide commendation from numerous quarters. However, some groups that ideally ought to be engaged in acts that would promote peace have been engaged in acts that divide us rather than unite us."

It said that the leadership of CAN have continued with an agenda of pitching the Christians against the Muslims by painting the Boko Haram/ISWAP activities as an agenda against the Christian faith in Nigeria.

"The Christian Association of Nigeria has fallen below expectations because it has instead elected to play politics at the detriment of providing sound counsel to the Christian adherents in Nigeria. If this is not the case, then one wonders how and why such an organization would label the threat posed by the Boko Haram/ISWAP group as a religious war," the statement said.

The group further advised groups and individuals to be guarded by public decorum in their conduct on national issues.