The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Rivers State Chapter has expressed delight and actually praised God Almighty for the unconditional release of the Nasarawa State Chairman of CAN, Bishop Joseph Masin from the kidnappers den recently.
The State Chairman of CAN, Most Special Apostle Stanley Dimkpa stated this recently in his message of felicitation on this year’s Pentecost and Trinity Sunday celebration in Port Harcourt.
According to him, “I appreciate and give God all the glory for the safety and release of the CAN Chairman. I thank God for his show of love and continuous gift of life, as well as His protection on all of us against the deadly COVID-19 Pandemic.
The Rivers Chairman also felicitated with all Christians, on this year’s Pentecost day, explaining that the event is another important one in Christian history being the day the Holy Ghost Power that birthed the Church was released upon the apostles and the fulfillment of the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He said, “this divine power is very essential in our Christian life, hence must be celebrated”.
Apostle Dimkpa further disclosed that the power is self anointed and thus does not need any assisted fetish material, concoction etc but comes only through faith in Christ, total repentance, submission and forgiveness of sins.
He said Christians must therefore shun every form of evil and do the right things to become beneficiaries of this said power. The CAN Chairman used the opportunity to encourage his fellow Christians to joyfully celebrate the day in their various churches or as directed by their families or denominational heads in strict compliance to the COVID-19 worship regulations.
“Brethren in the Lord, it is also my prayer that by the reason of this celebration, the Holy Spirit will revive the Church, Rivers State and the entire nation in Jesus Mighty Name-Amen”, he declared. On the reopening of churches by the Presidential Task Force on the COVID-19 with the directive that they should not spend more than one hour in their worship, Apostle Dimkpa described it as the height of insensitivity on the importance of congregational prayers and worship.
According to him, “the authorities appear to have lost regard to the power and mightiness of God. Without God we can do nothing but with Him even the coronavirus can be arrested as according to the bible, we are wrestling against principalities and power including the COVID-19 pandemic, just as God also assures us Christians that He will deliver us from all the noisome pestilence and our only hope lies in God”.
The CAN Chairman stated that it is the reason followers of Christ and indeed Christians cannot joke with their worship hours and prayers, adding that perhaps authorities have forgotten the efficacy and effectiveness of prayers in the religious activities.
The Christians leaders wondered the yardstick the Presidential committee used in reaching at such decision. “Have they been able to quantify the time spent on Bible Lesson, praises and worships as well as prayers?” he asked. We therefore say “NO” to the one hour regulation”, he stated.
He recalled how the churches had responded and complied with all the WHO and government directives to control the spread of the disease including the physical and social distancing as well as the curtailing the church members worshipping in a given auditorium.
“We also joined in setting up COVID-19 Committees to combat the health crisis and even provided palliatives by ourselves to indigent members in our midst without the support of the governments. Quoting from proverb 3:6, the CAN Chairman said in anything one needs to put God first, stressing that no matter how Nigerians prepared, without God there is nothing anybody can do to overcome the COVID-19 fight.
He used the opportunity to thank Governor Nyeson Ezenwo Wike who he noted, has not considered that type of restriction to churches in Rivers State which he wholly declared as a Christian State.
On the threat of the Miyetti Allah group, Apostle Dimkpa described it as an insult to the sensibility of Nigerians, urging the Federal Government, the DSS and the IGP to immediately arrest the group. He said the statement made by the group that Nigeria belongs to the Hausa/Fulani and that they have the right to dominate and rule the Country for ever is offending and capable of causing coarse in the Country.
“Nigeria is a diverse society with different ethnic and religious groups, so no one group should claim the ownership of Nigeria, adding that if they are not cautioned, some other group may take advantage of it and repeat same”.
The CAN Chairman recalled that the group has been so insensitive and continued to be linked with several Herdsmen/Fulani crisis and that it is necessary they are called to order in the interest and peace of the Country.
He also recalled that last week at Elele Community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, crisis was averted narrowly when some cows led by the herdsmen invaded and destroyed crops belonging to the villagers even at this economic hardship occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic.
Apostle Dimkpa reiterated his call to the Rivers State House of Assembly to enact an open anti-grazing law to protect farmlands just as it has been done in the Western Nigeria and the Middle belt and so save the farmers from this incessant attacks, destruction and killings which he noted, is obviously induced by the Miyetti Allah group.
