Confessions of an ex-Oritsejafor voltron

by Mark Amaza

I have a confession to make: My name is Mark Amaza and I used to be a rabid voltron for Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

I would vigorously endorse all his statements and actions; in my eyes, Papa Ayo could do no wrong. Before you start judging me, let me say I have what I believe to be a very logical explanation for it.

Being a Northern Christian, born and bred in the predominantly Muslim North, I had almost gotten used to having my life under physical threat and being denied opportunities because of my faith. In between growing up in Maiduguri and schooling in Bauchi, I can count at least 6 religious crises which I witnessed; and in each of them, I knew people who lost their lives. I’ve also witnessed how so many people are denied school admissions, employments and promotions because they are Christians.

This is not entirely new to Nigeria. We live in a country where nationhood is defined more by ethnicity, religious faith or place of origin. The pervasive scarcity mind-set makes us corner all the opportunities for ‘ourselves’ so that the ‘others’ would not deprive us of it. This causes a lot of tension to simmer just beneath the surface, and in cases where the tension breaks out into open confrontation, lives and properties are lost. The side with more numbers or that is better organized then ‘wins’.

The great disadvantage Northern Christians had and still have is their lack of being politically organized, their docility and their inability to stand up and challenge injustice where it is done. It was made even worse by the fact that at the national level, the Christian Association of Nigeria rarely ever made any attempts to exert pressure so that the status quo in the North will change.

As far as I remember, the tenure of His Eminence, Reverend Sunday Mbang, Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, as CAN President, went by without any voice raised against the threat to the existence of Christianity in the North.

While Archbishop John Onaiyekan (now John Cardinal Onaiyekan) of the Catholic Diocese of Abuja was CAN President, the status quo didn’t change.

I remember when during the first clash between the Boko Haram terrorist group and government forces in July 2009, my church, the Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nijeriya (EYN) in Maiduguri was destroyed by the terrorists. Cardinal Onaiyekan came on national TV and announced that no church had been destroyed. We were aghast by such declaration while we were mourning the destruction of our home church. It was the same line that most of our media, especially those with extensive Northern coverage such as Daily Trust Newspapers toed.

It took an article by my elder brother that was published on Facebook and other sites that somehow got into the Archbishop’s hand for him to be in the knowledge of what had actually transpired. This is despite the fact that like every other state, Borno State has a local chapter of CAN. To my knowledge, Onaiyekan did not come out publicly to correct himself.

Then came July 2010 and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor was elected as the CAN President, even though he was also the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN then too. I remember how even while he was still only the PFN president, he made a statement at a service that no religion had a monopoly of violence, and Christians in the North would no longer allow themselves to be sheep for the slaughter. That made me stand up and take note of this man of the cloth who was bold enough to say such.

After he became CAN president, Pastor Oritsejafor endeared himself to me by constantly speaking up about what Christians were going through no matter where in Nigeria. He spoke about Christians in a remote village of Yobe State who were once under attack; he was on the ground in Wukari, Taraba State after a religious crisis in 2012. Finally, there was a CAN president who wasn’t ignorant of what we were going through in the North. This mattered like everything to me. For me, my white knight in shining armour had come riding on his horse. In me, a voltron had been born.

I consistently defended Papa Ayo at every turn. When he said ‘Christians should defend themselves in attacks”, I was not in the lack of how to explain the context in which he made the statement. When he consistently threatened the Northern Muslim establishment to rein in Boko Haram, I remained mum even though inside me, my opinion was at variance with his. The man breathed fire from his nostrils and that was enough to make whoever made life for my people and I a living hell to think twice before doing anything.

I also felt that hopefully, that would be the push we would need as Northern Christians to learn how to be vocal when things were not done right towards us because of our faith; how to organize ourselves and make ourselves to be relevant and not just numbers.

Of course, Papa Ayo’s views were not the type to go away without leaving controversy in its wake. Whenever he spoke, it became the subject of many newspaper articles and analysis. He was severally accused of ‘overheating the polity’, and was criticized of not being a ‘peacemaker’ like his predecessors. I brushed away all such criticism; to me, it was the talk of people afflicted by guilt and fear by his words. As for the comparisons with his predecessors, they were pacifists to a fault and I felt we needed some brawns and a hand showing force for once.

However, of recent, I’ve found myself second-guessing my blind faith in the leadership of Papa Ayo. No, it has nothing to do with the private jet he was given as an anniversary gift recently. It’s about his bellicose nature and the volatile statements he throws around which I used to admire. I began to ask myself, “What is he trying to achieve?”

I kept examining his statements such as the recent ones threatening violence for violence if Boko Haram doesn’t stop attacking Christians or the ones previously saying that no religion has monopoly of violence, implying Christians in the North would retaliate if attacked. I had to come to the sad conclusion that Papa Ayo has been missing it.

Inasmuch as I would admit that many times, Christianity in the North is under physical threat, threatening violence in return would do nothing to make us more secure. This is because if, God forbid, an all-out religious war should break out in the North, Northern Christians would find themselves between a rock and a hard place.

On one side, they will be facing an ‘enemy’ which exceeds them in numbers and political organization. In majority of the states most prone to religious violence, Christians are minorities and they are not as organized as Muslims.

On the other side, they would not have support from Christians in the South, mainly because most Southerners are of the belief that the North is entirely Muslim, and all the victims of religious crises on the Christian side are from the South.

I have lost count of the number of times that after meeting someone from the South, introducing myself as ‘Mark’, even discussed the Bible, that I am asked my faith simply because I mention my state of origin as Borno State.

So whenever I remember Pastor Oritsejafor’s talk of returning violence with violence, I ask myself ‘who will be on our side?’ Surely, not his flock, the bulk of whom are from the South and are prone to the misconception that there are Northern Christians; neither can all Northern Christians uproot themselves and move to the South.

Our best shot at building inter-religious harmony and peaceful co-existence in the North is about not only speaking up at each and every wrong done against a religious faith, but also lies in building bridges of dialogue and understanding. Flexing muscles at all times would only serve to widen the rift and make achieving such peace harder, or even a mirage.

Pastor Oritsejafor can do well to learn from his fellow clergymen, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto and Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon of the Anglican Diocese of Kaduna who have mostly devoted their work to building those bridges of understanding and dialogue between Christianity and Islam, while yet speaking truth even in difficult times. As a result, they have built for themselves enormous respect on both sides of the aisle.

Even more, he should learn from his opposite number, the Sultan of Sokoto and spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, who has distinguished himself as a maker of peace between the two dominant faiths.

Besides being criticized as being too close to government which makes CAN look like their appendage, Pastor Oritsejafor should also be made aware of the fact that his leadership of the organization over the past 2 and a half years has created more bad blood between Christians and Muslims instead of working to bring the two sides together.

The peace we need is not one that would be gotten by threatening violence at each and every turn.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Comments (12)

  1. Eyya. Its so sad. Wats goin on in nigeria is pathetic. Mark ur write up is so full of ignorance. Yet u said u live in maiduguri. Can u honestly tell me btwn muslims in maiduguri and christains in maiduguri who suffers most? Its so disheartenin wen u pple can’t see beyond religion. May be u ordinary christains won’t knw exactly wats goin on but am sure ur leaders are part of d conspiracy goin on against muslims. How can we be the victims and villains too. Does it make sense. But God is surely is d judge and the truth shall surely come out som day. I don’t thnk it make sense 2 attack another man jst bcos he is in anoda religion. Dat won’t help me in anyway. It will only lead me to hell fire. But who ever is attackin who. God shall surely judge. Ur CAN president even to som christains that will surely tell the truth is nothin but a cult leader. He is not d 1st 2 be a CAN president in nigeria. And when do u see muslim leaders attackin the whole christains no matter wat happens? But anyway ignorance is a disease. I skull in maiduguri too so am conversant wt everythn dat is goin on. But u must be blind if u can’t see d real picture of wats goin on. Peace.Eyya. Its so sad. Wats goin on in nigeria is pathetic. Mark ur write up is so full of ignorance. Yet u said u live in maiduguri. Can u honestly tell me btwn muslims in maiduguri and christains in maiduguri who suffers most? Its so disheartenin wen u pple can’t see beyond religion. May be u ordinary christains won’t knw exactly wats goin on but am sure ur leaders are part of d conspiracy goin on against muslims. How can we be the victims and villains too. Does it make sense. But God is surely is d judge and the truth shall surely come out som day. I don’t thnk it make sense 2 attack another man jst bcos he is in anoda religion. Dat won’t help me in anyway. It will only lead me to hell fire. But who ever is attackin who. God shall surely judge. Ur CAN president even to som christains that will surely tell the truth is nothin but a cult leader. He is not d 1st 2 be a CAN president in nigeria. And when do u see muslim leaders attackin the whole christains no matter wat happens? But anyway ignorance is a disease. I skull in maiduguri too so am conversant wt everythn dat is goin on. But u must be blind if u can’t see

  2. Mark, I believe your writing is most commendable. Helps to view issues in another perspective, especially from someone who’s seen it firsthand. Kudos.

  3. Dear brother mark, ur statements is contradictory, which one do we follow, been cold or been warm, u criticise onaikan, for been cold, now bishop ayo came hot, and ur also criticising him.
    Let me tell u, bishop ayo is de head os CAN, he is more of a target than any clergy, wen jesus was on earth, he is more of a target than de disciples.
    U made mention of sa‘ aad, as an example, people wen they plot de attack finish, they will come out side and start shouting peace peace, u suppose no more than i do.

    1. Lemme quote what Yasser Arafat said when he went to address the United Nations General Assembly with a rifle in his hand: “I come with an olive branch in my right hand for peace, but I carry the rifle in my left hand to protect the olive branch.” There are times you need to blow hot; other times, extend a hand of fellowship. While Onaiyekan was on one extreme of being cold, Oritsejafor is on the other extreme of constantly blowing hot. There should be a balance

  4. Dear Mark, you speak the truth! It is sad that southerners are detached from realities in the north of the country and yet are quick to argue. Pastor Ayo must mean well, but it is important for him to have a balanced and complete understanding of the issues Christian northerners deal with.

    Another thing though, Mark: this article is excellently written and carefully articulates factual issues, so you can be sure that whatever venom you receive for it stems from ignorance. God help us

    1. Mark has spoken well. Threathening violence for violence can never help us. Was that what Jesus taught us to do? The CAN president should take it cool right now.

  5. Mark,you have spoken the truth as you see it & I agree with you. We must hold ourselves to higher standards as christians & love those who despise us so they may come to admire the One we worship & respect us for it. God Bless Us All!

  6. I have read Mark’s article and frankly I don’t understand the venom that it has so far elicited.

    Mark wrote about his impressions which were not only balanced but commendable. Truth be told, it takes prudence to lead anywhere. And particularly to be the head of CAN in a religiously volatile country as ours. Constant antagonism, according to the author, has not and will not help Northern Christians who have been brutally butchered and assaulted over the years. It takes a lot to reach out to the other party – even though this might smirk of cowardice but in the end it’s deep wisdom in action.

    Mark grew up in Maiduguri, and as such, his submission is not merely anecdotal but rather an evolution backed by experience. Going by the comments here, I must commend Mark for the courage to voice out this controversial but nonetheless bitter truth.

  7. Rubbish……lame writer. You have no point. Kukah and Ayo are not the same. What is wrong if Ayo voice out his concerns at the rate xtians where killed and intimated in the North. If you are sincere with your assertions and claims, go and live in Borno.

    1. Dence, if you read the article well, I said I am from Borno, and I grew up in Maiduguri. My family is still there. You want me to tell you about religious crises? I have seen them, experienced them. My childhood friend was killed by Boko Haram a year ago, 16shots to the chest. My family had to move out last week cos someone sent us a death threat. I may be a lame writer, but I am definitely not claiming the things I have written here. Secondly, I never said Pastor Ayo was wrong for speaking out. Rather, I said threatening violence all the time is counter-productive

  8. I totatlly don’t get it here,at this stage of the crisis what do u expect him to say,with the way the christians are been killed in the north,its time somebody makes a loud noise,not just a noise but a violent statement,I guess his message has been received and would be delibrated on by those involved.nobody wants a religiuos crisis so are you saying he shld keep saying everything is fine when everytin is not fine…..pls don’t judge because you are here and he is there taking all the pressure,watching people die,children rendered fatherless……it is not easy to lead especially in a country like nigeria

    1. Slim, inasmuch as his speaking out is good, his constant belligerent messages causes a wider rift than present. As to my examples, Kukah also speaks out, but at the same time, he works for peace across the aisle. For reference, look for his sermon at the funeral of the late Kaduna State governor, Patrick Yakowa. That shoud explain my point.

      Now when you say ‘I’m here and the victims are there’, I’m not sure if you read where I wrote in my article that I live(d) in Maiduguri and schooled in Bauchi.

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