The General Overseer of Christ’s Evangelical and Life Intervention Church, Kaduna, Pastor Yohanna Buru, has said that Shiite Muslims in large number which included women, children, youth and Islamic scholars were in a southern Kaduna church to felicitate with their Christian friends and relatives during the Christmas festivities.
The cleric said that every year, Muslims from various states in the North do come to the church and celebrate Christmas with them.
“Even this year, despite the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic and economic recession, Muslims in large number visited the church and joined us during the Christmas service to foster peace and unity,” he said.
Buru said this year’s Christmas sermon was focused on religious tolerance, forgiveness, better understanding, peace, love and unity among Nigerians, and the need for both Muslim and Christian clerics to be more committed through prayers for the nation, for peace, stability and the progress of the country; Muslims scholars, traditional title holders, peace ambassadors, stakeholders on peacebuilding from Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara, Zaria, Jos and others from local Government areas in Kaduna state, attended the service.
“They ate and drank with us, also we prayed for the country together, donated their offering during the servce like every other Christian that attended the morning service did,” he said.
He said the church really appreciated the presence of “our Muslim brethren and sistren that came in large number from various places to join us in celebrating Christmas.”
According to him, “last year, the number of Muslims tripled the Christians, and even this year, the number increased.”
“We are happy seeing our brothers and sisters joining us in today’s Christmas service, and this shows clearly that peace and unity are gradually coming back to the region after series of set back as a result of ethnoreligious, political killing that brought so many backwardnesses to the entire 19 northern states of the region,” he said.
“We must join hands together and pray to Almighty God to bring an end to corruption, banditry, terrorism, robbery, kidnapping and unnecessary killing of human beings in the region.”
“Our education, agriculture, health, and economy are facing a serious threat due to insecurity and other challenges bedevilling peace, stability in the entire region.”
“Until our leaders from the entire region including former heads of state/and various religious leaders and traditional title holders with scholars from various tertiary institutes come together and find out ways and solution to the current situation, that’s when the region would regain its lost integrity.”
In his remarks, a traditional title holder from Kurmin Mashi in Kaduna state, Mallam Rabo Abdullahi, said “we must be grateful to Almighty God for giving us the opportunity to be here today for Christmas celebration.
He called on Muslims and Christians to be peace ambassadors in order to promote peace and stability in the country.
While wishing everyone safe journey back home, he called on Muslims and Christians to pray for the Nigerian Army on peace mission all over the world.
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