The North West Zone of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has drawn the attention of President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to the composition of the North West Development Commission’s (NWDC) board, stating that it lacked inclusiveness.
Emphasising that governance is fundamentally about inclusiveness in serving the people, CAN lamented the non-inclusion of Christians in the North NWDC Board.
North West Zonal Chairman of CAN, Elder Sunday Oibe while stating this, posited that Christians form a significant population across all seven states in the zone.
“We are, therefore, deeply concerned that the government has recently constituted a board for the North-West Development Commission (NWDC) without including any Christian representation,” Oibe said.
He expressed sadness over development, stressing that it is unacceptable that Christians are not represented on the commission board. “We are saddened and alarmed by this this outright exclusion of Christians in the zone”.
Elder Oibe averred that while former President Muhammadu Buhari was accused of nepotism and favouritism in his appointments, “We now find ourselves raising concerns about what appears to be religious bias under the current administration of President Bola Tinubu.”
He emphasised that Christians in the North-West are an essential bloc in the Nigerian project, stressing that their interests cannot be ignored.
“We hereby call on President Tinubu to review the membership of the NWDC and ensure adequate representation for Christians in the North-West zone.
“We have indigenous Christian communities in all the states in the North-west – Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Jigawa, and Zamfara, all of whom deserve a voice on this critical commission.
“How can the interests of Christians in this zone be effectively protected without representation on the board?
“Furthermore, it is important to note that in many states across the North-West, Christians continue to face discrimination and marginalisation” he stated.
