By Amen Gajira
Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA) has called on communities in the southern parts of Kaduna State to break away from a past of strife and crises and embrace peace.
“It is time to break away from the past; a past of strife and crises,’’ Apostle Emmanuel Kure, SKCLA’s president, said in Kafanchan, southern part of Kaduna State on Saturday.
He spoke at an annual Southern Kaduna Prayer Summit convened by SKCLA.
“It is time for us to begin to seek friendship and to build our land together,’’ he stressed.
Kure said leaving the past behind and embracing the future with hope had become necessary to allow the people to rebuild their land and to move forward.
“It is no time to begin to look for faults. We want to see the Muslims and other tribes that are settled in this area as partners in progress.
“It is time to move forward; and part of moving forward is to start rebuilding our institutions and to create new ones.
“The state governor (Gov. Uba Sani) is already setting the pace for us by setting up skills acquisition centres to move us away from the past,’’ Kure said.
He commended the Nigerian Army for its peace-building efforts in Southern Kaduna.
According to him, the annual event is convened to pray for Southern Kaduna and all her people all over the world.
In his remarks, the guest speaker, Rev. Israel Akanji, National President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, said it was encouraging to see stakeholders and communities in the area coming together to pray over their land.
According to him, 2024 will see a turnaround and progress in Southern Kaduna and in the lives of its people.
Akanji called on the people to work together to achieve God’s purpose for the zone.
Also speaking, Commissioner and Administrator of Kafanchan Municipal Authority, Mrs Phoebe Yayi, who represented Gov. Uba Sani, reiterated the need for communities to live in peace saying there could be no development without peace.
She appealed to religious leaders to continue to preach peace, unity and obedience to constituted authority.
She said Gov. Sani’s administration remained committed to creating an inclusive society where all citizens, regardless of their ethnic and religious backgrounds, would thrive and prosper.
The prayer summit which had: “Arise and Move Forward’’ as its theme featured song ministration and prayers for Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State and Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in recent years Southern Kaduna has been a hotbed of violent crises, leading to wanton loss of lives and property. (NAN)
Edited by Alli Hakeem
