By Anan Geolengs
The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, said the association has remained a prophetic voice of hope in the last 50 years.
Okoh said this on Saturday in Abuja at the 50th anniversary of CAN with the theme “CAN at 50: A Prophetic Voice of Hope”.
The anniversary is themed “Walking Together in Faith”.
Okoh, who took his Bible lessons from Psalm 78:1-8 and Ephesians 4:1-13, with supporting texts from John 17:21-23 and Ezekiel 33:7, said Nigeria has the unique distinction as the only country in Africa where diverse Christian traditions are united under a single ecumenical platform.
“Today, we have gathered with hearts full of gratitude for what the Lord has done for us. The faithfulness of God has sustained CAN in the past 50 years,” he said.
He said the story of CAN started in August 1976 when church fathers saw the need to give the Christian community one strong prophetic voice on issues of common interest.
Okoh said building CAN was not without challenges, as mutual suspicion, marginalisation and prejudices tended to weaken the association in its early years.
He said faith overcame the fears, as successive leaders widened the space to fully accept all church traditions with equal rights.
“At 50, all the church traditions are represented in CAN through the five blocs: Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria/Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN/PFN), Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) and TEKAN/ECWA,” he said.
He said CAN must tell its story to the next generation so that unity is not taken for granted.
Okoh said diversity must be received as a gift and used to build unity, citing Ephesians 4:3-6 on keeping the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
He announced awards of appreciation, including posthumous awards, for persons who served the church with various gifts, noting that some would be honoured on Saturday while others on Sunday.
He said in the past 50 years, CAN raised its voice on religious freedom, justice, good governance, corruption, insecurity, humanitarian services and national development.
“The next 50 years should be strongly marked by a prophetic voice that is more informed, more courageous, increasingly evidence-based and constructive,” he said.
Okoh said the image of the watchman in Ezekiel 33 provides a framework for the church’s public responsibility to remain morally alert on justice, human dignity, democratic institutions, peace and freedom of religion.
He said the church must speak for the vulnerable, including internally displaced persons, out-of-school children, unemployed youths, farmers affected by insecurity, women facing violence and victims of human trafficking.
He cautioned that the church’s public voice must be truthful, informed, balanced and responsible, distinguishing fact from rumour and prophetic warning from partisan opposition.
On church-state relations, he said it should neither be hostile nor submissive, but anchored on critical collaboration.
“Collaborate where common good requires it, challenge where justice requires challenge, commend where government does well and warn where government fails, while maintaining the church’s independence,” he said.
Okoh said the golden jubilee should be seen as beginning of a renewed national mission, urging government to govern well, protect the people, respect the constitution and account for public resources.
He urged the church to pray for Nigeria, serve the nation and demonstrate integrity and compassion.
He prayed for President Bola Tinubu, First Lady Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, the Body of Christ and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Speaking after receiving her award, Nigeria’s First Lady, Remi Tinubu, said fifty years of service to God and humanity in any organisation is no small achievement. It is certainly worth celebrating.
She added that, “Ephesians 4:4–6 reminds us that there is one body and one Spirit, just as we were called in one hope; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; and one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
“I pray that, just as Christ prayed for the saints, all the Christian blocs and denominations will continue to remain united in Jesus’ name.”
