PRESS RELEASE
7/2/2022

The National Orientation Agency (NOA),Anambra State Directorate ,Awka, has presented two brand new National Flags as a mark of State Power and Authority, Peace ans Unity to the Anambra State Chapter Of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and its Sister Organization in the Islamic World in the State, Jama’atu Nasril Islam.

Receiving the the Flags during a brief ceremony in the office of the NOA Director in Awka,Barrister Charles Nwoji,the State Chairman Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN),Venerable Joseph Nweke,described the event as clear demonstration of concerted spirit of sincerity on the party of NOA in the Country.

The CAN Chairman, who is also the Venerable in charge of Onitsha Central Archdeaconry, Diocese on the Niger,Anglican Communion,said that the Church has discovered that the unabated troubles of the Country are being instigated by Politicians both at the National and State levels with a view to creating in roads for their Political activities to flourish in the Country.

He said that the Church has discovered also that trouble of the Country in terms of religious affiliations are equally from the Politicians, adding that no Archbishop or even Bishop ever has any grudge against any other religious faith in Anambra State and beyond.

The Anglican Clergy,who noted that the Politicians at the National level have succeeded in sowing the seed of discord in the Country so that their adherents would buy in and start fomenting trouble in various parts of the Country,called for existence of equity in the Country.

He noted that Anambra State was the first place in Igboland where Christianity landed in 1857 and made bold to say that since then through today that in Anambra State as a Christian Community that no Church is antagonizing any mosque or her Cleric anywhere in the State .

According to him,what matters in Nigeria today is who has the ability to lead the people out of slavery, saying that Nigeria has been in a colonial slavery for decades of years without a permanent solution to it.

 The affirmed that Nigerian Politicians have also gone into what he described as religious sentiment so that the people could vote them into power, saying that the whole scenario is boring as the Politicians use religion to shine to the detriment of greater Nigerians,calling on the Christian faiths and their Islamic brothers to work towards loving their neighbours as they love themselves.

 He stressed that Nigerians are not serious in choosing their leaders, rather they choose them because of the love they have for them, not for competency , pleading with the political class in the Country to minimize  training of tugs whom the use to cause mayhem in the Country.

On the issues on consumption of crystal meth and other dangerous drugs in this part of the Country by the youths and the modern grazing of cows in the Country the Venerable ,singled out the establishment of ranch as the only answer to the vicious herders/farmers clashes in Anambra State and elsewhere, calling on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to work towards imbibing the tenets of confidentiality of source in their information management to avoid exposing their informants to danger.

  Also the,State Chairman,Jama,atu lslam,and  the Special Adviser to the Governor on Islamic Affairs, Musa Bello Shelleng, thanked God for using  NOA to  organize the auspicious event,especially now the Country is facing a lot of challenges,pointing out that no Nation can thrive without peace.

The Chairman, said that the Islamic Community in the State and their Christian counterparts have been living peacefully for a very long time in the State amid the herders cum farmers clashes across the Country.

 He added that Governor Wiilie Obiano has tried a lot to minimizing the issue of the herders and farmers crisis in the State by constituting  Cattle Rearers Trust Committee, comprising Muslim Leaders,Heads of  Christian and Traditional Institutions in the State  with the mandate of handling any problem that might ensued between the Fulani herdsmen and the farmers in the State.

He noted that the Committee has played a vital role in containing the herder/farmers problems in the State, even stressing that signing into Law of  the Anambra State Prohibition Open Grazing Law  by Governor  Obiano has further curtailed the herders/farmers clashes in the State to barest minimum.

 Giving the background behind the event,the NOA Director, Barrister Charles Nwoji,said  that there was on-going  and  consistent program in NOA on ,"Building Of A People of Peace"which he said that has many trajectories.

.While describing CAN and JNI as no mean organizations in the Country in all location , the NOA Director, said that the two Sister Organizations weigh a lot of influence over their adherents,expressing the belief that if NOA could engage them meaningful that the Agency would have reached its target audience in the Society.

He opined that the a close assessment of the current situations in the Country has shown that each passing day that there must be a gory story from the herders and farmers in the Country,pointing out that the essence of the programme was to remind the participants that a lot is expected of them in getting the Society to come to equilibrium.

 According to him ,religion as a leveler is one thing that binds the people together, saying that it hardly dispute what the leadership gives out and urged the participants to key in the fight against hard drugs,Fulani/farmers clashes and religious bigotry and other social ills  in the Country. 

Present at the programme are the NOA Deputy Director Programmes,Sir Joseph Uchendu,his counterpart in the Department of Social Justice,Barrister Ifeoma Chijioke, Chairperson  Women Wing of  CAN in the State ,Barrister Mercy Ndubuisi,NOA ,Deputy Director Research Planning And Strategy,Comrade Flix Agbu,CAN Treasurer Bishop  Jude Godwin and the CAN Director  on National Issues and Social Welfare ,Reverend Ambassador Arinze Chukwuka among others.

 Official hand over of the flags to the two Sister Organizations by the NOA Director, Barrister Nwoji climaxed the event.

PRT Obiorah Anthony ,NOA Press Relations Officer.