CAN crisis risies due to the report of VP Osibanjo, on his petion

THE word religion has its origin from the Latin words: Relegere (to unite or link) and religio (relationship, bond) and it means a link or a relationship between man and a being that exists which is greater than man. Man and religion are inseparable in all human cultures.

CAN President, Dr Samson Ayokunle

THE above and other extraneous reasons strengthening the bond of unity may have divinely inspired the founding fathers of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, to choose Jesus Christ’s pastoral pray-er as its motto: “That they all may be-come one” (John 17:21); avidly encap-sulating the beliefs or ideals of the institution.

Since 1976 when the august religious organisation came was birthed, CAN has not been so enmeshed in a credi-bity crisis as it is today as its Vice Pre-sident, Elder Professor Joseph Otubu has dissociated himself from the report of the committee appointed to investi-gate his petition against CAN leader-  ship.

In his response dated October 21 and titled: “Rebuttal of report of Apostle Bamgbola’s Committee to investigate my petition of CAN, Rev. Dr. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle”, the executive di-rector of Centre for Reproductive Heal-th Research, said: “My attention has been drawn to a report purportedly presented by a Committee led by Apostle Alexander Bamgbola, the CAN chairman, Lagos State to National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on October 12, 2018.

”I wish to dissociate myself from the report and the activities of the Com-mittee for the following reasons: The committee that was approved by NEC in July 2018 in my presence was a Rec-onciliation Committee. How it manipu-lated itself into an Investigative Com-mittee is unknown and unacceptable to me,” the CAN Vice President began.

According to Otubu, the report pre-sented by Apostle Bamgbola is another attempt to sweep fraud, theft, impun-ity, executive recklessness and violat-ion of CAN Constitution and the law under the carpet.

“The sham report of Apostle Bamgbola is not just similar but a repeat or re-enactment of the discredited PIC Com-mittee in July 2017. The National Christ-ian Elders Forum, NCEF had recom-mended to the National Executive Council, NEC of CAN that a special committee of NEC be set up to invest-igate the allegations of financial im-propriety and fraud but the CAN president instead summoned a PIC Meeting and handpicked a select committee of his choice to be chaired by the head of the CPFN/PFN Bloc.

“When the report of the PIC Committee was presented at NEC, members of NEC insisted on discussing the issues in full detail and getting to the root of the matter but the chairman of the committee set up by the PIC, the head of CPFN/PFN Bloc, perceiving that their whole game will be exposed, un-ceremoniously and in a very unpriest-like manner, staged a walk-out during the July 2017 meeting of NEC thereby stalling any further investigation of the matter.

“It was the inability of CAN to handle this issue satisfactorily, as a result of the committee chairman’s conspirat-orial strategy that is primarily at the root of my petition. For this crisis to be resolved, the issue of purchase of vehicles and diversion/conversion of money meant for CAN must be thoroughly investigated. It is evident, as has been severally admitted, that too much money has not been account-ed for.

”Like a Yoruba proverb says, “the corpse they are trying to bury, the leg is sticking out.” It is very sad that some “men of God” have no fear of God and no iota of righteousness in them. Only a thoroughly ungodly and perverted human being would seek to justify the crimes of Rev. Dr. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle since becoming the president of CAN,” he maintained.

The CAN Vice President then raised several pertinent questions: “Who nominated Apostle Bamgbola as the chairman of the committee? It should not surprise anybody that Apostle Bam-gbola was chosen to do this hatchet job. He seems to be an expert after clearing Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode in May 2017 that he did nothing wrong in throwing the property of Venerable Femi Taiwo to the street. Even non-Christians acknowledge that what the governor and his wife did was wrong. Apostle Bamgbola cleared them of any wrong doing.

”When the committee was approved to be constituted, who was chairman of the meeting of NEC? Should Dr. Ayokunle who was directly indicted in the petition chairman the meeting that approved a committee to reconcile or investigate him?

”When the committee submitted its report, who was chairman of the meet-ing of NEC? Should not Dr. Ayokunle have stepped aside and permitted someone else to receive the report, for whatever it is worth? Should Dr. Ayokunle, in a civilized Christian organ-ization, be a judge in his own cause?” he asked.

Continuing, he stated that during the sittings of the Bamgbola Committee, he was outside the country and did not participate in its activities, stressing that logically and legally, Apostle Bam-gbola had no right to present a report without discussing with the petitioner. ”Without interacting with the petitioner, Apostle Bamgbola said his committee has “investigated” and cleared Rev. Dr. Ayokunle! This is daylight robbery—-in the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth! This is shame-ful,” he maintained, stating “all my peti-tions against the fraud, theft, falsifying of accounting report, manipulation of audit report, abuse of office, and  other unprintable crimes committed by Rev. Dr. Samson Ayokunle as the president of CAN still stand.

“The allegations have neither been in-vestigated nor reconciled. Every attem-pt to sweep these petitions under the carpet is just making the situation wor-se. For the sake of the Church of Christ, I have no intention of backing down,” he noted.

According to Otubu, the 14 points in his petition include: Purchase of four second hand vehicles in Cotonou at a cost of N45 million; One of the vehicles, a Toyota Highlander SUV was purport-edly bought for N11 million in Cotonou while the actual cost in Nigeria is N5  million; What happened to N6 million on one vehicle alone?

*Appointment of an auditor in violation of Article 19 of CAN Constitution. NEC is empowered to appoint an auditor but Dr. Ayokunle usurped the function of NEC to appoint an auditor to audit himself and used N350,000 of CAN money to pay the auditor; By what authority did he appoint the auditor?; The audited account (January–Septem-ber 2017) presented by Dr. Ayokunle and the treasurer did not include the N45 million spent on vehicles in Cotonou yet the account was balanc-ed. Is this possible?

*The routine collection of money from series of state governors as president of CAN without accounting for and re-mitting same to CAN. All the funds were meant for CAN yet not a dime was paid into CAN account; The donation from Benue State governor was underdeclar-ed. In my presence, Benue State gave CAN N4 million but CAN president de-clared N1 million instead; Instead of paying this N1m into the CAN account it was shared amongst CAN officials. The CAN president informed me that my share was N200,000. I promptly re-jected and refused to collect the money. I insisted that it should be paid into CAN account. Till today, I am not sure that was done.

*Various violations of CAN Constitution by the CAN president; Compromise of the office of the late General Secretary of CAN and use of unauthorized per-sons to perform official functions of CAN.

*Collection and sharing of N25 million from President Muhammadu Buhari. The CAN president had denied publicly in Vanguard Newspaper that he didn’t receive any money from President Buhari. Meanwhile, the chaplain to the Vice President confirmed that the money was collected. Why would the CAN president lie to the Nigerian Church and the public? Those who collected the money are well known and confirm-ed that they received the money.

*The Acting General Secretary of CAN who had earlier been queried for re-ceiving a gratification of N500,000.00 during the questionable Cotonou car purchase deal, admitted that he receiv-ed N500,000.00 from the Buhari windfall. Rev. Akanji boasted openly that they collected the money and shared it in the usual manner.

Otubu is compelled by the deliberate and persistent attempts to cover up the fraud, serial violation of the Con-stitution of CAN and the law, executive recklessness and outright mischief being demonstrated by the CAN pre-sident and his collaborators to make all his petitions public so that Nigerian Christians can see the level of corrupt-ion that the leadership of the Body of Christ in Nigeria has descended to.

“As a minister of the gospel in addition to my professional calling, I have zero tolerance for corruption and such vices that undermine Christian testimony. I urge all Nigerian Christians to remain steadfast on truth and righteousness. God is not impressed with anyone’s title or position in the church,” he added.

On his involvement with the National Christian Elder’s Forum, NCEF, (which was a basis of the CAN president’s accusation that he’s been conniving with the NCEF to sabotage him), Prof. Otubu said: “For the avoidance of doubt, I was officially invited by CAN and inaugurated along with others including the late General Secretary of CAN, Rev. Dr. Musa Asake, Archbishop Magnus Atilade and others represent-ing CAN, as members of that body by the immediate past president of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor on January 15, 2015, before my election as CAN Vice President in July 2016.

“There is no way my membership of that body was intended to undermine the leadership of CAN. The NCEF has never and will never sabotage or under-mine CAN. On the contrary, it is Dr. Ayokunle who has sought to undermine the NCEF. It is on record that when all the crises started brewing, the NCEF made, at least, three interventions according to its mandate. Dr Ayokunle frustrated it all.

“In one of the reports of the mediating committee of the NCEF, it was record-ed thus: On July 25, 2017, a delegation of the NCEF met with the CAN presi-dent. After discussing with the CAN president, the Christian Elders review-ed developments in the CAN and in the minutes of their meeting noted thus: ‘The Elders expressed sadness at the attitude of the CAN president and con-sidered withdrawing intervention on issues that involve him. The Elders were shocked at the unwillingness of the CAN president to accept correction and advice’.”

Maintaining that such was the experience of the NCEF, Prof. Otubu therefore urged Nigerian Christians to persuade the NCEF to make public all the reports of their mediations and in-teraction with the CAN president to make for better appreciation of the seriousness of the situation at hand.

According to the expert in Reproduct-ive Endocrinology and Infertility, his determination and resolve to fight this battle to redeem the image of the leadership of CAN is unwavering, hoping ”I will not be compelled to resort to the civil legal process.”