CAN at 50: Church must challenge govt, defend Nigerians — Archbishop Okoh

…As First Lady urges Christians to sustain unity …Honours Gowon, OBJ, Osinbajo, others By Luminous Jannamike, Abuja President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, has charged the Church to challenge government failures, defend vulnerable Nigerians and resist political capture, declaring that it must not surrender its prophetic responsibility for the sake of political convenience. Speaking at CAN’s 50th anniversary celebration in Abuja on Saturday, Archbishop Okoh said the Church must adopt a more courageous, evidence-based and constructive approach to national affairs, holding those in power accountable while supporting policies that advance the common good. In his homily, themed “CAN at 50: A Prophetic Voice of Hope,” the CAN president said the Church must remain independent, morally alert and committed to speaking for Nigerians whose voices are often ignored.

“The Church must speak!” he declared. Archbishop Okoh listed internally displaced persons, children denied education, unemployed youths, farmers unable to access their farmlands because of insecurity, women facing violence and victims of human trafficking among those whose plight the Church must address. He warned, however, that speaking prophetically did not mean opposing every government policy or turning the Church into a partisan platform.

“A responsible watchman must be accurate. He should not raise alarm simply because he dislikes a policy or disagrees with a political leader,” he said. On the relationship between the Church and government, Archbishop Okoh advocated what he called critical collaboration, urging Christian leaders to commend good policies and challenge failures without compromising their independence.

“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. He said the next 50 years of CAN should be marked by stronger research, advocacy, institutional maturity and collective action, with greater attention to justice, human dignity, democratic institutions, religious freedom and the welfare of vulnerable citizens. Archbishop Okoh also urged Christians to preserve the unity that inspired CAN’s founding in August 1976, warning that denominational rivalries could weaken the Church’s collective voice…