Akwanga 2021 Conference Communique

THE NIGERIA CHRISTIAN GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP

COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE END OF THE ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE NIGERIA CHRISTIAN GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP HELD IN AKWANGA, NASSARAWA STATE.

PREAMBLE

The Nigeria Christian Graduate Fellowship, an inter-denominational organization, held its 46^th Annual National Conference and 24^th Anniversary of its missionary arm, the Africa Vision Tract House Society (AVTHS) from 25th August to 28^th August, 2021 at the Kini Country Guest Inn, Akwanga, Nassarawa State. Participation was both physical and virtual. The conference which had as its theme, THE KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD ARE BECOME THE KINGDOMS OF OUR LORD, AND OF HIS CHRIST (Rev. 11:15), was attended by Christians from different parts of Nigeria and it was addressed by anointed ministers of the Gospel, missionaries, development experts, political activists and investment experts, including His Excellency, Mr. Boni Haruna; Bro. Gbile Akanni; Dr. Obadiah Mailafia; Rev. Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam; Mr. Mike Itegboje and Prof. Vincent Anigbogu. It provided a forum for exhilarating praise and worship; intercessory prayers for the nation; inspiring expositions from the Bible and robust discussions of matters of national interest, including a political summit which focused on Politics and Governance in a New Nigeria: The Strategic Role of the Church.

RESOLUTIONS

At the end of the 4-day conference, the following resolutions were reached:

The Church:

The Conference affirmed the position of the Scripture (Matt. 13:44) that the Kingdom of God is a Treasure which every Christian must guard tenaciously in order not to lose it.
It reminded believers that the beauty and glory of the Kingdom of God cannot be compared with the ashes and transient nature of the kingdoms of this world; that is, the world system.
The Conference urged Christians to adopt lifestyle evangelism (Godly living) in order to win souls for Christ in their immediate environments; while stressing the need for unity in the Body of Christ, especially among leaders of various denominations.
In view of the poor state of the nations economy and its attendant high cost of living, the annual gathering enjoined Christians to prayerfully consider multiple streams of income and strategies for wealth creation.

Politics and Governance:

The NCGF took a critical look at the state of the nation and expressed deep concern about the ranking of Nigeria as the 3^rd worst-governed country globally, with a rating of 102^nd out of 104 countries of the world, according to the Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) report released in April, 2021.
The Body called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently address the high rate of poverty, infrastructure decay, poor funding of tertiary health and educational institutions, unemployment and under-employment plaguing the country.
The Conference called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to demonstrate transparency and fairness in the electoral process, especially in the area of creation of polling units, conduct of the continuous voters registration exercise and the issuance of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).
It faulted the position of the National Assembly as contained in the recently passed Electoral Bill 2021, which attempts to deny INEC of the legal power to transmit results of elections electronically; and thereby strip INEC of its independence guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and/or compromise the independence of the countrys electoral umpire.
The NCGF equally faulted the position of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), to the effect that INEC lacks the capacity to transmit election results electronically, describing it as misleading and contradictory.
The Conference urged INEC to assert its independence as guaranteed under Section 158 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Third Schedule of the same Constitution, which is the grundnorm; and to be steadfast, undaunted and undeterred in its effort at guaranteeing free, fair and credible elections for the country.
In line with the Holy Scriptures in Proverbs 29:2 and Matthew 5:13-15, the NCGF strongly called on Christians at all levels to take active part in the political process, in order to enthrone righteousness in political leadership.

Insecurity:

The Conference condemned in strong terms, the spate of insecurity in the country, which has resulted in the wanton killing of innocent Nigerians with impunity, persecution and genocide against Christians, especially in Northern Nigeria, by armed Fulani herdsmen, bandits, Boko Haram and other terrorists.
It viewed as worrisome the deliberate failure of the security agencies to arrest and prosecute the culprits of these heinous crimes even when their identities are known.
The Christian organization viewed these unwholesome developments as a deliberate attempt by the perpetrators to carry out ethnic and religious cleansing and impose the Islamic religion on Nigeria and Nigerians.
The Conference therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to respect, uphold and enforce the constitutional provision of secularity of the Nigerian State, and to bring to an end the mindless killing of Nigerians which has adversely affected the economy of the Nation.
Specifically, the conference called on the Federal Government to see to the immediate release of all Nigerians in the captivity of armed Fulani herdsmen, bandits, Boko Haram and other terrorists especially Leah Sharibu who has been held in the captivity of the Boko Haram terrorists since February 2018, on account of her refusal to deny her Christian faith and embrace Islam.

CONCLUSION

Finally, the Conference prayed for a greater Nigeria; and enjoined Christians and Nigerians at large to have faith in God and continue to remain resilient in their hope for a greater Nigeria where peace, justice, and prosperity shall reign.

Long live the Nigeria Christian Graduate Fellowship!

Long live the Christian Community in Nigeria!!

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!

(Signed) (Signed)

Prof. Chukwuenweniwe Eboka Pastor Onyenachi Nwaegeruo

National President General Secretary