A conglomeration of 15 churches in Northern under the aegis of TEKAN-Tarayar Ekklisiyoyin Kristi A Nigeria (meaning, Hausa, Fulani and Kanuri Christians) and Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), has commiserated with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on the death of its General Secretary, Dr. Musa Asake, describing it as tragic, saddening and painful.
According to them, God should give the Christian community the grace to cope with the pains that follow the death of Asake.
Leader of TEKAN/ECWA, one of the five blocs of CAN, Dr. Caleb Ahima, in an interview with journalists in Jos on Saturday, however warned against what he described “unholy plot to succeed him.”
He said, “The TEKAN/ECWA bloc of CAN has been so saddened by the death of the General Secretary of CAN. We call it tragic and the pains inflicted on us has no boundary. The suddenness of Asake’s death has left a lot of pains in our hearts.
“On behalf of the TEKAN/ECWA bloc in CAN, I send our special condolences to the ECWA arm from where he came, the entire bloc of CAN and indeed the Christian community in Nigeria on this great loss we have incurred.
“My words again, are these: those who seek God’s hands upon their lives leave everything in God’s hands. Life belongs to God, He gives and He takes, according to Job. We will only ask for His grace to cope with the pains that follow and to call on the Christian community to pray for the country, pray for ECWA, pray for the TEKAN/ECWA bloc and then pray that there will be no problem that may likely come up because we are in a situation where people assume that once you are dead, your seat is left vacant.
“Sometimes before you are even buried, people are already eyeing the seat. I think as Christians, such trains should not be seen with us. Somebody met me at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria in Jos yesterday (Friday) few hours after his death was made public, during the convocation and was registering his fears of what might follow the exit of Asake in terms of people’s desire and those eyeing the position of General Secretary of CAN.
“As Christians, although the Bible has admonished us to weep with those who weep, sometimes when we weep, we are also eyeing certain things. When the person said that, I was actually touched. I hope and I pray that it doesn’t happen in CAN.
“We honestly and sincerely feel with his family, feel with his church and pray that God will bring somebody whose posture on the position of General Secretary of CAN will give us more peace and comfort.”
Asake, born on September 15, 1952, in Ung/Rimi Bajju- Kafanchan in Zango Kataf Local Government Council of Kaduna State, died on Friday May 11, 2018, after a brief illness.
Between 1999 and May 2005, he was the General Secretary of the ECWA, with its headquarters in Jos, Nigeria.
“His last official assignment was the press conference he addressed few days ago on the incessant killings in the country where CAN called on Christians to embark on a peaceful protest with a view to waking up the Federal Government with the security agencies to its constitutional responsibilities. The burial ceremony to be anounced later”, Bayo Oladeji, Special Assistant (Media and Communications) to CAN President, Samson Ayokunle, stated.