BOKO HARAM: Church Attendance and Finance Drops

The Kaduna Diocese of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) said on Friday that worshippers’ attendance in its churches has dropped by 30 per cent. The Diocesan Bishop, Most Rev. Josiah Fearon, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the First Session of the 19th Synod in Kaduna, attributed the poor attendance of faithful to the current national security challenge.

  Fearon said the drop in church attendance had also contributed to a 60 per cent drop in financial support to the church through the offering of tithes and the Church fund raising for the development of projects. 

He attributed the decline in fortunes to the spate of attacks on Christians during church services.  “A significant number of our members prefer to stay within the safety of their homes rather than go to church and be bombed to death”. 

The clergy man said that the security challenge had adversely affected the entire North-East region economically, socially and politically.  Fearon flayed the incessant killings in some part of the Northern states, in spite of pleas from religious leaders, individuals and national and international organisations. 

He urged the Federal Government to urgently assist the northern state governments to implement the recommendations of the Sheikh Ahmed Lemu Panel aimed at restoring peace.  The Bishop said the panel had recommended that some form of financial assistance be given to all victims of the April general elections violence.  “This would enable them start all over again, even if on a small scale, it would convince Nigerians that this government is interested in their well-being.”

Fearon decried the indiscriminate display of wealth amidst hunger and recklessness in the spending of money meant for development projects and cautioned that “all these happenings in the face of poverty must stop.” 

He also advised political leaders to embrace discipline so as to encourage youths to be useful citizens.  The cleric admonished governors to search their consciences and begin to work for the well being of the electorate.  “Unless there is a definite attitudinal change on the side of our political leaders and politicians, they may not be able to control the present security challenge in the country.”