UYO – The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Akwa Ibom State chapter, has declared as false, media reports credited to Dr. Ndueso Ekwere, its chairman, that the Bishop Cletus Bassey-led executive of the association embezzled N100 million donated by former Governor Godswill Akpabio.
In a release issued by the state CAN Chairman and made available to our correspondent in Uyo on Sunday, the association said its last media parley was not organised to indict or accuse anyone, but to keep members of the public abreast with activities of the association.
Ekwere said the question on previous generous gestures by the immediate past Governor Akpabio, including his well-known N100 million donation however emanated from mischief-makers, who ended up misrepresenting his response to suit their twisted and malicious intentions.
“The attention of the state leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Akwa Ibom State chapter, has been drawn to malicious publications on the print and social media arising from his last media parley linking Archbishop Cletus Bassey to issues that were not discussed at the media parley we recently held.
“It was at that interactive event that the media probed into the use of the fund allotted for the building of CAN secretariat. The response of the chairman was simple: ‘We have set up a committee to trace the land donated to CAN by the previous government and see what project that can be done on the land in the name of CAN so that we can be somewhat independent.’
“In the meeting a documented communiqué arising from a meeting between the Hausa/Fulani leaders in Aks and CAN was read and shared to all media representatives who were there by the state CAN chairman as a major issue that needed more publicity.
“Rather than dwell on the issues on the front burner, some media pundits resorted to blackmail, figurative inexactitude, smear game and campaign of calumny as a bait to either increase sales of their mediated contents or score cheap political goals,” the release read.
The leadership of CAN, Akwa Ibom State while dissociating itself from what it termed ‘infantile misrepresentation,’ maintained that it would not shy away from any truth if occasion so demands, not minding whose ox is gored, but would not like to be misrepresented or misquoted at anytime.
Ekwere cautioned the media against reports which may heat up the polity, as the state and nation at the moment need prayers and continued support for the governor to finish his second term, as this has been the norm in the past political dispensations of governorship zoning and permutation.
The CAN chairman also sued for peaceful co-existence as a precursor for smooth transition and speedy economic growth in the state and the nation.
Ekwere equally used the medium to condemn the dastardly acts of killing Christians across Nigeria, and the Federal Government’s lukewarm attitude to the killings.
He stressed the need to prosecute the anti-social elements to serve as deterrence to other budding insurgencies in the country.
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