…Gesture to be extended to Borno, Plateau, Benue, others.
by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
The distribution of relief materials to vulnerable people in northern region by Rev. Joseph John Hayab-led Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), 19 Northern States and Abuja, commenced Wednesday in Kaduna, beginning with Kaduna State.
The initiative, largely supported by Barnabas Aid Foundation, is targeted at 1,000 households of vulnerable people, especially the victims of bandits’ violence attacks like IDPs, widows, orphans and people with disability in Chikun, Kajuru LGAs.
Speaking to Journalists Wednesday at the venue of distribution, at Daraja Baptist Church Maraban Rido community, Chikun LGA of Kaduna State, the Northern CAN Chairman said the gesture would be extended to Borno, Plateau and Benue State and other States like Owo.
Rev. Hayab said the 9 different relief materials items, including bags of Rice, Beans, Maize, Gari, Ground-nut oil, Palm oil, Sugar, Maggi and Salts, are actually supporting 5,000 households in Nigeria within the two LGAs of Chikun and Kajuru.
He said “The northern CAN, as you know, has received support from Barnabas Aid Foundation for us to help our victims of violence attacks, vulnerable people among us and people with disability.
“And so, we are targeting two LGAs, and so we’ve actually selected 1,000 households to give them nine (9) different items like rice, beans, maize, gari, ground nut oil, palm oil, sugar, maggi and salt,” he said.
The chairman also explained that their understanding is that “the items will go a long way in bringing happiness into their homes in this season of Christmas, and would relieve whatever pains they might be going through,” and it’s also their ways of praying along with them.
“You know, we did a lot of prayers before we start, to let them know that someone cares about them, someone is thinking about them. So, thanks to Barnabas Aid for supporting us to do this.
“And this exercise is not just in Kaduna State, it’s going to happen in Borno State, it’s going to happen in Plateau State, Benue State, and then we picked one state, but still the Christian area in the north, we’ll go to all communities that were also affected by violence.
“So, likely in just a few days or a week’s time, we’ll be in Owo, but currently we are trying to reach out to the communities in northern Nigeria, and this is why we are here,” he stated.
According to him, the primary responsibility of CAN is to “stand for its people, defend their rights and speak on their behalf,” adding, “You know, you cannot be telling people that, ‘don’t kill them all times,’ when they are also hungry, and not thinking about their stomach.
“So, we are combining spiritual care, physical care, emotional care, social care, educational care, everything that will make our people believe that they are not alone. We care about that,” he said.
He said “Even though, CAN have done some of the things in the past, it was not in this magnitude. The current one came with huge magnitude. That means, we are actually supporting 5,000 households in Nigeria within this area of the communities in the LGA.
“If you estimate a household of five people or ten people, you can get the figure of the total people we are directly and indirectly supporting them. What else is there to say,?” he added.
Also speaking, Vice Chairman of Northern CAN and FCT, Rev Dr. Jonah Samson, said “CAN decided to organize this kind of gesture through the effort and the blessings of Barnabas Foundation AIDS, in reaching out to the disabled, based on the current happening.”
He corroborated Rev. Hayab (CAN Chairman), stating that the categories of people helped today includes those who went though persecution, displaced from their homes, some burnt down, as ‘Categories One,’ while others are the widows, orphans and people with challenges.
The VC quoted from the Holy Bible: ‘That He left His throne in heaven, He came down here on earth, that we might be safe,’ stressing that “Man was doomed for condemnation, and on the death row, ‘but for love Christ came that we might be safe.’”
“I thank the Barnabas Foundation for this kind gesture and for this ministry that God has given them. We pray that the Church of God will prosper greatly under their administration and supervision,” he said.
Beneficiaries were ‘carried away’ with lots of excitement, with some crashed-landing with loads of relief materials, making it difficult to pin them down (in their expressions of happiness) by newsmen, who sought interviews with them during the distribution exercise.