By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Leaders of the 19 Northern states chapter of the (CAN) and the Federal Capital Territory have adopted a new name, now to be known as the (NCA), in what they described as a move to strengthen their regional identity and voice.
The decision was reached on Wednesday in after an exhaustive stakeholders’ meeting involving founding members and leaders from across Northern Nigeria. The body will also be addressed as the Forum of Northern Christians (FNC).
The development follows a recent public notice by the national leadership of CAN renouncing the recognition of Northern and Southern CAN structures as unconstitutional.
Briefing journalists at the Catholic Social Centre in Kaduna at the end of the meeting, Chairman of the 19 Northern Christian Association, formerly known as Northern CAN, Rev. Joseph John Hayab, said the change became necessary to establish a distinct identity for the northern body.
According to him, the association remains fully loyal to CAN and committed to its national leadership under CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh.
“We are CAN, we are Christians, we remain members of CAN. But when we speak about issues affecting the North, we need a unique identity,” he said.
Rev. Hayab explained that historical records indicate that the association originally began in 1964 in Kaduna as the Northern Christian Association before evolving into CAN in 1976 when southern Christian bodies joined the platform.
“Our forum now simply takes the name of our forefathers. We are Forum of Northern Christians, also known as Northern Christian Association. We have dropped the word ‘Nigeria’ to maintain a unique identity distinct from our national body,” he added.
He stressed that the change does not signal a break from CAN but rather aims to reinforce the northern region’s capacity to address issues affecting Christians in the area, including access to Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) teachers, educational opportunities, religious freedom, and equality.
“We have challenges that are too weighty to ignore. We will not be silent when our people are facing persecution or discrimination. We will stand to ensure equality in education, access to opportunities, and full constitutional rights for Christians in Northern Nigeria,” he stated.
A former National Secretary of CAN and founding member of the NCA, Elder Samuel Salifu, also confirmed that the NCA was established in 1964 in Kaduna and later metamorphosed into CAN in 1976 when it became a national body.
The association reaffirmed its commitment to the leadership of CAN nationwide and maintained that the existing state chapters of CAN across the North remain intact under the new arrangement.
