$9.3m South Arms Deal: Christian Group Slams Cardinal Okogie
BEVERLY HILLS, September 29, (THEWILL) - An Abuja-based Christian group, The Christians United Against Boko Haram (CUABH), Sunday in Abuja, took a swipe at former Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, over his comments on the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, saying he has no moral ground to dabble into the controversial $9.3million South African arms deal.
The group in a statement said it was during Okogie's tenure as CAN President that the country was led into the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), warning him “to be mindful of his words and avoid being used by enemies of the Body of Christ.”
In his reaction to the $9.3 million South African arms deal, Okogie was quoted to have criticised Oritsejafor for establishing a university and for allegedly romancing with President Goodluck Jonathan, saying it had totally derailed him from the essence of Christian leadership.
But in the statement titled : “Okogie: Those who live in glass Houses” signed by CUABH Executive Secretary, Deacon Olusola Oyedokun, the group described Okogie's attack on Oritsejafor's integrity as hypocritical and unbecoming of a man of his personality.
Warning that “those who live in glass houses should not throw doyens at the undeserving,” the group expressed disappointment that Okogie could compare his tenure to that of Oritsejafor.
“As CAN President under whom a secular Nigeria was taken to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Okogie has very little moral grounds to stand on to attack the integrity of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor whose name invokes apprehension in those who wish to entrench one religion over the other in Nigeria.
“We are surprised at Okogie for criticising Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor for opening a University and wonder whether Cardinal Okogie considers education as Haram. To recall that if opening universities was wrong, then the Catholic Church has participated in the wrong doing by being behind Madonna University.
'It is double standards for Cardinal Okogie to close his eyes to Madonna University and attack Pastor Ayo's University,” the group said in the statement.
The statement urged Cardinal Okogie not to act on rumour and innuendo with regards to the $9.3 million that was to be used by the Office of the National Security Adviser to buy arms, saying if people were to act on rumour and innuendo, certain people would not be able to explain exotic videos for which they were rumoured to have appeared.