President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the newly elected president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh. The revered cleric is also the General Superintendent of Christ Holy Church (Odozi-Obodo).
The outgoing president of the apex religious body, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, handed to the new president in a transition ceremony on Thursday which had several dignitaries in attendance.
Buhari, in his congratulatory message to Okoh, in a statement signed by his media aide, Femi Adesina, which was made available to PUNCH said, “Okoh’s election was a testament to his devotion to the Church of God in the country and beyond. It is also a proof of his distinguished vocation as a Christian leader and abiding commitment in promoting ecumenism and inter-faith dialogue.
“I value the counsel and spiritual contributions of Christian leaders to nation-building by encouraging, advising, strengthening, correcting and criticising those in authority.
“I prayed that the tenure of Okoh in this new phase of ministry would be marked with success, urging the blocs that made up CAN to kindly give the cleric every needed support to excel.”
He also sent his best wishes to Rev. Samson Ayokunle, the outgoing president of CAN.
Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, also sent his congratulatory messages to Okoh.
On behalf of Tinubu, his media aide, Tunde Rahman, said, “We are grateful that CAN as an organisation embodies these and other principles that reflect the values and virtues of Christ.
“We are glad that the new president of CAN, Rev Okoh, is a humane and kind soul who has dedicated his life to the betterment of his fellow man and is a person who will work with leaders of other faiths and beliefs to strengthen the bonds of unity, inter-religious understanding and tolerance while advocating for the benefits of democratic good governance for all Nigerians regardless of creed or belief systems.”
On his part, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state, who was present at the transition ceremony said, “I commended the Christian community for the peaceful conduct of the convention. It reflected the promotion of peace and unity that it preached.”
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