Anglican Church not fighting El Rufai over cathedral – Primate

The Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh has said that the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) is not fighting Kaduna State Government over its decision on the St. George’s Cathedral in Zaria.

A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, said Archbishop Okoh stated this when he visited Governor Nasir el-Rufai at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House on Wednesday.

He dissociated the church from comments by the Right Reverend Abiodun Ogunyemi, the Bishop of Zaria Diocese on the matter. The statement quoted the primate as saying “the Church of Nigeria is not fighting with the governor and the government of Kaduna State.”

He said Bishop Ogunyemi had been cautioned and warned to desist from making utterances and writings that are tantamount to threatening the peace of Kaduna State and the nation at large.”

The primate said the Church of Nigeria is not partisan in the politics of the nation, adding that it believes in the biblical teaching to give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.

“We believe God sets up leaders and that the government of Kaduna State is in existence by the grace of God. The Anglican Church does not engage itself in fighting government; rather, it seeks fruitful ways of engaging the government for the benefit of the citizens of the land.

The statement said El Rufai explained that the decision to preserve the church was made since 2016 for its historical significance and that it is considering gazetting the cathedral as a historical monument.