Nigeria: church in Kaduna donates food to local mosques in Ramadan goodwill gesture 11/08/2012
Rev Yunusa Nmadu and the Sarkin Dutse
On 9 August, the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Tudun Nupawa, Kaduna, donated food items to six mosques in the area in a goodwill gesture aimed at assisting less privileged families with their post-Ramadan feasts.
The handover of the Ramadan gift, which included bags of sugar, maize, millet and beans, occurred at the residence of the local traditional ruler Alhaji Shuai’b Balarbe, the Sarkin Dutse, Tudun Nupawa.
Commenting on the Ramadan gift, the Sarkin Dutse said that the kind gesture reminded him of the history of peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians during the era of the Muslim Prophet, Mohammed. He added that in response to the gesture, the local community now has a new responsibility of protecting the churches within his domain and would be urging all to rebuke any youths attempting to destroy places of worship. The Sarkin Dutse also admonished the government to reduce unemployment among the youth in order to give them a sense of responsibility and said that youths in his area must come together to resist intruders who try to cause trouble.
In response, the senior pastor of the church, Reverend Yunusa Nmadu, who led the Christian delegation, said, "We are here so that the world will know that we are of different religions but living together as a people and not as Muslims and Christians. People of other communities will learn from what has happened here today. We grew up together without any differences, our parents taught us to live together but along the way the relationship soured. We are here to let the people know that we are one people despite our religious differences, we love everybody".
In a comment to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Reverend Nmadu added, "We feel that we exist for the community in which our church is situated, which is 99 percent Muslim. In this era of mistrust, we seek to build trust. So this is our own peace building initiative. We decided to begin relating with people of our community. Perhaps by doing this we can also be true blessing to members of our community. The power of Love is unimaginable. As a church we are simply obeying scripture in loving our neighbours as ourselves. Love heals, love wins and love conquers."
CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said, "CSW congratulates the ECWA church Tudun Napuwa for this courageous initiative, which we hope will mark the beginning of greater engagement across the religious divide in that area, and which could also provide a blue print that can be emulated in communities elsewhere. In the midst of depressing news engendered by the Boko Haram insurgency, it is deeply encouraging to hear of innovative acts that aim to foster reconciliation, unity and peace."