The newly inaugurated ECWA President, Rev. Stephen Panya Baba, made the disclosure while delivering his inaugural speech on the occasion of his installation, at the Church’s headquarters in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
The ECWA President said:
“The population of persecuted Christians, widows, orphans and vulnerable children and the poor generally in our churches and mission fields has reached astronomical levels.
“Apart from natural causes and other socio-political factors like ethnic and tribal clashes, the murderous activities of radical Islamists like Boko Haram and some Fulani herdsmen who are jihadists, have contributed very greatly to the rise in the number of widows and orphans in many of our churches today.
“We are also still calling for intensified action by the Federal Government to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls and of recent, Leah Sharibu, who is being held captive by Boko Haram, for the singular reason that she has refused to deny her faith in our saviour and Lord Jesus Christ.”
According to him, Leah deserves a Nobel prize for her strength of spirit and courage in the midst of “pain and suffering”.
“We call on the international community to act on behalf of Leah Sharibu like they did Malala Yousfzai.
“Let us remember that peace is merely an illusion unless anchored on the bedrock of justice.
“Without justice in our society peace is a mirage, a fleeting shadow beyond grasp”.
“It is for this reason that I call on governments and authorities at all levels to ensure that justice flows like a river in our land by giving each citizen his or her due inspite of religion, tribe, creed or social standing. That is the real way to peace and progress.
“When this happens, the evils and wickedness that have plagued our country will be eliminated,” Baba stressed.
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