The announcement to hold a witchcraft conference in Enugu State has stoked the fire between the organisers and Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN members.
While the organisers are insisting that they will proceed as planned and announce a new venue soon, CAN members are kicking against the conference.
Director of the B.I.C Ijomah Centre for Policy Studies and Research, Professor Egodi Uchendu, said the protest and campaign by the Christian Association of Nigeria and Christian students in the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka would not deter them from holding the academic conference.
But, Anietie Ukpe, a senior pastor in Insight Bible Church, Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, holds a contrary view to Uchendu’s on the conference.
“What they want to do is to misapply the taxpayers’ money. The taxpayers have the right to interest themselves in how their money is spent. And we don’t pay taxes for you to use the taxes on frivolities. Who has any interest in witchcraft because it is not an academic discipline?
Hear him, “And, therefore, there is no way you can use the taxpayers’ money to fund such an event. At a time that several countries in the world invest in space technology, in the development of nuclear technology. Yet, the university wants to do a conference on witchcraft.”
Mrs Uchendu argued “Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right. CAN and others are free to express their opinions just like we have the freedom to have an academic conference on witchcraft.”
The professor of history said: “I’m delighted that the conference is generating the debate it should across the nation. Nigerians should look critically into the subject of the conference and identify how it’s impeding our national existence and personal experience.”
However, Ukpe who is also the director-general of Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation pointed out “It shows that the university itself does not understand the societal values and why we have a university. The institution should be driving programmes that could lead us to breach the technological gap and to turn Nigeria from being a developing country to a developed country.
“So, let us match to countries which have made great strides like the Asian Tigers, not to begin to undertake programmes that, no matter the way you look at it, cannot contribute to our national development, cannot contribute to scientific progress- it has no value, no intrinsic value at all.
“So, I am happy that the university community rose against it, the Enugu State people rose against it, the Christians rose against it and all that, because if we were to allow this, the next thing, the university will begin to do a conference on kidnapping, a conference on all kinds of ritual killings and human sacrifice. They should look forward not backward,” he added.
Ukpe is not alone in jabbing the conference organisers. Students, believing that witches and wizards would descend on UNN, during the conference, printed posters decrying the plan. They were joined by the Christian Association of Nigeria, which escalated the opposition and urged Christians in the South-East zone to embark on prayers to dissuade the organisers from holding the conference.
Moreover, Bishop Dr Goddy Okafor, the Chairman of CAN in the South-East zone, has demanded immediate call off of the programme.
Okafor said: “I call on all Heads of Blocks, State Chairmen and other Stakeholders of Christian Association of Nigeria South-East Zone to take up aggressive prayers against the planned convention of Witches and Wizards slated to hold on November 26 at UNN.
“This convention is not of God and must not hold in Jesus name, quoting Exodus 22:18 which says, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
“I hereby direct all Christian Churches in South East of Nigeria to take up lamentation and pray against this evil movement in all our churches this coming Sunday.
The conference billed to begin on 26th November at Energy Centre of the university has been cancelled yet.
