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		Daily Independent Online.         * Tuesday, May 18, 2004. � Plateau/Kano crises: Obasanjo is an anti-Christ, says CAN �Atiku, Shagari, Maccido preach peace, tolerance   By Sukuji Bakoji (Kaduna), Uchenna Awom, Adetutu Folasade-Koyi, Don Bassey (Abuja) Augustine Madu-West (Kano), Onoja Audu (Jos) and �Gbenga Faturoti (Osogbo)   Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former President Shehu Shagari and the Sultan of Sokoto Muhammed Maccido, have added their voices to the condemnation of the recent ethno-religious conflict in Yelwa, Plateau State and the reprisal attacks in Kano. They spoke in Abuja on Monday,� on a day the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kaduna State took exception to what President Olusegun Obasanjo said during his recent visit to Plateau State over the crisis, describing him as �an anti-Christ who is being used by the Devil to ruin the country.� It condemned in strong terms the utterances credited to him that the state CAN chairman is an idiot and for saying �CAN my foot.� Speaking at a national workshop and book launch on The Life and Legacy of Shehu Usman Dan Fodio in Abuja, Atiku, Shagari and Maccido as well as many others� urged Nigerians to adopt the �live and let�s live� attitude of Dan Fodio. Atiku was the special guest of honour at the occasion. He called on Nigerians to restore their trust in the country�s leaders, saying that trust in the leadership has vanished. Shagari urged the present generation to learn from the lives of history�s great men and women, such as Dan Fodio. �Shehu Usman Dan Fodio believed in tolerance and co-existence and Nigerians should emulate him,� he said. Maccido appealed to those in leadership position to continually preach against intolerance to douse tension, adding that Dan Fodio stood for honesty and accountability while waging war against corruption. Meanwhile, Plateau and Gombe State Governments on Monday sent buses along with armed escorts to evacuate the indigenes of the two states from the crisis-torn Kano metropolis and environs. Gombe State sent a bus against Plateau�s two, as pockets of violence was recorded in the troubled city where scores have already been killed. Kano State CAN has condemned the state government�s burial of Christians who were killed in the violence in mass graves. It said Kano is no longer safe for any non-Muslims and confirmed that a woman who left a refugee camp to collect some cooking utensils from her residence was killed by Muslim youths in Kuma. In a press briefing on Monday, CAN Kaduna State Secretary, Rev. Joseph Hayab, lamented that the President has allowed himself to be used by the Devil, something capable of incurring the wrath of God the for country. His words: �Calling the chairman of CAN, Plateau State, an idiot and he said CAN my foot, these amount to serious dangers for this country. I am afraid, it appears Mr. President has completely derailed from his faith, this is because no true Christian will look at his pastor in the face and tell him he is an idiot. �For him to say �CAN my foot� is as good as Mr. President saying that Christianity is under his foot; that comment portrays danger for Nigeria. If Mr. President wants to destroy Nigeria, he must not use the wrath of God to destroy Nigeria. �We feel that Mr. President has failed and no longer has what it takes to continue to lead. He has gone out of his way to attack the church of God. It appears he is being used by the Devil to destroy Nigeria.� CAN called on Obasanjo to tender an unreserved apology to the association, even as it enjoined all Christians in the country to offer prayers for atonement of the sins of the President and the country. Plateau State CAN has also described the utterances of� Obasanjo as very provocative and a big set back to the peace process on the Plateau. An enlarged state executive of CAN, rising from a one-day conference in Jos at the weekend with a 10 points communiqu�, said Obasanjo�s outburst� indicates that he is not informed on the true situation in Yelwa Shendam. In another development, a high-powered delegation from Plateau State, comprising all 24 members of the House of Assembly, led by its Speaker, Simon Lanlong, has visited the National Assembly to lobby against declaring a state of emergency in the state. Last week, the House of Representatives rejected a motion to declare a state of emergency there. The delegation conferred with Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu,� House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Masari at a marathon meeting which lasted till Monday evening. Senators Timothy Adudu and Charles Niagwan, both from Plateau State, were also present. Masari said the reluctance of Plateau State leaders to end the conflict ravaging the state and its neighbours is the main reason why the problem has persisted. He warned that if the frequent troubles in the state are left unchecked, they have the potential of destroying the entire nation. The Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, attributed the problem to religious intolerance among the people in the North. Gambari, speaking at the official commissioning of ultra-modern central mosque built by Jimoh Oyedele Inaolaji at Ikire, Osun State, said peace has continued to reign in the West due to the tolerance that cuts across the three main religions.
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