The Daniel Kolenda crusade team have tender a letter of deep apology to the Oyo State government after some of its members took awareness about the event to schools in the State.
The evangelism to school didn’t go well with the Oyo Muslim community who issued a press statement on Tuesday that its Muslim wards are being forced to attend the preachings and awareness for the crusade.
In the letter obtained by The Precision NG, the Chairman of the Kolenda crusade, Revd Israel Olaseinde distanced himself and the organizers from such action taken by those moving from one school to the other for preachings.
“We are sorry for this error as it was done without our knowledge and approval.
“We are sensitive to the religious plurality of Oyo State and will do nothing to disturb the existing harmony,” he said.
The apologies came barely 24 hours after the Oyo State Muslim Community issued a statement signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Alhaji Kunle Sanni and Murisiku Siyanbade alerting the government about the development.
The statement had read:
“For some time now, preparations have been in top gear to receive a German Christian Crusader, Evangelist Daniel Kolenda (successor of Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke), coming to Ibadan for a big crusade, tagged ‘Great Gospel Crusade’
“What’s bad about crusades? Nothing, really. But it is gross abuse of office for Pastor Chairman and Church Elder Permanent Secretary of Oyo State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), to watch, while for over two weeks now, the crusade teams have been going round schools in Ibadan to forcefully bring out students, coercing them to listen to christian preaching.
“This is very disheartening. On Friday 29th October, a crusade team was at Sasa Community High School, where Muslim students were deliberately disallowed from observing Jum’at by keeping them on a special christian evangelization assembly, specifically organised to mobilise them for the Kolenda crusade. Same has been replicated in many schools in Ibadan.
“It is unimaginable that we still find ourselves in this kind of situation, all because we have a Pastor TESCOM chairman, who is either forcing school principals to implement this crusade, or he is simply looking the other way or; just flagrantly disregarding the extant circular of the Ministry of Education outlawing devotions at school assemblies.
“The system is so bad that, the event is not even happening during the morning assembly, but rather, special assemblies are called when the students should be in class. Everyone is complaining that Oyo State is not doing well in public examinations. Are we not making it worse when precious teaching time is spent on evangelization? This is impunity.
“TESCOM Chairman should stop forcing Muslim Students into Christianity. It is not acceptable. H.E. Governor Seyi Makinde, please call TESCOM Chairman to order.”
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