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Despite a denial by the national leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that it did not receive a seven billion Naira bribe from President Goodluck Jonathan, the pastor who broke the story last week insists the association was bribed.
And he says some people within the leadership have called him to confess that his story was true and that what happened was wrong.
Addressing a well-attended press conference in Kaduna on Tuesday, Pastor Kallamu Musa Dikwa, who heads the Voice of Northern Christian Movement, declared that there were a lot of shenanigans in the present leadership of CAN, accusing it of betraying the vision of its founding fathers.
Dikwa reiterated that the CAN leadership received the funds on 21st of January, 2015, and gave N3 million to each of its state chapters.
In effect, the pastor is alleging that the CAN leadership distributed to its national membership a small fraction of what it received, keeping to itself well over N6 billion.
Of the response of the national leadership of CAN to his allegations, he told the journalists: “They even have denied me, and said I did not exist. That is why I came to you to confirm that what I said is true.”
He asserted that it was not the first time CAN was getting money like that, recalling 2013 when it got funds from the United States Nigerian group, CANAAN.
"They are our children, our Christians from Nigeria living in America,” Pastor Dikwa said. “We call them CANAAN (Christian Association of Nigerian Americans). They gave $50,000 to the victims of Boko Haram. After that, the CAN leader invited three people from Maiduguri and two from Damaturu and gave them N100,000 each. The victims know how much they (CAN) collected. Many of the leaders (Yobe and Borno CAN) started calling me. They say what happened is wrong and we have to correct it. I have documents here to show you some of the things I have been saying.”
This also means that when the national leadership received the $50,000 from CANAAN, it kept most of it from the victims of Boko Haram for whom it was intended.
"It was the same way that it happened when Jonathan went to Kwara in January. Someone there told me that CAN leadership was given money. I asked him if they called any newsmen. The man said they did not. I said, ok, let us wait. After some time, somebody called me. He said he has been giving his share. He said he has been given N3 million. He said each state was given N3 million. I called someone in the leadership of National CAN. He told me that it was a confirmed happening.”
Dikwa however vowed to protect that source with his life, as he will never disclose his name.
"The states branches of CAN collected the money. But they don’t know how much it is, whether it is N6 or N7billion. I have sent text messages to the leadership of CAN telling them to repent or I will make it open. So that is why I have decided to let the world know. Some of the CAN leadership have called me and said what happened was wrong and that it must be corrected. I said yes, it can be done.”
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