TEKAN General Assembly Calls On President Tinubu To Rethink Economic Policies To End Hardship In The Country
The Fellowship of Churches of Christ in Nigeria otherwise known as Tarayar Ekklesiyoyin Kristi A Nijeriya (TEKAN), has called on the President of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu have a rethink on some of the economic policies being implemented by his government.
Addressing the press at the climax of the 69th General Assembly of the organization on Saturday (January 11, 2025), the TEKAN President, Reverend Joel Stephen-Billi, said the removal of subsidy on petrol as well as the floating of the naira has caused hardship for Nigerians and suggested some solutions.
He said: “With the removal of fuel subsidy, which has caused unprecedented hardship to Nigerians, the Assembly appeals to the Federal Government to review the subsidy removal policy and put in place palliative measures to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians.
“Due to the floating of the Naira, which led to stagflation in Nigeria, the Assembly observes that this can be halted through massive investment in agriculture for sufficient food production to meet both domestic consumption and export.”
The TEKAN President also decried what he described as the recurring attacks on farmers and destruction of crops and appealed to the Federal Government to take drastic steps to stop the trend.
On the rate of unemployment, Reverend Joel Stephen-Billi urged the youth to develop an entrepreneurial spirit while shifting from the reliance on white-collar jobs.
“The Assembly observes with concern the alarming rate of unemployment among the youths leading to a high degree of social vices and criminal activities. Our youths being the future leaders of this nation, need to be empowered. Government and the Church should embark on empowerment programmes – skill acquisition and vocational trainings to enhance self-reliance and sustainability. The Assembly advises the Government to redesign the curriculum of schools to include entrepreneurship.”
The TEKAN General Assembly also made a case for government to cut the cost of governance while urging the Federal Government to give more time for consultation and sensitization on the controversial Tax Reform Bills.
The 69th General Assembly of the TEKAN was hosted by the Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ (ERCC) at Alushi close to Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
TEKAN which is a conglomerate of 15 churches, consists of Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Nongo u Kristu u I Ser u sha Tar (NKST) Christian Reformed Church Nigeria (CRC-N), Ekklesiyer Yan’uwa A Nijeriya (EYN) and the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) as member churches.
Others include: the Reformed Church of Chirst for Nations (RCCN), United Methodist Church in Nigeria (UMCN), Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ (ERCC), Mambila Baptist Convention- Nigeria (MBC-N), Evangelical Church of Christ in Nigeria (ECCN) and United Church of Christ in Nations (UCCN-HEKAN).
The Nigeria Reformed Church (NRC), All Nations Christian Assembly (ANCA) United Missionary Church of Africa (UMCA) and Christian Evangelical Fellowship of Nigeria (CEFN) are the remaining churches that make up the 15-member organization.
The General Assembly was attended by the leaders and general secretaries of the various member denominations as well as a specific number of delegates from each of the denominations.
