El Rufai Looks At History, Changes Stand On 110 Year Old Anglican Church Marked For Demolition
The Oasis Reporters
September 22, 2019
What will dominate service today at the 110 year old St. George’s Anglican Church in Zaria today, would be songs of praise, and more praise. The Church is expected to be filled with new worshippers and even those Christians who have not been to Church for a very long time.
The unusual just happened.
The state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria had on Thursday raised the alarm over a purported quit notice issued to St George’s Anglican Communion in Sabon Gari market , Zaria. They then called the entire Christian community in Nigeria and the world, but especially the people of Kaduna State out for prayers, to save the Church from the Bulldozers of the Kaduna State Government led by Malam Nasir El Rufai that had threatened to demolish the Church for a market expansion project. This, however generated so much furore and in a reversal of plans, the government said on Friday that the 110-year-old church marked for demolition would remain because of its historical value.
The Director-General of the Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Agency, Ismail Dikko, confirmed this development to newsmen.
The Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Agency was said to have served the 110-year-old St George Anglican Church, Sabon Gari, Zaria, a seven-day quit notice, which it claimed was a directive from the State Governor Nasir el-Rufai.
However, Dikko said the church would not be demolished, while a market which was to be expanded to the space occupied by the church would be relocated to somewhere else.
He, however, said the church had yet to obtain the Certificate of Occupancy and as such should get it from the Kaduna State Geographical Information Service.
Dikko said, “The church will remain based on its historical value. Also, we noticed the church does not have certification, that is, the C of O.
“However, market is a public facility, but looking at it, the church’s history supersedes the market.
“In light of the above, the church will remain while the market will source for expansion elsewhere.
Many Kaduna State watchers say this is rather unusual for the state government to back down from any planned demolition, once it sets its mind to do so.
Under El Rufai, a building belonging to Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi was pulled down at short notice, so also was the Shiite mosque in Zaria. For the same governor to back down on this is surprising to many onlookers who say that it was uncharacteristic of the governor, who dropped his Christian deputy in favour of a Muslim candidate from a predominantly Christian half of Kaduna, with many religious and ethnic fault lines.
Additional source: Punch
