Buhari’s aide, Onochie, slammed again by Northern CAN, over ‘hate speech’

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has continued its protest against what has been describes as a foul-mouthed tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari’s aide, Lauretta Onochie, for describing the association as “CAN of Worms” in a Twitter post.
The Northern wing  of association, comprising 19 States and Abuja came a word for the President to stop his aides from spewing hate speeches against against Christians.
The Association’s President, Dr. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, through his spokesan, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Wednesday called on Buhari to restrain his aide, Lauretta Onochie, who specialises in the use of vulgar abuse and unprintable names against others with absolute recklessness.
Onochie, a known Christian, described CAN as a “CAN of worms” on her Twitter account.
She had twitted, “Prime Minister Theresa May, a Christian, is in a mosque doing what humans go to do in a place of worship. She knows that her God is the same one also called Allah. Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN of worms, Here’s a great lesson in love and godliness, not hatred & anger!”.
Said Ayokunle: “CAN at first decided not to dignify her recklessness with a response, thinking she may not be speaking for President Muhammadu Buhari, but the failure of the Presidency to call her to order is capable of making us to believe that she is expressing the mind of the Presidency, her employer.
“Onochie, from all indications, shares a lot of things in common with Esau who sold his birthright for a single meal. She is also like Eliab who was not ready to stand up against Goliath who had defied the God of Israel, but was burning with anger at David who would not allow Goliath to continue insulting God and His people.
“Instead of asking CAN leadership to borrow a leaf from the British Prime Minister, Onochie should have directed her advice to her principal to emulate his British counterpart who gives all the citizens under her watch a sense of belonging and adequate security, irrespective of their religious, ethnic and political persuasions.
“Instead of being a liability to the Church in the corridors of power, we counsel her to learn from the likes of Moses, Esther, Daniel and the other three Hebrew children who sacrificed their conveniences and risked their influential opportunities to defend the interest of God’s people against the imperial orders.
“The problem of irritants like Onochie in the corridors of power is that the truth cannot be buried forever, especially in today’s world where no government has monopoly of the media with the emergence of the global technological communication, especially the social media.
“The world is aware of how Christians are being killed on a daily basis, while the security agencies seem to be looking elsewhere. Instead of addressing these failures by the government, its principal officers are justifying the crime with sundry flimsy excuses; forgetting that the primary function of any serious government is the protection of lives and property of the citizens.
“CAN counsels this big-mouth social media aide to employ decorum in performing her function, instead of acting like an urchin who has strayed into the corridors of power. She is hereby advised to walk away from the path trodden by Cain and stop embracing Balaam’s blunder for personal profit.
On Thursday,  the northern CAN in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Reverend Joseph J. Hayab slammed Onochie further.
It said: .
You’re Greedy And Ignorant, Northern CAN Slams Buhari Aide Onochie
Never in the history of Nigeria has a Presidential spokesperson displayed ignorance and greed for opportunity by Insulting an entire religion and its organised association as demonstrated by the irresponsible remarks by presidential aide Lauretta Onochie that called the Christian Association of Nigeria a “CAN of Worms”, simply because we insist that the Federal Government should rescue Leah Sharibu and stop the killings of Nigerians, especially Christians by radicals.
Sadly, this presidential aide does not know that the example she gave, using Theresa May, is what many of us have been doing for decades to promote religious understanding and reduce tension in Northern Nigeria. I can proudly tell her and her sponsors that I have personally, as a leader in CAN, attended many Ramadan lectures and Friday prayers in many mosques in and out of this country which inspired Theresa May and many other Western leaders to emulate. This ignorant spokeswoman should ask her boss and many of those working around him to confirm my claims. They will surely attest to this fact.
This same spokeswoman named Lauretta Onochie was notorious for insulting a former Nigeria leader by posting his picture while praying to God. She had described the prayers of the former leader as “stupid” and “useless”! Who on earth does that, if not someone whose belly is her God.
CAN Northern States and Abuja want her to know that power is transient and we have seen opportunist like her who end with regrets. CAN Northern States in Nigeria preaches and practices peace as well as call for justice which is the bedrock of true peace. We will never speak evil of another religion and we have been engaged on calling on all true Christians in position of authority to use good and godly words even when responding to insults, no matter the provocation, not as this presidential spokeswoman has done.
CAN Northern States once again remind President Muhammadu Buhari to caution his aides not to create further religious tension with their unguarded speeches. They should learn from previous Nigeria leaders, both Christians and Muslims, whose aides did not ever, publicly or privately, disparage people of other faiths. And if she has done this foolish act to gain favors, then our Muslim brothers and friends should know that Onochie is bereft of a good home training.
We call on the international community to take note of those promoting hate speeches and segregation in our country through deliberate insult of people in other faith without knowledge of the realities on ground.