The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has welcomed the removal of Mr. Jim Obazee, Executive Secretary, Financial Reporting Council (FRC) yesterday by President Muhammadu Buhari.
FRC is the body whose law led to the retirement of Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye as General Overseer of Nigerian arm of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
CAN General Secretary, Rev. Musa Asake while reacting to this development said the sack of Obazee by President Muhammadu Buhari was divine.
He added that God used authorities to punish the official for daring to interfere in the work of the church.
Asake while speaking with newsmen said, “The sack of Jim (Obazee) is good riddance to bad rubbish. Anybody that wants to fight the church will find himself where he does not want”.
“Jim got to the position by the grace of God but set out to probe and destroy the church of God. I spoke with him several times on this issue but he wouldn’t listen.
“He was going to take the church to what is worse than Armageddon. Thank God the authorities have stepped in to right the wrong.
“He should have been fired a long time ago and we don’t know why he was left alone, but God’s time is always the best.
“That code should be thrown out completely because the government should not interfere with the church.
“The church is a no-go zone for the government. Doing that has serious implications. If they attempt it, it will lead to confusion in the nation”, he added.
Meanwhile, Obazee who was a former pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, had said only 89 of the 23,216 registered churches in the country had complied with FRC provisions.
Also, the leadership of CAN is set to hold an emergency meeting on the FRC code and other related matters.
Rev. Samson Ayokunle, CAN President said the organisation’s lawyers would review the issues and make their position known to the public.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
