wfn.org | Nigeria: Sister Lutheran church to mediate in internal crisis

[FRANK.IMHOFF@ecunet.org]

GENEVA, 2 May 2000 (lwi) - Upon an invitation from the general secretary
of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the president of the Lutheran
Church of Nigeria (LCN) is willing to play a mediating role in helping
to resolve an internal crisis in the Lutheran Church of Christ in
Nigeria (LCCN).

During a meeting held at the LWF secretariat here on 19 April, the LCN
president, Samuel J. Udofia, told the LCCN's archbishop, Dr. David L.
Windibiziri, that his church will take the necessary initiative to
consult with the parties in conflict in the latter church in order to
bring to an end a three-year crisis, of which the contention is the
current constitution and leadership in the 720,000 member church.

The meeting called in Geneva by the LWF general secretary, Dr. Ishmael
Noko, had been planned to discuss matters of concern to the two member
churches in Nigeria. The LCCN is situated in the mainly Muslim northern
Nigeria, while the LCN with a membership of 80,000 is in the south, of
which the majority of the population is Christian.

According to Windibiziri, the crisis in the LCCN began in 1995 when its
council set in motion a process of establishing dioceses and electing
additional bishops to cope with the administration of the church given
the rapidly increasing membership. The church's since amended
constitution was done procedurally with the approval of Nigeria's
Corporate Affairs Commission in the capital, Abuja, the authority
responsible for jurisdiction in such matters.

A group led by Dr. Danu Wonosikou is opposed to the changes proposed
under the amended constitution, and is contesting in court the
legitimacy of such action. Both groups have appeared in court several
times since the conflict began, and the matter is still pending a final
resolution.

Welcoming President Udofia's acceptance of the mediating role,
Windibiziri said the disagreement in the church is of grave concern and
it is a matter he would like to see resolved amicably rather than
dragged through the courts.

Windibiziri, 67, added: "I retire in two years time and I want to leave
a church that is united, a church in peace, not divided." The LCCN has
five bishops and several pastors serving in its 2,000 congregations.

Udofia pointed out that the tension in the LCCN also affects the
stability of the regional Lutheran Communion in Western Africa (LUCWA)
of which Archbishop Windibiziri is chairperson. Founded in 1993, the
regional body coordinates the activities of 12 Lutheran churches, of
which some are non-LWF members. He expressed his wish to see the current
disagreements resolved peacefully for the good of all concerned.

The LWF general secretary welcomed the church leaders' proposal for a
way forward in the Nigerian church and said that the federation would
support them in their endeavors to heal the rift in the LCCN. He
observed that disunity and conflict in the church undermines the
integrity of the Gospel and all that which the church is called to
proclaim, namely, peace justice and reconciliation. Noko also emphasized
the "sharing of burdens as we are confronted by various challenges in
our responsibilities." In the past, the LWF had tried but without
success to resolve the conflict in its biggest member church in the West
African nation.

The meeting that was attended by other staff of the secretariat, whose
responsibilities relate to Nigeria, also served as an occasion for the
two bishops to share information about the overall political and social
climate in Africa's most populous nation. With a democratically elected
president since the end of 1999, Nigeria has been in the news recently
following violence and consequent killings resulting from the debate on
the adoption of sharia -- strict Islamic law -- in some states. Muslims
are predominantly Fulanis or Hausas from the north, while the majority
of Christians are southerners and come from other ethnic groups.

(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing 58 million of the world's 61.5 million Lutherans. Its
highest decision-making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven
years. Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council
that meets annually, and its Executive Committee. The LWF secretariat is
located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/