In the Name
of the Father, and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit,
Amen.

Dear Friends

We greet you all in the name of the Lord, as we welcome you to this Synod session, the last in the Seventh Synod of this
Diocese.  This year provides a landmark as it is the first time since I became Bishop that the Synod has been held outside
Jos city, and we thank St.Peter's Church, Bukuru, and the entire Bukuru Archdeaconry for accepting the challenge.  May the
Lord himself bless and reward you.

Many years ago after my ordination, I bought my first car, a Mazda 1.3 panel van, forN= 4,500.00.  It was my hope at that
time that as time went on, I would buy a bigger car, and I made big plans as a young priest, with big dreams for the future.  I
had high hopes, but it was not long before things began to change for the worse.  Now as I sit down and look back and think,
and I am getting a bit older, I really am wondering if things will ever get better.  I have seen religious crises which have
changed in methods, increased in magnitude of destruction, widened in scope of operation, broadened in evil and operated
in ever greater dimensions.  The end seems not to be in sight.  Annually, evil seems to be on the increase.

In 1984, we thought the world had come to an end when we exchanged four naira to the dollar, now it is ninety naira or more
to the dollar.  As I look back, I realize that there are other people who bought bigger cars for far less than I bought my little
panel van, who bought large portions of land, acquired property and trained their children, at far less cost than that which we
are experiencing today.  Perhaps they are a little more comfortable than I am because people of my age, earning my kind of
salary are not so sure that they can adequately bring up children with a good education, much less own property and build a
house.

I am not saying all of this to whip up sentiment or to draw sympathy.  I am identifying with the prophet Habakkuk.  The prophet
saw bad days.  He came to the conclusion that whoever was going to survive must live righteously, and live by faith in God.

"The righteous shall live by his faith"
(Habakkuk 2:4)

Not much is known about this prophet, but it is highly likely that he was someone familiar with the Temple and Temple
worship, as can be seen from chapter one verse two and chapter two verse four, which are statements of liturgy.

In my meditation on the entire book of Habakkuk, my heart goes out to people like Baba Idi Kano, Baba Andarawus, Canon
Peter LaPage, Jeremy Hinds, Paul Gindiri, Festo Kivengere, Victor Musa, Musa Gotom, Bishop Falope ... the list goes on...  
These are people who spent time with God in prayer.  Their heart was in mission and they wrestled with the issues of their
communities before the throne of mercy, and as Evelyn Underhill puts it, "Evangelism begins with prayer".  Habakkuk
obviously was a man who knew the God he was dealing with.  He maintained a consistent, living relationship with God.  The
oracle we have before us is obviously a product of long, uninterrupted quiet times with God.  He knew what it was to wait on
the Lord, and I must say that he is not complaining to any human being, he was complaining to God.  He knew the Lord so
well that he could turn nowhere else for answers to his questions, but to God.  His faith was anchored in the God of Israel,
the God who is in charge of history, the God of creation, and his problem, like mine, is that one tends to think that because
we have prayed, things will get better!  But do they?

Simply for being Christians we are killed, maimed, slaughtered, rendered homeless, made refugees, in or outside our
countries of origin, by well armed blood-thirsty persons.  In Bosnia, within a few months of the crisis there, Europe and
America rose up in the face of the needs of the people, but for over twenty years the church in Sudan, the Christians in
Southern Sudan, have been rendered homeless with no-one to help - and God sees all this.  In Nigeria, on an annual basis,
and for any reason whatsoever, the church is made to suffer and to pay for crimes we know nothing about.  "Violence!"  
"`Violence!' but you do not save" (Hab.1:2) is the complaint of the prophet.  People are killed for nothing - in the streets or at
home by armed robbers.  Life has suddenly become so cheap, and whether officially or unofficially, there are people whose
job, whose daily living, is earned by killing.  There is no more patience in families or communities any more; for every little
misunderstanding blood must be shed, and for every blood that is shed, more blood is shed.  There seems to be no end.  
From Liberia, Sierra Leone, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique.... the story is the same.

The prophet's complaint in 1:1-4 is as if he had lived in Nigeria in the last twenty years, with so much injustice, strife, conflict
and so on.  But the worst is when
"the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous so that justice is perverted."                         
        (Hab.1:4).

The earliest casualty of any bad government is the law; next is a progressive perfection of corruption, until it becomes an
accepted practice in the land.

Since the Judicial Commission on Human Rights Abuses was set up by our administration in Nigeria, so many people have
sent in memoranda, and all centre around injustice and the perversion of the rule of law.  The situation was so bad that one
was not sure whether the police were a friend or not, or whether the court was the right place to go to for justice.  In the face
of all this, will things really get better?  Is there any reason to hope for a better future?  Will it not be sufficient just to give up,
or even to join the bandwagon of evil?  And yet the prophet never lost hope.  His faith in the living God was unflinching.

God's response to the prophet is astonishing,  As I said at the beginning, the prophet must be a man who spends time with
God not only in talking to God, but in listening to God.  Here is a beautiful example of prayer and quiet time.  God's response
is that you have seen nothing yet!  If you think this is the worst, then you wait and see what will happen next.  The
Babylonians are specifically mentioned in 1:5 as being the instrument of God for this purpose.  These are unbelievers.  
These are not worshippers of the living God.  They are ruthless, impetuous; they are devourers, they fly like vultures; they
do not fight their wars as in normal conventional warfare; they are described in their style of warfare as being a scorching
east wind from the desert.  As terrible as they are, God says that he will use them.  Verse 11 clearly states that their god is
their strength.  In other words, they have no regard for the Lord.  Yet the Lord says in verse 6:

"I am raising up the Babylonians"

Why would God do a thing like this?  To use unbelievers to punish believers?  Surely, God must have a great reason.  Even
if God wants us to return to him, would he use unbelievers who are wicked and thoroughly evil to punish us?  The fight
against corruption must begin in the church and be carried out by true believers to the larger society.  Failure to do this will
invite the Babylonians.

Let me attempt to apply some of this to our situation in Nigeria and to our collective national life.  It is no big news that
missionaries were the earliest visitors to Nigeria after the abolition of the slave-trade, and it is right to say that the
missionaries established educational centres, health centres and social services before the colonial masters came.  But with
time, and after Independence, our parents abandoned the mission of the gospel, surrendered the heritage of the
missionaries and totally turned away from the path that leads to life.  The church which was the base for the struggle for
independence was no longer regarded as important.  There was a huge anti-God movement and a denigration of the
Christian faith.  When during the civil war and soon after the war, the Lord blessed the church with some re-awakening and
spiritual revival, the leadership of the church would not even welcome it; they found these experiences strange and
unacceptable.  In most cases the young people who experienced these great awakenings were altogether thrown out.  The
church became closed, inward-looking, irreligious, ethnic-centred, non-missionary, non-visionary and stagnant.  In such a
condition, even if God did not raise Babylonians, the Babylonians themselves would not miss their opportunity!  Who are
these foreigners?

It may be that if the church had only accepted the revival movement of the 1970's, most if not all of Northern Nigeria would
have been evangelized.  I am not claiming here that it would have been such a huge success that the whole North would
have been converted.  What I mean is that at least more people would have come to faith and thus reduced the intensity of
the persecution so far suffered by the church.  The Babylonians became the instruments in the hands of God because Israel
refused to show the light of God.

The prophet is obviously disturbed by the Lord's answer, so he goes into yet another prayer session and his knowledge of
God is solid.  He says:

"Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrong."
(Hab.1:13)

This complaint is aimed at pleading with God to bring an end to the suffering condition of Israel.  One may say, "Dear Lord,
haven't we suffered enough?"  This is especially so when you look at the suffering and it is not in just one dimension: you
pay your bills for NITEL services and they cut your line; you pay your bills for NEPA for services they never render; you pay
bills or you pay water-rate monthly or quarterly when the taps are dry for four years; you queue up for petrol for two days
only to get 15 litres; when the fuel is available in regular pumps it is sold at black-market rates and the government can do
nothing about it.  The implications of the above are many.  With NITEL you cannot communicate; with NEPA nothing works;
with the water-board you are open to diseases; with the fuel scarcity you are thrown into total confusion.    It is hard to
imagine the sufferings of the people caught in the web of one or all of these catastrophes.  What is even more disturbing is
the fact that by now they are so used to these corrupt practices that they have recruited younger crooks who have perfected
the schemes; these in turn have recruited further younger perfected crooks to the extent that the younger people now in the
employment and those higher up in the hierarchy hardly know what is wrong.  For them, their corrupt practices are what is
normal.  It gives them much joy to see their customers in agony.  It is in fact their pleasure when the people they are called to
serve are in great suffering.  It is at the time of peoples' great suffering that they make more money.  Anybody who wishes to  
correct the system will meet with their resistance.  They are people who have no respect for law and order and they are
destroying the nation without mercy.  Their middle name is corruption.

Is there any hope at all?  What shall we give to our children?  What hope is there to offer to the next generation?  My trouble
is that I am not very old, but the much that I have seen in my days makes it seem as if every year gets worse.  Uncertainty
greets every new year, and so far there has not yet been a year in my working life that has seen any improvement, but only
degeneration and a downward spiral in our national life.  It seems that if one were to make plans for the future one would get
stuck, as the situation does not allow for adequate planning.  We do not know how many Nigerians there are in terms of
population, who these Nigerians actually are, and so on.  Armed robbers are said to be foreigners; in any blood shedding
crisis foreigners are said to be at the forefront.

In fact, fraud has turned practically into religion, and one is no longer sure of dealing with people no matter how religiously
they speak.  The church which ought to be the light is the battle-ground for settling quarrels.  The church which ought to be a
place of salvation, teaching and discipleship has been turned into an entertainment hall.  Discipline, discipleship, Bible study,
order, mission and evangelism which ought to be the hallmark of the church's life have been so watered down that there
seems to be no difference at all between some of what we call Christianity and other religions.  The cross of Jesus Christ is
being compromised and there is gross intolerance for taking up the cross and following Jesus Christ.  There is little or no
focus at all on the person of Jesus Christ and on his eschatological message.  These things worry me a lot as I look at the
future generations of young people.

"I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the ramparts"
(Hab.2:1)

I identify completely with Habakkuk.  Taking time to be with God and see what he is doing; taking time just to watch, because
Jesus himself said, "Watch with me", "Watch and pray".  It seems that this is what the prophet is doing.  He is not just sitting
down and opening his eyes and so on, having a good time and being entertained by evil and all the wrongs that go on
around him, and having a good laugh.  His is a watch that sees all these wrongs and takes them to the closet and struggles
with God in prayer.  It is the ability to intercede for and on behalf of the bad situations.  It is the perseverance of a true
believer who desires to see the Kingdom of God in every situation,  It is the determination of a true child of God not to accept
what is wrong, but to fight it, to resist it and to stand firm in the belief that God is able to reverse the situation.  It is also
watching and waiting for the answer to prayer.

I must add that the ministry of intercession must never be lost if the church is to continue to bear witness to the gospel of
Jesus Christ.  The key to a transformed community is the ministry of intercession: to wait and listen to the voice of God, to
learn to hear accurately what the Spirit is saying, and to be willing to obey the voice of the living God.  I plead that the priest
and the people must develop an intercessory ministry for the church, for the local community and for the nation.  If there will
be healing of the land, if there will be restoration, renewal and revival, it will only be brought about by the intercession of that
small, unknown, unnoticed congregation.  Our villages are being destroyed by the AIDS epidemic, by petty thieving, laziness,
youth delinquency, drunkenness, witchcraft, cultism and falsehood in all its forms.  These things are happening under the
very eyes of the priest in the village.  In other words, there is a congregation of the faithful, but there are no intercessors.  A
similar situation greets the cities in greater proportions with noise-making Christians, but no intercessors.

Habakkuk goes out and sees what is happening, understands what is happening, but takes his complaint back to his closet,
to the Lord God Almighty, and he waits there until the Lord answers him.  Please remember:

"they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their         strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint"
(Isaiah 40:31)

It is that same waiting that Habakkuk takes upon himself; waiting upon God in fasting, in total submission and learning from
God, his word, his works in history, turning his whole heart to God.  This type of waiting Isaiah says lifts you up like an eagle,
gives you wings to soar high above, to see two miles ahead, to persevere, to endure, to hold on there and never give up.  
Despite all that we see, despite all that we hear and know, no matter how bad, never give up!

What does the Lord do?  He finally responds to Habakkuk's plea and he says to him: "Write; write down the revelation.  It's
going to happen, but at an appointed time.  It has an eschatological implication, but wait for it."

Then the Lord replied:
"Write down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run with it.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come and will not delay."
(Hab.2:2-3)

The Lord is showing to the prophet the end of the wicked men, the end of evil practitioners, whoever they are, whatever their
position, wherever they are.  It is not as we think though.  It is not even when we want.  It is not controlled by human timing.  
You just wait and see the end of the wicked!

Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold,
For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
They are free from the burdens common to man;
they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;
in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
They say, "How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?"
This is what the wicked are like -
always carefree, they increase in wealth.
Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been plagued;
I have been punished every morning.
If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this
it was oppressive to me
till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny."
(Psalm 73:1-17)

These people who are puffed up, full of pride, full of themselves, whose wealth is their power - they want to dictate to God
and dictate to everybody.  They are a law unto themselves; they are merciless.  The end of the wicked is coming, and it will
not be funny!  To be on the side of evil at any time is to be on the side of fatal defeat.  That side is the side of destruction.  
That is not the side I would wish even for my enemies.  That is why I am in the gospel ministry - that sinners may return to
God, that sinners who have returned to God may walk with God; that sinners who have returned to God and are walking with
God may daily experience sanctification, renewal and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.  This is very important because one day
the Lord shall return and he will return to judge and to take his faithful away to be with him.  The unfaithful, the wicked will be
destroyed.  The defeat of Satan we have seen by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Final victory over evil is
coming and that will be the final of finals.

The wicked should not be thought of all the time in terms of the rich and the powerful.  There are small, wicked husbands and
wives.  There are small but very, very wicked poor people, some of whom practise witchcraft, wizardry and local cults,
including idol worship.  Given the chance, they will make world news with their wickedness.  Often we think of the wicked as
rich and powerful: this may be true, but that is because they have hit the headlines that their wickedness makes news and
becomes a public spectacle.  It was my privilege to preach to a petrol attendant who in spite if the fact that it was my turn to
get petrol still demanded money from me in order to give me fuel.  You can imagine what happens when such a man
becomes a police commissioner or a minister or even the Head of State!  But he is only a petrol attendant at that.  
Wickedness is not good from whatever level!

This judgement seems very far away, but it will happen one day.  Before them, however, even in this present life, the wicked
will not get away with all their evil.

"See" [says Habakkuk] "he is puffed up;
his desires are not upright"
(Hab.2:4a)

In contrast, however -

"The righteous will live by his faith"

A life of righteousness cannot be compromised at any time, all the more so in these evil days.  There has to be a distinction
between the children of God and the children of the devil; children of light and children of darkness; between those who
believe and those who do not.  As a pastor, I sometimes wonder how people think, because for being Christians at all, we are
unpopular, unwanted and persecuted, and yet at the same time within the church there are people who claim to be
Christians, who choose a time of persecution to increase the problems of the church by fermenting crises.  I wonder what this
is to achieve?  In which direction is the church to focus its prayer: upon its internal crisis or upon its external persecutors?  
Yet, the righteous [and only the righteous] shall live by his faith.

Jerome explains faith as "implying not so much faith in our theological sense of faithfulness, loyalty and steadfastness.  The
word is used of Moses' uplifted hands held steady (Ex.17:12), and of men who could be entrusted with money."  People who
have such faith, like Moses, are people of fervent intercession, people of prayer, people who believe in the sovereignty of
the Lord.  Faith is a combination of belief and love as well as of trust and confidence in the midst of trials, temptations and
tribulations.  This kind of faith not only transforms, but upholds life in the worst of conditions.  May this be our faith!

I had told you that judgement was coming on its way; indeed it will come.  Five woes are mentioned by Habakkuk concerning
different evil practices, upon which the judgement of God will come:

"Woe to him who piles up stolen goods" (2:6)
"Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain"                                                         (2:9)
"Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed"                                                         (2:12)
"Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbours"                                                          (2:15)
"Woe to him who says to wood, `Come to life!'"                                         (idol worship) (2:19)

These practices have piled up and have kindled the wrath of God, and God's judgement is about to be released.  However,
God does not want the destruction of the sinner; he wants the sinner to repent and to be saved.  In the midst of God's
judgement, mercy is found:

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
(Hab.2:14)

What a wonderful God!  That whoever will turn to the knowledge of God; whoever will turn to the Lord will be covered as the
waters cover the sea.  While God's judgement is passing through the community, through the city, through the nation, all who
repent and return will find forgiveness and will be totally baptized by the love of God; they will be protected and kept by the
knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.  This is an awesome, unfathomable knowledge.  For me this
sends me back on my knees.  Brothers and sisters, it really does, because I am reminded of the grace of God upon my life.  
A sinner like me, a nobody, an ordinary, small Christian, made a pastor, called to lead: who am I?  As I think of this, I just sit
quiet in meditation to think through my life, my past, my present and my future in Christ with God, because -

"The Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him."
(Hab.2:20)

But for the Lord, I would have been destroyed with the wicked and if there is hope for me, and a chance was given to me,
there is hope for anybody and a second chance for anybody.

"The righteous shall live by his faith."

To be known as a man or woman of prayer is the greatest compliment that will ever be paid to any Christian living or dead,
militant or triumphant.  It is from the life of prayer that all spiritual authority is derived.  The only way to respond to the kind of
mighty great revelation that God gave to Habakkuk is simply to fall flat in praise, adoration and worship of our awesome God
who is the Lord of history.

The contributions of scholars concerning the book of the prophet Habakkuk all agree that he is one who wrestles with the
mighty problem of divine justice and of theodicy.  The same sort of problem meets us in the larger book of Job.  Also,
however, scholars point to the fact that Habakkuk is a man of prayer and his prophecy appears to include canticles used in
Temple worship; so he is one who spends a lot of time in the Temple, probably a Levite or even just an ordinary worshipper
of God.  Whichever way we look at it, the fact is indisputable that this simple prophet is a person who gives himself to worship
and devotion.

At no point in his prophecy does he spend time chastising Israel.  Rather, he is looking up for answers to the problems of his
time, and only a truly righteous person can see with clarity what God is doing in the world at any time in history.  Moreover,
because the prophet is very much aware of history, he recalls what God has done in the past in history.  This recollection is
to strengthen faith: God has done it before, he will do it again!  True worship always contains the elements of both recall and
response: we recall all that God has done in the past, and we respond in adoration, confession, thanksgiving, intercession
and in the giving of our lives.  I call us today to worship truly, as Habakkuk did, and to glorify God as these canticles reveal
that the prophet did (3:1-2, 3-7, 8-15).

Revival has always been the business of God: we can go on to recall very many revivals, but just a few instances from the
last millennium will suffice.  Bishop Festo Kivengere is associated with the East African revival.  At his conversion Festo
began to devour the Bible; he had a tremendous hunger for it.  Like the missionaries and the Balokole, he accepted the Bible
as God's authoritative word; he absorbed whole passages and even chapters like blotting paper, memorizing them with all
ease.  Festo and other young believers at this time accepted the Bible with its immediate practical application and teaching
for everyday life.  People were not only feeding on the word, but they were acting on it.  This became the hallmark of the
revival.  There was daily Bible study; daily prayer meeting; daily fellowships and daily witnessing.  (See: The authorized
biography of Festo Kivengere by Anne Coombes, Monarch 1990)

Closer to home are the great revivals, reawakening and birth of some of the Pentecostal churches in Nigeria, characterized
by evangelism, discipleship and gifts of the Spirit.  These have given great challenges to the older denominations.  In some
cases they have woken us up to our responsibilities.  Whatever we may have to say about the general movement, there is no
doubt that God has used the genuine few for the blessing of his church in this country.

The prophet Habakkuk, in looking back at history falls on his knees to plead with God to revive us again, to renew those
great and mighty things he had done in the past and to do them in our time now (Hab.3:1-2).  How I long for our church to
come alive and to be vibrant in its worship and witness!  This wish is for every church in this diocese.  I long to see each
priest lead worship and use the Prayer Book so effectively and seriously, and in such a way that people will want to come
again.  I long for worship to be a time when people learn about God, trust in his word, believe in the power of the Holy Spirit
and go out to live a life of Christ in the community.  It is my whole-hearted desire to see a church which is characterised by
love in all its fellowships, which, on a daily basis, receives sound teaching for discipleship, and which goes out in obedience
to the Lord in missions and evangelism, being generous with all its human and material resources.  This certainly is not
impossible - at least not with God!  The Lord did it in England in the eighteenth century, and this gave birth to the missionary
movements.  The Lord has done it in America and in East Africa.  The Lord will do it in Nigeria, and I pray that he does it
beginning with Jos!

Visions that come from God carry with them the need for action.  Visions of the Lord himself always implore the need for
repentance and action.  The kind of vision that Isaiah saw (Isaiah 6) introduced him to a new dimension of life.  It transformed
him; it brought him to the realization of who God is and it sent him out on a mission.  Ezekiel had a similar experience, and in
the New Testament Peter's vision sent him to Cornelius.  John's vision of God led him to fall flat on his face as though he
were dead.  A vision from God will always transform and inspire a person to action.  "For lack of vision the people perish"
(Proverbs 29:18).

A vision from God leads to metanoia, repentance, turning round.  It transforms a life so very powerfully that that vision
becomes a driving force in the life of the person and so leads to the accomplishment of that purpose for which the vision was
given.

Habakkuk sees a vision of the Lord and he sees the Lord coming in triumph over all his enemies to deliver his oppressed
people.  He comes with strength and irresistible power.  As for those who oppose him: those who escape from one degree of
pestilence will very quickly meet another in a bigger dimension, and those who escape from that will meet with a yet higher
degree of the power of God, so that there is no escape at all.  It is like the Exodus experience until the enemies of God are
destroyed and his children set free to serve and worship him.

In 3:3-7, Habakkuk sees God coming in glory, this glory covering the whole heavens and praise filling the whole earth; his
splendour like the sunrise and his power round about him.  The very measure with which the wicked have oppressed the
people of God will be the measure with which they are routed, with plagues, pestilences, fear, destruction, distress and
anguish.  This is what evil men have offered as gifts to their victims in the church, in politics, in all spheres of life.  They have
terrorized everybody, be it small terrorism, big terrorism or medium terrorism.  Their wealth is their power and rather than use
their wealth with humility to the service of God and humanity, they would prefer to use it to manipulate, intimidate, dictate and
even reject the truth, even when it is obvious.  Habakkuk was confident, and we are confident, that as God did in Egypt, so
he will do today.  He has done it over and over throughout the world and throughout the years of history.

From 3:8-15 it would appear in the vision that some of these powers chose to resist the Lord.  These unruly elements will
have to encounter the victorious chariot and the Lord's weapons.  God is represented as riding upon the clouds and coming
in full battle gear against the enemies of righteousness.  Victory belongs to the Lord.  Every time in the Bible when men and
women have a vision of the victorious Lord, all their questions are answered.  Personal faith in God is the only practical
answer to all life's discontents.

Verses 16-18 of chapter 3 show us the response of the prophet to this awesome vision.  See how he wakes up: his heart is
pounding, lips quivering, legs trembling - yet he says, "I will wait patiently".  Verse 17 paints a picture of hopelessness, utter
helplessness, and in spite of the prevailing circumstances, it proves to be the turning point, so that in verse 18 the prophet
says "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour".  It is common knowledge that only God can turn our
sorrow into joy, only God can change circumstances, but what is not common knowledge is that only "the righteous man shall
live by his faith."  These two statements of Habakkuk are to be noted because here is the mission of the prophet, declaring to
all who will care to listen the victory that God has already accomplished.  It is done already: he will wait for the fulfillment.  
While waiting, however, the message of this salvation shall be declared: the message is that of joy amidst sorrow, rejoicing in
the face of tribulation.   Is that not doubly true for us?  We who have heard of the victory of Jesus on the cross, his
resurrection from the dead, the gift of the Holy Spirit, his ever-abiding presence with us.  Victory is ours and a joyful
declaration is our mission, while our worship and praise is characterized by joy because of the presence of the Lord
Emmanuel, God with us.

A vision of God is a driving force in a person's life.  The prophet keeps in focus the sovereign Lord who has now become his
strength and his mobility, and he keeps going from one height to another.  No wonder the writer of the letter to the Hebrews
admonishes the believers to keep in focus a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, with their eyes fixed upon him.  We too are
called to press on, to persevere, never giving up, and he will give us strength for the journey, one day at a time, just as he
did for the cloud of triumphant witnesses.

I have read books on burn-out and so on, and now I argue with them, especially in the light of Habakkuk's experience.  
Habakkuk did not burn out; the apostles did not burn out (only Judas did, but he stepped on a terrible nail that punctured his
tyre and he did not go to the master vulcanizer).  Brothers and sisters, I never heard of the Holy Spirit burning out.  The point
I am making is this: it is possible, totally possible, for the believer in the face of all hardship, to go on to the heights, no matter
how steep or high, because the Lord is the enabler.  Only keep your vision of Him and keep your eyes fixed on the author
and finisher of our faith.  This is our joyful proclamation:

"The righteous shall live by his faith."
TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY

We wish to thank the Twentieth Anniversary Committee who organised a small but befitting Celebration and activities
culminating in a Thanksgiving Service on Sunday 16th January.  It was a time to look back and be thankful.  The Diocese
actually came into being in 1980 with the Rt.Rev.S.C.N.Ebo as the first Bishop.  We thank God for his labour together with
that of his wife Susan, and for all that they put up with in order to ensure that the diocese took off.  They had a lot of
inconveniences and structural adjustments, in addition to a very large diocese comprising of the present day Otukpo,
Makurdi, Yola, Lafia, Jalingo and Jos Dioceses.  He probably spent more time on the road than doing anything else, but the
Lord blessed their work, for which we remain thankful to God.

In 1985, after his translation to Okigwe-Orlu Diocese, he was succeeded by the Rt.Rev.T.E.I.Adesola, who continued from
where Bishop Ebo stopped.  It was in his tenure that Makurdi was carved out as a Diocese, as was Yola, leaving him with Jos
Diocese comprising the present Plateau and Nasarawa States.  His labour was arduous as the political situation in the
country at that time was a trying one, yet he stood the tide of the times and was able to move the diocese in the direction of
church planting.  He retired voluntarily in 1991, a short while after the death of his wife, Mrs. Deborah Adesola.

We came in in succession to these men of God in 1992, and we believe that some day somebody else will succeed us.  It is
left to our successor to speak about our ministry.

It was our joy, however, to lead you all in joyful thanksgiving for being a diocese which had become twenty years old.  We
received several good-will messages from all over the world, for which we are grateful.  We are also grateful for our visitors
from England, America and from other dioceses in Nigeria.  We are encouraged and we remain for ever grateful.

What we have inherited as a diocese, what we are making of that inheritance now, and what this inheritance shall be in the
future, we commit into the hands of Almighty God.  May the Lord reward each one according to his riches in glory.


VISION

It is for this very reason that we have looked at the total existence of our diocese in twenty years and so requested that whole
diocese to participate in a visioning exercise.  At this Synod we hope to draw up a Vision for the next ten years with a
short-term vision of five years.  I hope that the month spent in discussion and drawing up of a vision from the parishes and
archdeaconries has been fruitful.  We are using this approach of drawing up a vision from the grass roots so that we can
together discern what the mind of God is for us as a diocese.  I await the outcome of this with great anticipation, especially in
the light of our studies on the book of Habakkuk.  I predict a great spiritual revival in this diocese that will affect this State
mightily and reach out to the nation and beyond.

Geographically, Jos is a city set on a hill.  We believe that it is to become the Lord's city, a holy city, a city set on a hill,
shining the light of Christ for all to see and live by.         This is my vision for revival in JOS - Jesus Our Saviour!

God will always work with those who want to work with him, those who are humble, available, amenable, teachable and
send-able.  "Here I am Lord - send me!"  God is his own interpreter and he will make it plain.




NEW PRIMATE

It was joy for the Church of Nigeria to present to the world her new Primate, the Most Rev.Peter Jasper Akinola, Archbishop,
Metropolitan and Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion).  He was presented in the service of Holy
Communion at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Abuja on Saturday 25th March.  He succeeds the Most
Rev.J.A.Adetiloye, a visionary, highly mobile evangelist who always reminds me of Bishop Ajayi Samuel Crowther.  Primate
Akinola is himself an evangelist, the first missioner in Abuja, who has laboured and through the grace of God, has built what
is known today as Abuja Diocese.  He made himself available for God to use and became the first Bishop of Abuja in 1989.
His foresight, hard work and commitment became known to all, and endeared him to all who worked with him.  He has
laboured as a pastor, administrator and evangelist and in him we saw a man fit to be elected and presented as our Primate.  
We call on the church to pray for him and for all the Bishops in the Church of Nigeria.  As for us in Jos, we want to contribute
to the revival that God is about to bring to us and to offer it to the wider church in the Province and beyond.  For this reason
all churches must be places of intercession; all Christians should be intercessors, and all intercessors missionaries.


KADUNA CRISIS

We were set to elect out Primate in Kaduna and our meeting was scheduled for 21st February.  While on the way, we were
denied entry into Kaduna: another unfortunate religious crisis engulfed Kaduna State and soon spread to some other parts
of the country.

It was said that the House of Assembly in Kaduna was about to pass a bill on the introduction of Shari'a in Kaduna State.  
Zamfara State had earlier on done this, and started the implementation of Shari'a law.  Niger and Kano States were to follow.  
In order to show solidarity for the Shari'a  bill, the Moslem community had held pro demonstrations at least three times during
that week.  The Christians in Kaduna State chose Monday 21st February to show their displeasure through a peaceful
demonstration, just as their Muslim counterparts had done.  Their peaceful demonstration to the Government House of
Kaduna was met on their return with some violence, and in my opinion, this could have been contained - firstly because it
was in the afternoon and secondly because there was ample opportunity for the law enforcement agents to bring the
aggrieved groups to a place of peace.  Since that did not happen, and as events now show, it would appear that the church
was a major target of an evil onslaught which had the active connivance of some rich, powerful and influential persons.  The
battle which ensued has since become our biggest show of shame.  The story is very heart-aching; one would love not even
to remember it.  But the lessons will for ever remain with us.  There is no doubt that in Northern Nigeria the muslims have
systematically sought the imposition of islamic religion in local, state and national levels to enhance their political positions.  
Shari'a has therefore become a tool for that purpose.  Otherwise, how would you explain that in the past Muslims and
Christians lived together very peacefully and harmoniously?  As a matter of fact the Sadauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello,
converted more people to Islam in his time than any Muslim preacher I know in this generation.  He accomplished this not by
the imposition of Shari'a, but by persuasion and enticement.  Now we are witnessing a totally new dimension of the use of
violence by Muslims in the North.  We regret the loss of lives and property and pray God to have mercy upon us all.  The
paper by the Rev.Dr.Y.Turaki on Shari'a sheds more light on its evident implications (See Appendix).

Research has shown that there has been more persecution of Christians in this generation than there has ever been in the
history of the faith.  It is estimated that some two million Sudanese Christians have been killed by the Islamic government of
Khartoum upon the imposition of Shari'a.  Three options were given to non-Muslims: (a) to convert and become second-class
citizens; (b) relocate outside Sudan, or (c) be killed.  The genocide that began a few years ago is going on unabated.  In
Indonesia, Christians have been killed in their thousands and their property and villages destroyed by Muslims.  The story is
the same in Pakistan, India, China, Iran and all places where Muslims are taught to hate the Church, the gospel and
Christians.

Persecution is not good and must be resisted and stopped where possible.  The church has always been left in a dilemma
during and after all persecutions.  In North Africa the Church was completely wiped out by Muslims in a violent and consistent
persecution.  In Sudan we are witnesses of the evil of persecution.  The trend is coming closer home to Northern Nigeria, and
should the Church take things for granted, we will be doomed before we know it.  Worse still, however, is the fact that the
Church is left with hard choices during these times and none of the options open to her is helpful to the course of the gospel.

Let me assure everyone that these crimes and evil will never go unpunished by God.  The day of judgement is coming.  Even
if the people escape the law of man, God is a just God.

Let me follow on in this section with the question of the core North and the Middle Belt.  Experience shows that the core North
is intolerant of anybody from the North who becomes a Christian.  Over the years young people have been taught and
trained to believe that the whole North is Muslim, so whoever is from the core North must be Muslim.  Since 1980, slowly but
steadily, Christians of  Middle Belt and Northern origin have not only been marginalized, but also oppressed and
discriminated against, and even in some cases denied indigene status upon conversion in some States.  Christ Church,
Fage, remains an example of this gross intolerance.  The government has refused the completion of the new church building
for over twenty years now.  The church has been hemmed in by mosque and government buildings with no access road.  In
Sokoto, Dr. Emmanuel Shehu is said to be a non-indigene simply because he is a Christian.  We know of churches that have
been pulled down in states in the North simply because Christians and the Christian faith are an unwelcomed presence.  
Mention must also be made of the non-airing of Christian programmes in some States, even when these Christians are
indigenes of these States and are prepared to pay the stipulated fees for their programmes.  These States refuse to appoint
their own indigenous Christians into various offices even when they are qualified to be so appointed.

If the core North can do this to her own indigenous peoples, what they do to the Middle Belters is left to your imagination.  I
will never forget the huge contributions of late Joseph Deshi Gomwalk, a man whom God used immensely to bless many
people; the structures he put on ground still speak for him.  The people he developed are still alive, yet he remains
unpardoned because of a coup he was said to be involved in.  Please grant J.D.Gomwalk a State pardon.  The point I am
making is that the North does not want the Middle Belt.  To the North, the Middle Belt is simply an apparatus to be used when
useful and to be dumped when not needed.  I myself have been a victim of religious persecution in the North, and although I
have forgiven and I have no bitterness in my heart, the fact remains that the present leaders of the North hate Christians in
the North and would love to have the Middle Belt as an appendage.

Some federal establishments have been located, and their zonal headquarters sited at a place other than Jos, for whatever
reason.



RETURN OF MISSION SCHOOLS

We applaud the position of the Government of Plateau State on this matter.  We particularly appreciate the courage and
confidence of the Executive Governor of Plateau State, Chief Joshua Dariye, for taking the bold step to return all mission
schools.  We are aware that this step is meeting with some opposition.  These opposers are afraid of accountability,
discipline, justice and transparency, for that is what the church stands for, and even with the worst of our lapses we are still
better than what our opposers have to offer.  As a church we offer Chief Joshua Dariye and his Government our total support
in this matter and pray God that in no distant future the return of our schools will be actualized.

Those who oppose this do not wish the future generations well.  They are thinking more of what they can get and benefit
from in a bad system, rather than looking out for what we as a church have to offer to bring in a better tomorrow.  Whoever
denies the fact that our State Primary and Secondary educational systems have failed, certainly does not wish well for the
future of our nation.  We as a church have contributed positively in the past and we wish to do so again, if given the chance.  
Some of our present schools remain our show pieces for our case.

Let me also assure the Diocese of Jos that the education policy in place, which takes effect from 1 January, 2000, is not a
document like that of the Medes and Persians which cannot be amended.  The policy remains a guide for our operation, and
we, as Bishop of Jos, shall exercise full episcopal authority when necessary, and implement pastoral oversights by divine
permission.



LAFIA DIOCESE

It was with joy that we gave birth to the missionary diocese of Lafia on 29th November, 1999.  The first Bishop of Lafia is the
hard-working, neat, dynamic pastor and evangelist, the Rt.Rev.Miller K.Maza, and his wife Keziah.  Nasarawa State is said to
be the State on the move, and it is our prayer that Bishop Miller Maza will not only be on the move, but will move the Diocese
and State towards God.  The occasion of the Inauguration and Enthronement was witnessed by many people who travelled
from Jos and other parts of the country.  We thank the Christian Institute School of Music, St.Luke's Cathedral Choir,
St.Piran's Church Choir; we thank the Women's Guild and Mothers' Union of the Diocese; the clergy and all who made it a
worthwhile occasion.  We continue to pray for this young diocese and in our small way to nurture its growth by providing staff
and assistance whenever we are able.  We are confident that Lafia Diocese, within a short time, will grow to be a strong and
virile diocese in the Church of Nigeria.



CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE

We have great dreams for the Institute to become a world class school of theology and other fields of learning.  In our bid to
staff the Christian Institute with qualified manpower, we have started a degree programme in theology, and we have
upgraded the School of Music to Diploma awarding status.

It was our privilege and pleasure to welcome the Rev.Canon Dr.Chris Sugden and his wife to Jos in January and to install him
as a Statutory Canon of our Cathedral.  His teaching at the Clergy School was greatly appreciated by everyone.  He is a man
of vision and insight and is currently Director of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in England.  He has offered the
assistance of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in the training of our Institute staff: we are most grateful for this.

It was also our joy to welcome the Rev.Fr.Les Martin who is currently doing a D.Min in the same class as myself at Trinity
Episcopal School for Ministry.  We enjoyed his visit, his teaching and sharing.  We have carefully discussed with him the
possibility of his sharing his gifts with us.  He is most willing to visit from time to time and teach courses and be part of our
family and ministry in the Diocese of Jos.  After careful thought concerning the involvement of him and his wife, Heather, with
us, we have pleasure in appointing Father Les Martin as Canon for Theological Training in the Diocese of Jos and as our
Commissary in the United States of America.  At his next visit we shall install him and give him our mandate.

The Rev.Canon Selcan Miner has retired as Dean of the Institute and we shall continue to miss him!  He offered himself to
God and to us and he laboured more than anyone else in the effort to bring the Institute to where it now is.  We are most
grateful and pray that he enjoys his retirement.  A word of thanks must also go to his wife, Caroline, whose support for his
ministry is total and whose commitment and loyalty to the Women's Work is undivided.  The Lord bless you both and all yours.



CONCLUSION

This is the last session of the Seventh Synod of the Diocese of Jos.  May we seize this opportunity to thank all of you good
people who served in various committees, whether elected or appointed, nominees and delegates, for putting such selfless
service in the vineyard of the Lord.  God knows your labours.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the
Lord your labour is not in vain."                        (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Some of you may come back or be re-appointed; some of you may not.  Wherever you may find yourself, please serve the
Lord and be faithful, for only those who live righteously by faith in Him shall be saved.

For record purposes, the Bishopscourt is in its fifth year uncompleted.

Finally, it was such a huge shock for the Christian community to accept the death of our charismatic pastor of Christians in
Jos, the Archbishop, the Most Rev.(Dr.) G.G.Ganaka.  We laid his body to rest on 26th November, 1999, and just after that
we received the shocking news of the death of the Rev.Canon V.G.Sanda, our Diocesan Director of Administration.  While
these two men of God served in different capacities in the mission field, they have left such a vacuum that we are still praying
God to fill it.  During the year we lost quite a few friends, relations and members, who are too numerous to mention.  Our
prayer is for God to comfort those who mourn and to console his people in their time of grief.  Let us rise for a moment of
silence in honour of the dead.

"Hear us as we remember those who have died in the faith of Christ, and according to your promises, grant us, with them, a
share in your eternal kingdom.  Amen"


Where is your security?  In a world of confusion and corruption, where pride and power have the pre-eminence, and the lust
for money and material goods has become a god, on what foundation will you build your life, and prepare for the lives of
those who will come after you?  Habakkuk faces the facts and acknowledges that it is impossible to understand the ways of
God.  Yet the prophet remains faithful at his post, watching and worshipping.  Prayer and worship are the foundation stones
of his life. No matter what may happen he will remain obedient to God's commands and to God's standards.  Even if total
disaster were to strike, yet he would still rejoice in the Lord, because in the Lord alone is his strength, his confidence, his
absolute trust, and his very life.  This requires faith, but faith and righteous living are the keys to life eternal.  Habakkuk
knows and proclaims aloud that

"The righteous shall live by his faith".








+Benjamin Jos        May 2000
















APPENDIX A

THE SOCIO-POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS
OF SHARIA FOR CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA
by
YUSUFU TURAKI
(ECWA Headquarters, Jos)
(International Bible Society, Enugu)

KADUNA SEMINAR ON SHARIA,
CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA
29TH JANUARY, 2000

I.        INTRODUCTION
This paper examines the socio-political implications of Islamic Sharia for Christians in Nigeria.  The legislation of Islamic
Sharia in Zamfara State in 1999 has generated once more the often-repeated Sharia debates in Nigerian politics.  This is not
a new thing in Nigeria, but it is part of Nigeria's evolving political consciousness.  I have read with great interest the Sharia
debates in our national dailies and weekly magazines.  It is so sad that many of the contributors on behalf of Christianity are
themselves deluded by their own ignorance of what the subject matter is.  Why should people who are ignorant claim to
contribute meaningfully to a debate on a subject of this magnitude and a lethal weapon, for that matter.  Nigerian Christians
of today cannot claim ignorance of the islamic history of Sharia.

Equally interesting are the contributions of Muslims on behalf of Islam and sometimes claim to speak for Christianity.  There
is not a single argument that is new which had not been since inception of Islam in the 7th century.  The claims of the majority
of Islamic contributors are indeed an abuse on the intelligence of Nigerians and an arrogant assault on history.  Times and
again the history of Islamic Sharia has proven them wrong.  Only the ignorant are easy prey of such historical falsity.

With the facts of the current Nigerian debates on Islamic Sharia before me, I surmise to say that it is foolhardy and
presumptuous for a Christian or a group of Christians to discuss, debate and dialogue with Muslims on Sharia from a position
of weakness, ignorance and lack of thorough knowledge, history and background of Islam and Sharia.  It is even worse for
one to do so without a thorough knowledge of the history of Sharia debates, politics and issues in our national history.

The current Sharia debates, Zamfara State and the likes signify a significant shift of Sharia politics in Nigeria.  It is a shift from
national constitutional function to that of State or sectarian legislative function, from the centre to periphery, from national to
sub-national.  Herein lies the greatest danger for our national body politicks, the reinstatement of sub-nationalism and
parochialism above and against national goals, ideals and values.  Nigeria as a nation is gradually moving back into the dark
ages under the guise of constitutional religious freedom.  The consequence of this, is to allow some sections or states to
constitutionally discriminate against Nigerians as regards religious rights and human rights.  For it is impossible to institute
Sharia within a secular State where some citizens will not have their rights trampled upon during the course of implementing
Sharia for others.  If we must give Sharia to others, then we must also legislate protection of others against the excesses of
Sharia.

Christianity and the rights of Christians must be preserved and protected at all costs in the entire Northern States of Nigeria.  
Christians in the Northern States must never allow themselves to be lured into a political and religious position where they
can be deceived, deluded and bewitched by the propaganda machinery of Muslim politicians and religious leaders into
accepting or voting for Sharia to be imposed upon them.  The history of Islam and the imposition of Sharia upon Christians
and non-Muslims in the North Africa, Middle East and Western and Far East Asia are enough evidence and warnings to
Christians.




II.        HISTORY OF SHARIA DEBATES IN NIGERIA

A. NORTHERN NIGERIA
In the 1950's, Sharia issue was debated and contested very seriously, but the Colonial Administration settled for a
compromise.  The primary reason for the compromise was the fact that Northern Nigeria was not all Muslim, but there existed
a very large population of Christians and non-Muslims.  Northern Nigeria then adapted and modified the Islamic Person Law
of Sudan and Pakistan.  The modified Sharia of Northern Nigeria was of the Maliki School.  Despite the fact that the Islamic
Personal Law (Penal Code) should not be applied to Christians and non-Muslims, the truth and the practice were that the
same was used to victimized Christians and non-Muslims of the then Northern Nigeria.  The misdeeds and the miscarriage of
justice meted against Christians and non-Muslims abounded everywhere in the Middle Belt of Nigeria which also had the
Customary Law.  The experience of the Middle Belters is in itself an antidote against any introduction of Sharia in the
Northern States of Nigeria.  If Christians cannot recall and restate the gross injustices of Sharia meted against them in the
Northern Political System, then there they cannot speak up and stand for their rights in today's democracy in Nigeria.

Let it be stated in clear terms that the then Northern Nigeria used the modified Islamic Personal Law of the Maliki School.  
Professor J.N.D.Anderson, a devout Christian of London University, was appointed by the Government of Northern Nigeria to
draft the Islamic Personal Law for Northern Nigeria.  In Northern Nigeria, Islamic Personal Law and the Customary Law existed
side by side,  This was the practice in Northern Nigeria until the fall of the First Republic on January 15, 1966.

B. NIGERIA INDEPENDENCE 1960
Christians of the Northern States between 1955 and 1959 fought hard to have Human Rights Bill of the United Nations
inserted in the Independence constitution of 1960 as a means of guaranteeing their religious freedom.  That objective was
achieved as the Northern Christian members of the House of Representatives and the Northern House of Assembly.

C. NIGERIA CONSTITUTION 1979
One of the major issues, which was fiercely contested and debated, was the Sharia.  The Draft Constitution and Constituent
Assembly debated thoroughly the hotly contested Sharia issue.  The Northern Christian heroes at that time were
Dr.Christopher S.Abashiya, Professor Justin Tseayo, Mr.Paul Unongo, among many others.  Finally, the constituent
Assembly adopted the Islamic Personal Law as enshrined in the Penal Code and supreme Sharia was rejected.  From
gleaning through the massive materials and the debates on Sharia, one can conclude that it is not democratic and not wise
to impose supreme Islamic Law Sharia in a country that is composed of both Muslims and Christians or non-Muslims.  
Wisdom and the unity of the country dictated that Islamic Personal Law be given to Muslims as a national concession instead
of the supreme Sharia.

D. GENERAL BUHARI AND IDIAGBON, 1984-1985
The constitution of 1979 was amended during this regime, but did not see the light of day.  The Islamic Personal Law was
amended to Sharia.  The Nigerian Christian Community protested against this illegal practice by the military dictators.

E. GENERAL BABANGIDA  1985-1993
The OIC issue almost destroyed Nigeria as Nigeria illegally became a member in 1986.  The Christian community vehemently
protested this issue.

The hotly contested Sharia debates of the Constituent Assembly was finally halted by the Military as the issue was about to
break Nigeria.  At last, the Military took the Sharia matter out of the hands of the Constituent Assembly and declared it a "no
go area".  The Military finally drafted the 1989 Constitution, the Islamic Personal Law and supreme Sharia was adopted.  
However, one element was introduced and emphasized that Sharia Court of Appeal can be set up by any State that desires
to do so.  But what people often missed to state clearly was that this Sharia Court of Appeal was based on the constitutional
Islamic Personal Law and not supreme Sharia.

F. GENERAL ABACHA, 1993-1998
During this regime, Nigeria attended OIC meetings as a full member.  Nigeria became a member of the 8 Islamic powers of
the world and it also introduced the Islamic banking system.

The constituent Assembly debated the Sharia issue and finally settled with the Islamic Personal Law.  However, the Draft
Constitution was not released.

G. GENERAL ABUBAKAR, 1998-99
This regime settled with and drafted the Islamic Personal Law into the 1999 constitution.  It adopted both Babangida's and
Abacha's Draft Constitutions on the Sharia Appeal Courts in the States.  The 1999 constitution did not state that any State
should establish supreme Sharia but Islamic Personal Law.  Islamic courts are to deal with cases of Personal Law and not the
supreme Sharia.

H. SUMMARY 1950's-1990's
From the 1950's through to the present, Nigerians have always adopted the Islamic Personal Law, but have consistently
persisted against the supreme Sharia.  It will be a betrayal of Christian historic interest for any Christian today to support,
accept and vote for the imposition of the supreme Sharia anywhere in Nigeria.  Christians must be resolute and stand firm on
their historic position of allowing Muslims to have and practice Islamic Personal Law under the Nigerian Constitution.  Under
no circumstance should Christians allow themselves to have the supreme Sharia over them, anywhere in Nigeria.  Christians
should reject supreme Sharia under any pretext.


III.        ISLAMIC SHARIA
My colleagues will give you both the Quranic and technical meaning of Islamic Sharia, its practices and application.  For this
reason, I will only focus on its implications on Christians.

Sharia is a supreme law that has complete jurisdiction over Muslims.  It is a supreme law that directs and guides and
adjudicates the life of Muslims.  This is the very thing which advocates for Sharia in Nigeria are demanding as their given
rights.  To many Christians, they see this as (it is) already a given of religion and often wonder why Muslims are demanding
what their religion has given them already.  Even though Sharia is of religion, but for a Muslim, it has to be legislated or
decreed by the State.  Muslims in Nigeria and everywhere where such demands are made, want Sharia as a constituted
legality of a State.  It is a call for the State to legalize and implement Sharia.  Sharia must assume statehood and ultimately
become supreme over the State.

Sharia cannot be implemented in the mosque or by individual Muslims in society.  Sharia has to function as a constituted
Legal State.  For that reason, Sharia seeks to have a State as a place of abode and as a territory to function juridically.  It is
this juridical function of Sharia that makes demands of its own State.  At bottom, no State, no Sharia.  Sharia is ineffectual
without a State of its own.

Quranic and technical definition of Sharia do not reveal the true nature and characteristics of Sharia.  One finds these in the
historical growth and development of the Sharia concept and its application in the history of Islam.  There are two types of
applications of Sharia which are dependent upon the political State.

A. Supreme Sharia
As stated above, supreme Sharia has total jurisdiction over a Muslim in his religious, social, cultural and legal standing.  
Supreme Sharia is found within States that are Islamic and profess being so.  The State machinery is run in accordance with
Islamic and/or Sharia injunctions.  Saudi Arabia and most Gulf States/Emirates, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan,
Sudan and other Islamic countries fall under this category.


B. Islamic Personal Law
Where full supreme Sharia is not applied, a variegated Islamic Personal Law is applied.  Islamic law is limited to certain
personal matters, such as marriage, inheritance and other personal affairs.  In such a situation, other laws exist that handle
civil and criminal matters.  This is where the State is not subject to Sharia, but recognises the existence of Sharia and other
laws.  The majority of Muslim countries do not operate the supreme Sharia, but variegated Personal Islamic Law.

The Fundamentalist Movements of the 1970's that engulfed Islamic nations were indeed Sharia movements.  Their major
agitation was that Islamic countries should stop practising Personal Islamic Law and/or modified Sharia under modern
situations and declare supreme Sharia.  The Islamic revolution from the 1970's to date has brought the following changes in
the Islamic world.

1. Iran abandoned the modernized Sharia and adopted supreme Sharia under the revolutionary Khomeni Ayatollah in 1979.

2. The Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt are still fighting to overthrow President Anwar Sadat-Hosni Mubarak and install supreme
Sharia.  As a result, Egypt has witnessed violence since the days of President Anwar Sadat in the 1980's up to date.

3. The Islamic Salvation Front of Algeria is still fighting to overthrow an "infidel" government of Algeria and install supreme
Sharia.  As a result, Algeria has witnessed the worst civil unrest and violence and the killings of about 100,000 Algerians by
Muslim fundamentalists.

5. Pakistan and Bangladesh legislated a move from modern modified Sharia to supreme Sharia in the 1980's.  As a result,
Christians have lost their civil and religious rights and increased Muslim violence against Christians, especially in Pakistan.

6. Sudan rejected the modified Sharia and adopted supreme Sharia in 1980's.  As a result, civil war between the Arab
dominated North and the Southern peoples of Sudan has threatened the corporate existence of Sudan as a united country
since the early 1980's.

7. Malaysia and Indonesia have moved have rejected modified Sharia and adopted supreme Sharia in the early 1980's.  As a
result Christians have been persecuted and denied certain of their rights.

8. Afghanistan and Former Soviet Islamic States have increasingly moved towards establishing supreme Sharia, especially
the Taliban of Afghanistan.  Violence, civil wars and unrest in this region since the fall of communist Soviet Republics have
been motivated by the Islamic Sharia agenda.

8. Non-Sharia Islamic States

Even where some form of secularity is maintained because of the dominance of Islam, Christians are still being persecuted
and denied their religious and civil rights.

The 1980's and 1990's have witnessed dramatic rise in persecution against Christians in North Africa and the Middle East.  
Many Christians were imprisoned and executed in Iran, Egypt, Kuwait, Pakistan, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco and other countries
as a result of the application of Islamic Sharia.  The contemporary evidences of the havoc of Sharia on Christians is too
numerous to mention here, let alone to dig into Islamic history of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan, Iraq (Persia), Pakistan,
Turkey etc..

In our study of Islamic history, we have observed that Muslims have always sought to hide and never disclose the evils and
atrocities of Sharia on Christians and non-Christians.  But what Christians have seen, experienced and read about the
application of Sharia on them, are horrifying.

Why does Sharia have such powers of subjugation and taming Christians as soon as a State becomes Islamic?  Sharia has
two major supreme objectives.

1. Sharia Entrenches and Protects Islamic Power and Hold on the State.
Sharia debaters have failed to see in history the major objective of Sharia which is to consolidate, entrench and protect
Islamic power and authority over a given State.  Sharia has been historically a very powerful political tool.  It has the power of
systematic elimination of all that is not Islam within its jurisdiction.  Sharia is a legislated and legal political tool that grants
power and protection to Islam at the expense of others who do not have a similar protective political tool.  Elsewhere I have
elaborated upon this.

2. Sharia Creates and Protects an Islamic Territory, Land or State.
Sharia debaters have also failed to see in history the major objective of Sharia, which is to create and protect an Islamic
territory, land or State.  The chief end of Sharia is to claim for Islam territory, land or State, on the one hand and impose
Islam over the people or populace.

If a Christian fails to see these two practical and political outcomes and objectives of Islamic Sharia, then he has failed to
grasp the heart of islamic Sharia.  Islamic Sharia is a business of having a political, religious, social and cultural power and
control over (1) a political group of people(s), and (2) territory, land or State.  I have written extensively on these two
objectives elsewhere.

IV.        WHAT SHARIA DO NIGERIAN MUSLIMS WANT?

From the debates so far, it is not yet clear as to what Sharia Nigerian Muslims really want.  Sometimes Islamic Personal Law
is interpreted as supreme Sharia and vice-versa.  Sometimes the Nigerian Sharia Court of Appeal is interpreted as if it is
supreme Sharia and vice-versa.  Sometimes the Nigerian constitutional Islamic Personal Law is interpreted as supreme
Sharia and vice-versa.  Only Christians are confused about these, but not Muslims.  Muslims know what Islamic Personal Law
is and also what supreme Sharia is.  It is only Christians who claim ignorance of both.

A. Is it Islamic Personal Law that Nigerians Muslims Want?

The answer is definitely NO!  Islamic Personal Law has been in existence since the 1950's as modified in the then Northern
Nigeria.  All the constitutions of Nigeria have provided Islamic Personal Law for Muslims in Nigeria.  The Sharia debates of the
majority of Muslims is based upon their rejection of Islamic Personal Law.  I can never be convinced nor will be convinced
based upon Islamic history and experience that the Muslims' argument for Sharia and rejection of Islamic Personal Law is
purely religious.

B. Is it Supreme Sharia that Nigerian Muslims want?
The answer is definitely YES!  Because Sharia when it is legislated by the Nigerian State, it will not only protect Islam, but that
it will also assure Muslims of two things: (1) political power and authority base over people(s); and (2) an Islamic State, or
Land or Territory.  The politics of Sharia over peoples and land is the primary driving force for Nigerian Muslims.  Sharia will
not only regulate and control people in terms of public and social practices but also will determine who owns the land, who
belongs, who is a stranger, who is allowed in or excluded from an Islamic territory.  Public conduct and practice are regulated
and controlled and so it is with land regulations and territorial ownership.  The use of land and the exercise of freedom are
highly regulated and censored by Sharia and Islam.

The powerful and potent weapon of checking and keeping Christianity out of Islamic lands is the Sharia and Islamic State.  
History tells us that whenever Islam conquers a land, it does not wipe out Christianity immediately, but enact Islamic laws,
which would gradually eliminate the power and influence of Christianity.  In some countries, this process took several
centuries.  Sharia and Islamic laws would take away from the hands of Christians or non-Muslims (1) political power and (2)
possession of land.  Eventually they usually became the "Dhimmis" or "protected citizens" without equal rights with Muslims.

C. Muslims Arguments for Supreme Sharia
All Muslim arguments for Sharia in the history of Nigeria is not for Personal Law but for supreme Sharia.  For centuries,
Muslims have always argued that "Sharia is not for non-Muslims, but Muslim only".  Here in Nigeria, perhaps some are
hearing this for the first time, but we have been hearing this chorus every time of constitution making in the history of Nigeria.
 How can Sharia not affect Christians when we know that Sharia has political, religious, cultural and social power and
influence over land and territory and all people who live in such lands and territories?  Remember, legislated Sharia is a
States' tool for regulating the conduct and social practice of all people in a given Islamic State or territory.  Nobody is exempt
from its political and religious power and influence.  Remember, individual Muslims are not the ones to apply Sharia but the
State.  The State sets aside some specific Islamic institutions to implement and execute the tenets of Sharia in the State.

I do not know what a Christian thinks of Sharia to the extent that he can be deluded to accepting a historical LIE!  I have not
seen a country or State where Sharia has been applied that Christians do not suffer the woes of it.  For example, in some
Nigeria States which have yet to be declared Sharia States, but have since their creation acted as Islamic States in that they
deny Christians the right of teaching their children religious knowledge, burial grounds, permits for church building, public
preaching, use of radio and television, etc.  What if Sharia is legalized, what will then follow?  I know what will follow because
history of Islam cannot lie.

There is another argument that Christians are ignorant of Islam and for this reason cannot opine about Sharia.  The
devastating effects of Islamic Sharia on Christians in the Middle East is a very historical lesson for Christianity.  We do not
have to go into history, but only see the destruction of human lives in Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, Afghanistan, just to mention a
few, all in the name of Islamic Sharia revolution.  Here at home in Nigeria, we have documented the persecutions of
Christians in the Northern States of Nigeria, all in the name of Muslim Sharia.

There are both constitutional and legal argument for Sharia that the 1999 Constitution allows for Sharia within States.  The
Constitutions of Nigeria and even that of 1999, have always allowed for the establishment of Sharia Court of Appeal to try
only cases of Islamic Personal Law.  Sharia being a supreme Law, it cannot be placed under any other.  This is the heart of
contradiction, confusion and delusion of Nigerians!  It is impossible to practice supreme Sharia under the Nigerian
Constitution.  If Muslims say yes we can, then what they mean is not supreme Sharia but Islamic Personal Law.  Nigerians can
legislate Islamic Personal Law as they have been doing in the history of our constitution making, but they cannot legislate
supreme Sharia.  It is only an Islamic State that can do that.  If Zamfara State can legislate supreme Sharia then technically it
is an Islamic State.  But if what she has done is not supreme Sharia, then Zamfara should not abuse the minds of Nigerians
that she now has a legislated Sharia.  If it is an Islamic Person Law, then she should describe it accurately what it is and not
what it is not.

In this matter, it is not only Zamfara State and the likes that are confused in terms of terminology and religious rights, but
Nigeria politicians are in themselves paralysed by their own conceived political calculations and misgivings, the so-called
political shift from the centre to the periphery, from national universal interests to tribal and parochial interests.

If this precedence is not arrested and dealt with, the seeds of balkanizing Nigeria have been sown already.  Our politicians
can see this danger and pretend otherwise or that they suffer from the paralysis, being the very products of sub-nationalism
that catapulted them to oversee the final balkanization of Nigeria.  And this, by the way fulfilled the political dreams of ethnic
and tribal nationalism and the Sharia advocates that has already engulfed and strangled the nation.

If the sharia revolutionaries win the day or lose the day, they both amount to the same results anyway, unless national unity
grows again to become stronger than sub-nationalism, this calls to question what are we to do with this formidable challenge.

V.        HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS HANDLE SHARIA?
The following are presented:

1.The need to mobilize Christians, churches and denominations for prayers in the Northern States with specific calendar
dates.  There is also a great need of mobilizing the support of all Christians in Nigeria and in the Western countries.

2.Legislation of Christian Human Rights Bill in all Sharia States.

Where Sharia has been legislated by an House of Assembly, the same House of Assembly must be made to legislate
Christian Human Rights Bill.  This is to ensure a legal protection of the rights of all Christians living within a Sharia State.  
Legally, Christians must be protected against any application of Sharia that violates both human and Christian rights within a
given State.  To be included in the Christian Bill of Rights are what Sharia States must legally implemented through
legislation:

a.The social, religious and cultural life of Christians must not be regulated by Sharia, but by Nigerian Constitution and
Nigerian Laws.
b.The Nigerian Constitution in its totality must be the sole and primary instrument for regulating the social, religious and
cultural life of Christians within the Sharia States as Sharia is only applied to Muslims.
c.Sharia that has been legislated must be thoroughly studied by Christians and lawyers and to ascertain any areas where
Christians might be affected by the application of such Sharia clauses on them.  Legislative
d.Christians must have rights and access to land for building churches, burial grounds, freedom of public worship and
parades and use of public media houses just as Muslims have free access to such.
e.Christians must have Christian Religious instruction in all public schools just as Muslims have the right of doing so.
f.No State shall be declared an Islamic State and no State shall adopt a State religion and no State shall use Islam as an
instrument of discrimination against Christians.
g.No Christian shall be dragged to or tried by any Islamic court of Sharia by any State or Islamic Institution.  Penalties to be
stipulated.
h.Christian laws of apostasy, marriage and inheritance shall be made equivalent to those of Sharia.
i.Any other matter that pertains to Christian and human rights.

3.Both the Senate and the National Assembly are to provide guidelines to ensure the protection of Religious and Human
Rights of all Nigerians and that States are to legislate their Sharia laws within such national guidelines.  This is to ensure that
the rights of all Nigerians in all States of the Federation.  No State should be allowed to make sectarian and parochial laws
that deny any Nigerians their fundamental human rights.  The legislation of Sharia in the States has no constitutional and
legal guidelines.  Sectarian Ulamas have been left to sponsor Sharia Bills in the States and who are ignorant of the given
rights of all Nigerians.  Both the Senate and the National Assembly have the moral and national duty to put a check on these
divisive and sectarian revolutionaries.  This is a serious issue which (1) the Executive has sat down mute to watch helplessly;
(2) the Judiciary has become legally fast asleep; and (3) the Legislative has become ignorant of all arts of making bills.

4.No city or place or State can claim indigeneity for Islam as against other religions.  Islam is as much a foreign religion as is
Christianity.  Some people in the Northern States see Christians as having come from the South only and disregard and
disrespect Christians of Northern origin.  This conception must be vehemently rejected.  The North as it is divided into the
Far North which is predominantly Muslim and the Middle Belt which has a Christian majority, this fact makes it imperative for
Muslims in the North to respect their Christian brothers of Northern origin and accommodate Christianity as the second
largest religion in the North.  This arrogant attitude of the Muslim North toward the Christian North has a very serious political
implications for all Northerners.  All Northerners were originally of the African Traditional Religions.  Some converted to Islam
much earlier, while some converted to Christianity much later.  An Arab is as much a colonizer as a Westerner and both have
imperialistic attitude, besides the propagation of their religions.  What we view as bad for one, it is also equally bad for the
other,  Muslims have no right to deny Christians their rights in the Northern States.  They are all converts to foreign religions,
one to the Arabs and the other to the Westerners.
ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF JOS
CHRISTIAN INSTUITE
ARCHBISHOP BENJAMIN ARGAK KWASHI (OON) DD, D.Min.
BISHOP'S CHARGE 2000