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8th October 2015

Govr. Kashim Shettima
The Governor of Borno State,
Nigeria.

Your Excellency,

GCCA COMMUNIQUÉ OF SEPTEMBER 2015
We wish to share with you our association's September 2015 communiqué. We believe you are a father and a leader of all the people of Borno State. This communiqué is the summary of our common life experience and feelings, which we think is proper for you to know as a father and leader. We therefore urge you to look into it with human face.
We also wish to meet with you as father and sons to discuss this communiqué and other things that ideally should not be on the pages of paper.
Thanks and God's grace
For: GCCA
Elder Ayuba J. Bassa (08037875055)
National Coordinator

We have also copied same to the under listed persons

COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE END OF AN EXTRA ORDINARY MEETING OF THE GWOZA CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION HELD IN MAIDUGURI, AND ABUJA AND IN CONSULTATION WITH ALL OTHER BRANCHES NATION WIDE ON 18TH AND 26TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Rising from its extra-ordinary general meeting held in Maiduguri Borno state and in Abuja on the 18thand 26thSeptember, 2015, North East and North Central Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria respectively, Gwoza Christian Community Association (GCCA) an affiliate of CAN and an umbrella body concerned with the progress and welfare of the entire Christians of Gwoza Local Government area in Nigeria or abroad offer due consultation and deliberation with relevant stake-holders and leaders of Gwoza Local Government area hereby issues this communiqué on behalf of its members:

PREAMBLE
Gwoza Christian Community Association (hereinafter referred to as GCCA) considers this communiqué a summary of the view of the Christendom in Gwoza Local Government Area, particularly on the plights of its members in the IDP camps and the recent appointments of the Gwoza Local Government caretaker committee to run the affairs of the council for the next six month or so. It is worth restating that Nigeria is a secular state, so also is Borno state and more so, Gwoza Local Government Area and this character is expected to reflect in the affairs of government. This standpoint is maintained by GCCA with the view to drawing the attention of Gwoza Local Government, politicians, stake-holders and the state government that all the indigenes of Gwoza Local Government Area are primary stakeholders in the management of the welfare of its indigenes and the Local Government. They are, more importantly, qualified beneficiaries of social amenities and also entitled to rights and privileges as contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliations.

INTRODUCTION
Gwoza Local Government Area is situated in the southern part of Borno State. It is among the Local Governments in the state that fell to the hands and control of the Boko Haram insurgents. Consequently, the Local Government Area has been ravaged and its indigenes, Muslims and Christians alike, forced out and are now settling as Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri, Adamawa State, Gombe State, Plateau State, Lagos State, Nassarawa State, Abuja and Cameroun.
Before the attack on Gwoza Local Government Area by the Boko Haram, it is noteworthy that nine (9) of the 13 wards were at one time or the other represented by Christians as councilors, this is also true of our Muslim brothers. The detail is shown in the table of chronicles below and marked NIG 1. This was done with the view to engendering mutual cooperation and equal representation. Areas that were predominantly Christians were enjoyed to cede some positions to their Muslim brothers in that respect.

OUR CONCERNS:
Recently, the governor of Borno State constituted the Caretaker Committees of the various Local Government Councils in the State. The GCCA however considers the appointments of the Gwoza Local Government Caretaker Committees a Constitutional betrayal with the intent to deny Christians of Gwoza extraction political representations in the governance of Gwoza and the state at large. The congress has collectively observed that;
1) Right from the nomination of the party officials from ward executives, Christians were carefully excluded out, especially in wards which have about 55% Christians or more, namely; Gava/Agapalawa, Chikide/Dughwede/Kuhum, Pulka/Bokko,Hambagda/Limankara/Jaje, Ashigashiya, Ngoshesama/KuranaBassa, Ngoshe wards. This is aside other ward within Gwoza, which have a sizeable number of Christians.
2) In the recent appointments into political offices such as Caretaker Council, Commissioners, Board Chairmen/Members, no Christians were appointed from Gwoza Local Government Area. However, if proper election were to be conducted especially into Local Government Council, Christians will definitely win in most of the wards enumerated above. If both the religions were being affected by the insurgency why can't both of them be considered in the appointment of their leaders?
3) Since the creation of Gwoza Local Government Area, a Christian has always occupied the seat of the vice-chairman either by election or by appointment and a number of Councilors representing particular wards. It is the present caretaker committee of the Local Government constituted by this regime that has single Christian appointed for any position in all the wards in Gwoza Local Government Area.
4) The plights of Gwoza people in the IDP camps outside Borno state have reached its climax. It is baffling to state here that Gwoza people are not catered for by the government and all the emergency management agencies because must of them lived outside the IDP camps in other states. How is that their fault when there were no camps to live in? Children have suffered unbearable hardship in various states of the federation they are camped because no one comes to see and provide help for them from the state they belong.

OUR FEARS
1) The creation of the new Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement is a laudable initiative we hereby commend His Excellency, Govr. Kashim Shettima, the Governor of Borno state for. However, we are aware of clandestine schemes by a certain political class from Gwoza Local Government Area to prevent Christians of Gwoza extraction from returning to their ancestral homes, nor be considered in the ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction of their burnt and destroyed properties. This has created a serious tension amongst Christians of Gwoza Local Government Area, which the Governor needs to allay immediately.
2) Before the April 2015 elections Christians in Gwoza Local Government Area were assured by His Excellency Govr. Kashim Shettima, the Governor of Borno State that they would be carried along in the management of the affairs of the State. We had our doubts but still opted to take the governor for his words. However, the recent appointments into the Gwoza Local Government Caretaker Committee Council have scuttled our faith in the governor's resolve as no single Christian is appointed in that respect.
3) Inasmuch as the organization is not in the position to choose for the Governor the members of his cabinet, we wish to urge His Excellency to appoint persons who are capable of governing the state without religious or ethnic bias and marginalization. This is in line with the hallmark of justice and change that characterizes the present political standpoint of the present administration at the State and Federal level.

OUR PRAYERS:
a) That His Excellency, Govr. Kashim Shettima, the Governor of Borno State should issue an immediate directive to the emergency relief management agencies in the state to treat all IDPs equally without any form of religious bias or victimization. His Excellency should also form a composite committee that will visit the various states we have enumerated above and below in a bid of providing succor to its citizens. Addressing the plights of IDPs will go a long way in rekindling the confidence that the Christian Community had in you as a person and your administration as a government.
b) We pray the government of Borno State to create an enabling environment for all its indigenes to contribute their developmental quota in the state by granting equal representation in the membership of the Local Government Caretaker Committee and the committee on rehabilitation, Recreation and Resettlement for Gwoza Local Government Area. Doing otherwise will tantamount to subjecting the indigenes of Borno State to rules similar to Boko Haram.
c) Government to consider Christians from Gwoza local Government Area into any other future appointment by Government to foster peaceful coexistence and a sense of belonging in the Area.
d) Our displaced GCCA members all over this country live in hopeless and uncertainty conditions. They are in Adamawa, Taraba, Plateau, Nassarawa, Abuja, Edo, Abeokuta, Lagos and Maiduguri, with nothing from the government. We enjoy the government to provide some relieve and care for them or pay them a visit.
e) Denial of teaching our Children Christian Religious Knowledge in public schools of Gwoza Local Government is also a pending issue. We urge His Excellency, Govr. Kashim Shettima, to wade into the matter.

This is the percentage of Christian population per ward in Gwoza Local Government and if you need more details either in numbers or figures we shall provide.
a) Hausari/Gadamayo 10%
b) Bulabulin/G. Wakane 30%
c) Hambagda/Limankara/Jaje 60%
d) Wala/Warabe/Dure 10%
e) Pulka/Bokko 70%
f) Kirawa/Jimini 10%
g) Ngoshe 55%
h) Gava/Agapalawa 80%
i) Chikide/Dughwede/Kughum 70%
j) Kuranabasa/NgosheSama 57%
k) Izge/Bita 9%
l) Guduf Nagadiyo/Bubayagwa 5%
m) Ashigashiya 60%

It may interest you to know that seven out of thirteen wards of Gwoza Local Government are mostly Christians. Why the marginalization and denial of rights and privileges?

TABLE OF CHRONICLES OF GWOZA LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHRISTIAN COUNCILORS FROM 1976 TO DATE ARRANGED ACCORDING TO WARDS (NIG1)

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