As
Calabar remains agog with its annual carnival, churches in the Cross
River State capital, under the aegis of Christian Youth Action Group
(CYAG), have advised the state government not to stage carnival on
Sunday again.
According to
the group, Sunday was the Sabbath (or holy day), and should not be
desecrated…and the movement of Christians on such a day should not be
restricted.
In a
petition written to Governor Liyel Imoke, CYAG said it was unholy to
organise carnival dry run along major roads of Calabar that are used by
Christians on Sunday to access their worship centres, noting that the
ban on movement on such routes prevent them from worshiping. SEE MAIN SOURCE
Carnival dry
run is a rehearsal by both the children and adult bands of Carnival
Calabar to prepare them for the main carnivals that hold on December 26
and 27 of every year. On such dry run days, the designated routes are
closed to traffic from 12 noon, preventing vehicular mobility within the
city centre.
In the
petition signed by Effiong Udowong, Akpabio E., Lawrence Stephen,
Theodore Effiong, Ephraim Effiong, Eugene Nyong, Elijah Effiong, Pastor
Wisdom Asuquo, Martins Otudor and Helen Eze, all members of executive of
CYAG, the governor was advised to find an alternative day to Sunday “as
Christians cannot be stopped from worshiping God.”
“The spirit
of carnival is seductive and distortive, hence the high rate of HIV/AIDS
in the state. Most churches that run shift are always deprived the
opportunity to do so because they are forced to shut down. The
introduction of carnival has led to the increase of street children
around our state capital and the vices therein,” the group said.
The group urged Governor Imoke not to make inglorious history by having churches shut down during his tenure.
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