PERCEPTION OF CHURCH OF CHRIST IN NATIONS (COCIN) FOLLOWERS TOWARDS THE GROWTH OF ORPHANS IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

PERCEPTION OF CHURCH OF CHRIST IN NATIONS (COCIN) FOLLOWERS TOWARDS THE GROWTH OF ORPHANS IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The study is an investigation into the“Perception of COCIN Church members Towards the Development of Orphans” against the background that orphans are in a tragic state.The problem is growing with thousands of children left increasingly unattended to and uncared for in the face of the religious crises and increasing activities of insurgency in the country. The main objective of the study is to find out the Perception of COCIN Church members Towards the Development of Orphans in Plateau State, Nigeria. In doing so, four specific objectives were formulated. To investigate if Church of Christ in

Nations has laid down policy for orphans moral development; find out the perception of Church of Christ in Nations members on the contribution of the church in the academic development of orphans; examine the perception of Church of Christ in Nations memberson the role of the church in the economic development of orphans; and establish ways in which the Church of Christ in Nations can improve in the development of orphans. Four research questions and null hypotheses were set and tested at 0.05 levels of significance. A survey research method was adopted and the population for the study is 1,323,550. A proportional sampling technique was used to obtain the number of respondents from the sample size of 897 from three senatorial zones of Plateau State. A structural questionnaire and interview techniques were employed to collect data. The researcher with the help of one research assistant administered the questionnaire. A total number of 897 copies of questionnaire were distributed to the respondents and 810 copies representing 90.3% were duly filled and returned. The data collected through the questionnaire was presented and analysed using tables.The interview conducted served as complementary data in the discussion. In the analysis of the data: sex and position in the church were the demographic variables analysed with frequencies and percentages. Also, theitems raised in the study to answer the four research questions were tested with means, standard deviation and two-sample t-test. The findings of the study were quite revealing. In the test of hypothesis one, the groups involved differed in their opinion on the role of Church of Christ in Nations in the moral development of orphans. Hypothesis two, three and four showed no significant difference in opinion on the role of Church of Christ in Nations in academic and economic development of orphans as well as ways the church can improve in the development of orphans in Plateau State. The Conclusion drawn from the study indicates that the church hassignificant roles to play in the moral development of orphans through periodic visitations, counselling and other programmes organized by the church but there is lack of adequate and official roles in areas of educational and economic development of orphans. The recommendations from the study suggested establishment of special schools, provision of scholarship, building of orphanages, establishment of more skill acquisition centres, establishment of official policies and forming of associations for the protection of orphans right in respect of the properties left by their late parents.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1        Background to the Study

This research focuses on the perception of Church of Christ in Nations memberstowards the development of orphans in Plateau State, Nigeria. Plateau State with Jos as its capital is one of the thirty-six (36) states of Nigeria located in the North-

Central geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The State was created out of the then BenuePlateau state on the 3^rd February, 1976 by the Murtala Mohammed regime. The state comprises of seventeen Local Government Areas namely:- Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Bokkos,

Jos-East , Jos-North, Jos-South, Kanam, Kanke, Langtang-North, Langtang-South, Mangu, Mikang, Pankshin, Quanpan, Riyom, Shendam and Wase (Adeniran, 2011).The state shares common boundaries with Kaduna state in the North-West, Bauchi State in the North-East, Benue State in the South, Taraba State in the East and Nasarawa State in the West. The population of the state is highly heterogeneous with over fifty ethnolinguistic groups. The major economic activities of the state are trading, mining and farming. The state is endowed with natural resources such as tin and columbine, cassiterite, barites, clay, kaolin, gemstone, galena quartz and feldspar. Agricultural products such as Potatoes, Maize, Groundnut, Rice, Yam, fruits and Vegetables are also available in large scale quantity (John, 2016).

The Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), formerly known as Church of Christ in Nigeria, came into being through the work of Dr. Karl Kumm, a German, who founded the Sudan United Mission (SUM) in 1904. Dr. Willem Herman Karl Kumm came to Nigeria with Dr. Ambrose H. Bateman, Mr. John Burt and Mr. John Lowry Maxwell for mission work. They arrived Wase town in Plateau state, Nigeria on the 8th

October, 1904. This small beginning in Wase led to the foundation of the “Fellowship of the Churches of Christ in Nigeria (Tarrayar Ekklesiyoyin Kristi a Nijeriya, TEKAN), with COCIN as a member. The Headquarters of (COCIN) is at No. 5 Noad Avenue Jos,

Plateau state, Nigeria. It is a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN), the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC). The Church provides basic

services which include education, health and agriculture.

The Church of Christ in Nations today has a total number of Sixty-two (62) Regional Church Councils (RCCs), One (1) Chaplaincy, One (1) Headquarters Church and more than a thousand Local Church Councils (LCCs), with a population of one million three hundred and twenty-three thousand five hundred and fifty (1,323,550) members in Plateau State. COCIN started with the name Ekilisiyar Kristi a Sudan

(EKAS), Church of Christ in Sudan (CCS) in 1958. In 1975 it adopted the name Ekilisiyar Kristi a Nijeriya (EKAN) and later to Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) in 1976. Today,it is known as “Church of Christ in Nations” (COCIN). This was approved during its General Church Council (GCC) meeting of 2012 and became fully registered in 2013, (Datiri, 2015 andDatiri, 2016).

The state of orphans in Plateau State is tragic and a growing problem with thousands of children left increasingly unattended to and uncared for. Robert and Moreland (2001) state that, in the year 2000, Plateau state was home with 75,710 orphans and projected that by 2015, Plateau State would be home with 347,450 orphans. The immediate causes of orphan-hood of children include among others high maternal mortality, Diseases (HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis), armed conflicts, road accident, natural disasters, and poverty. Plateau state in recent years is marked by violence and security breakdown. For these reasons, many children are left orphans and rendered homeless, thus eventually become beggars in the streets. The limited response of the government, faith based organizations coupled with low public awareness has left families and communities to bear the brunt of the problem. Children are abandoned to their plight of homelessness to raise themselves. In this way orphans receive double jeopardy because they suffer the emotional burden of losing their parents as well as the economic instability that accompanies that loss.

The plight of orphans is an issue that has received attention in most religions of the world. Notably, the two most popular religions, Christianity and Islam, emphasise the need to help and defend orphans which is considered as very pleasing to God. The main reason for this increasing concern is the rising number of orphaned children due to the death of parents (Bakare, 2013; Folaranmi and Olusegun 2015). The call to care for orphans is both traditional and Biblical. A study of the Scripture shows that orphans were not left out of Gods plan and the need to take care of their welfare present a challenge right from the beginning. That is why in the Old Testament, special laws were made to provide for the needs of orphans (Exodus 22:22; Leviticus 19:9, 23:22). The New Testament also shows that religion that is pure and faultless is looking after orphans in their distress (James 1:27).

Academic, moral and economic developments are fundamental factors of development. No country can achieve sustainable development without substantial investment in human capital. The growth and development of any society depends on the quality of its citizenry morally, academically and economically. There is a common saying that “youths are the pillars and future leaders of tomorrow”. Among these youths are children of the poor and the rich including children with single parents or with nonalive. Human development enriches people‟s understanding of themselves and the world. It improves the quality of their lives and leads to broad social benefits to individuals and society and also raises people‟s productivity, creativity, and promotes entrepreneurship and technological advancement. Academic development is important to children‟s social integration and psychosocial well-being. It helps children affected by trauma to regain a sense of normalcy and to recover from the psychosocial impacts of their experiences and disrupted lives. It is the basic human right for all children, as recognized in the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 (Catholic Relief Services, 2006). It benefits the whole nation as a major instrument for social and economic development, it increases labour productivity, improves health, and enables people to participate fully in the economic development of their societies. In the world today, children and societies who lack access to quality education are disadvantaged in terms of income, health and opportunity (Miller, 2008).

In pre-colonial Nigeria, the development of orphans was not a problem. Learning was informal and practical. Children learn the trade of their parents according to their sexes (males and females). Those left orphans were inherited by close or distant relations and friends and were taught the profession and occupation of the society. The professions and occupations practiced during this period were farming, hunting, knitting, house hold maintenance, black smiting and pot making. These crafts and occupations were defined by sex (males and females). All this did not require any special academic work because it was practical (Ssewamala and Culy, 2005). In line with the above, David (2006) and Kanjanda (2014) state that traditionally, “there is no such thing as an orphan in Africa”. Children who lost one or both parents were incorporated into a relative‟s family. The orphan enjoyed everything in the family including food, clothing and life skills development in preparation for future life. Such efforts by the families helped to maintain social harmony and to keep the family intact for the enhancement of social, economic, cultural and spiritual development. Life at the time was fully characterised by love and respect for each other with the moral values being the order of each day. Therefore, orphans enjoyed the comfort of the home of relations and the entire society.

The development of orphans became a problem as a result of a myriad of factors including the increase of deaths of parents, poverty, family disharmony and disintegration as well as laxity of the moral values and social stratification. Such changes made the orphan to be treated as an outcast and a second class citizen in the family. Nyamukapa et al, (2008) submits that, orphans due to the death of parents are being discriminated against in homes headed by members of the extended family, leading to poor school attendance and academic performance. He also observes that, in some instances, the burden of orphan care falls more on the elderly, many of whom lack the material resources and the necessary health and energy to be able to feed additional mouths. Thus, the situation of orphans in such home environment is even worse. Life became unbearable for the orphan who then would choose to make life in the street

(Kanjanda, 2014). The problem became worse during the missionary period in which Christianity objected to this heredity of the wife and children. Children that have lost their parents were left hanging. Either they were taken care of by a benevolent relation or a church organization. The introduction of western education also contributed to the plight of orphans. Western education needs funding and requires being in a school environment for some years. This became a problem because orphans at this period needed somebody that will pay for their school fees, uniforms and books. As of this time, many family ties have been broken. The practice of monogamy as upheld in Christian marriage, modern economic and social changes weakened the traditional way of caring for orphans which added to the plight of the orphans because the idea of inheritance of the orphans was relegated to the background. However, missionaries established schools and made provision for orphans by way of charity. With this, their development was relatively taken care of, even the colonial government offered some assistance to orphans that have distinguished themselves academically (Nyambedha, 2001).

At independence in Nigeria, the condition of orphans was still a little better because the country was not yet corrupt as it is today. Government then provided so many services for the general populace. Apart from good educational services provided, there was the Udoji Commission of 1972 that was set up to meet up the economic demand of the unemployed and the indigent citizens of the nation. With this, the number of orphans was reduced because the life expectancy of Nigerians was higher due to good health services and security. However, corruption increased in the leadership of the nation leading to the decay of the colonial as well as missionary structures of the development of the orphans and as Nigeria gets older the worse the situation became (Ayodeji, 2012).

In Nigeria, orphanhood has consistently affected the development of very many children. Poverty is wide spread and dominant, many families cannot afford three square meals a day not to talk of sending their children to school. For this reason, many of these orphaned children end up homeless, and therefore take to begging on the streets without any hope of going to school or learning any trade. They are often left to fend for themselves. In this way, orphans are exposed to risks because of the emotional burden of losing their parents and suffer the economic instability that accompanies that loss. Furthermore, in the year 2005, an estimated 48 million children aged 0-18 years were orphans, these children are often vulnerable to abuse and exploitation and many have to leave school and therefore have little or no  vocational opportunities and these children sometimes are stigmatized and discriminated against (Engle, 2008).

Today, the plight of the development of the orphans is acute. Their number is increasing at a geometrical progression, largely due to armed conflicts ravaging different parts of the state. Apart from land squabbles, political and ethnic conflicts that have left a lot of children orphans. Government does not have a concession for children in that condition, the traditional way of caring for orphans through the extended family system is overwhelmed by the increased number of orphans coupled with poverty. As a result, a considerable number of orphaned children who would otherwise have been cared for within the extended family system have dropped out of school in order to either farm the family land to take care of themselves and their siblings, or in desperation, migrated to large urban areas in search of employment opportunities (child labour), or forced into marriage (Orodho, 2004). The upsurge of independent church movements makes the situation worse. The churches are interested in receiving and not to give out anything to augment the development of orphans. Even though some mainline churches still operate orphanages to cater for the development of the orphans. The prosperity gospel that accepts giving in exchange for economic prosperity through prayer wishes is gradually weakening such foundations making the future of the orphans bleak. This is the background to this study on “Perception of Church of Christ in Nations Memberstowardsthe Development of Orphans in Plateau State”.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

The family being the cradle of a child‟s development provides the child with emotional, economic, moral, spiritual and educational support. However, increase in the number of orphans is steadily overwhelming the extended family systems which have been known to take up the burdens of orphans due to economic challenges. Over a decade Plateau state has witnessed violent communal clashes across ethnic and religious lines such as the Appointments of lay leaders in 1994 which prompt protest and counter demonstration that led to the death of four people and places of worship destroyed. Appointment of local administrator of welfare allowances in 2001 leads to weeks of demonstrations, tension rise resulting to violence leading to the death of about 3000 people and 72 villages destroyed. National election held in 2004 but postponed in the state, Local officials were appointed resulting in disputes leading to the death of about

1000 people and 250,000 people displaced.  Disputes over party nominees and results in 2008 leads to the death of 800 people. In 2010, dispute erupted over reconstruction of a home destroyed by clashes in 2008 causes violence and reprisals attack leads to the killing of over 500 people in four days. Disputes between farmers and herdsmen in 2011 over farmland leads to the killing of over 100 residents and Land-related communal conflicts between Berom ethnic group and Hausa/Fulani Herdsmen in 2012 leads to attack on over 10 villages killing over 300 people including a serving Senator Gyang Dantong, and the majority leader of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Gyang Fulani(Osaretin and Akov, 2013).

These clashes have claimed thousands of lives, displaced hundreds of thousands of people and fostered a climate of instability throughout the surrounding region and this in effect have left a lot of children orphaned as well as creating an upsurge in a number of homes that are headed by orphans, who are experiencing starvation, poor health and lack of education. As such, orphans are seen in different strategic locations on the streets, various church entrances begging for alms and soliciting for help. Without adequate support, orphans are exposed to different societal ills or vices such as prostitution, child trafficking, child labour, child abuse, pick pocketing, stealing, robbery, street life, acute malnutrition as well as short life expectancy and living in overcrowded and poorly ventilated houses. Furthermore, some orphans in search for identity are also exposed to cultism (Samuel, 2003).

In academics, orphans continue to face many challenges ranging from trekking long distances on foot to the nearest school, inability to pay school fees, inability to pay for uniforms and books. Orphaned children due to lack of parental care, love and supervision are sometimes deprived of quality education, they experience delay in enrolment into school and many do not attend school at all which would have been instrumental in protecting them from vulnerabilities and engagement into different social vices which exposed them to more risky conditions leaving them with little or no vocational opportunities. Economically, orphans are at a high disadvantage, the basic necessities of life such as adequate medical care, food and shelter becomes a problem.

Some of them are denied of their rights to the property left behind by their late parents.

At moral level, orphans suffer abuse and deprivation because of absence in parents‟ diligent guidance which leads to psychological problems of inferiority complex, they become subject to higher risk of dangerous sexual behaviours and pregnancy, higher chances of drug and alcohol abuse due to lack of guardians that will supplement the role of parents in their moral upbringing. As a result, orphans are left to do whatever they feel like doing whether right or wrong, no one cares (Lekule and Clinton, 2013).

It seems the plight of the orphans has not received the needed attention by both church organizations as well as governmental organizations. This is the problem that this study on “Perception of „Church of Christ in Nations‟Members towards the development of orphans” sets out to investigate in Plateau state, Nigeria.

1.3       Objectives of the Study

The general objective of the study is to access the “Perception of Church of Christ in Nations Members Towards the Development of Orphans in Plateau State,

Nigeria”.

The specific objectives are to:

1. Investigate if Church of Christ in Nations has laid down policies for orphans moral development;
2. find out the perceptions of Church of Christ in Nations members on the contribution of the church in the academic development of orphans;
3. examine the perceptions of Church of Christ in Nations members on the role of the church in the economic development of orphans;
4. establish ways in which Church of Christ in Nations can improve in the development of orphans;

1.4        Research Questions

The study seeks to answer the following questions.

1. What are the perceptions of Church of Christ in Nations members on the laid down policies of the Church in the moral development of orphans?
2. What are the perceptions of Church of Christ in Nations members on the contributions of the church in the academic development of orphans?
3. To what extend has Church of Christ in Nations responded to the economic development of orphans?
4. How can Church of Christ in Nations improve the services rendered to orphans?

1.5        Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses are stated.

1. There is no significant difference between the opinions of pastors and members on the laid down policies by Church of Christ in Nations in the moral development of orphans.
2. There is no significant difference between the opinions of orphans and members on the contributions of Church of Christ in Nationsin the academic development of orphans.
3. There is no significant difference between the opinions of male and female members on the roles played by Church of Christ in Nations in the economic development of orphans.
4. There is no significant difference between the opinions of pastors and members on the ways in which the Church of Christ in Nations can improve in the services rendered to orphans.

1.6       Significance of the Study

It is believed that the findings from the study will help the Church of Christ in Nations to be aware of the challenges facing orphans and the effects of those challenges in the lives of orphans which truncate their academic pursuits. Some of these challenges include inability to pay school fees, pay for uniforms and books, homelessness, lack of food, inadequate medical care due to poverty.

The study will help enlighten people as regards the plight of orphans and this in effect will be an eye opener thereby improving the quality of moral, economic and academic services offered to Orphans by establishing skill acquisition centres, selfempowerment programmes for orphans which will lead to reducing the various vices Orphans are exposed to such as prostitution, stealing, alcoholism and child trafficking.

The study will also serve as an important reference material and the findings will also be helpful to individuals who may wish to undertake further research in this area in the future. The study will also bring to light the suffering of orphans and the possible ways the church will improve its support services rendered to them.

The study will help orphans overcome the feeling of inferiority and stigmatization and bring into light sufferings of orphans among their peer groups by providing ways of making them realize how relevant their input can be among their peers. Furthermore, the study will help sensitized religious bodies, social workers, government and non-governmental organizations on the moral, economic and educational plight of orphans and ways of helping them realize their worth and

potentials.

1.7       Scope of the Study

The study covers COCIN congregations in Plateau State. Because of proximity, its headquarters is in the State and it has adequate number of population that will be used for the study, compared to other states in Nigeria.The focus is on Orphans within COCIN in Plateau State, because for over thirteen years the state has been ravaged by different conflicts in recent times that have resulted in the increase of the number of orphans who are faced with moral, academic and economic challenges due to the death of their parents. This is the main reason for choosing Plateau State for this study.

PERCEPTION OF CHURCH OF CHRIST IN NATIONS (COCIN) FOLLOWERS TOWARDS THE GROWTH OF ORPHANS IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

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