A
coalition of 22 Christian groups in Nigeria led by National Christian Elders
Forum (NCEF) on Tuesday condemned the federal government over the declaration
of September 12 as public holiday in commemoration of Eid-el-Kabir celebration
by the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of Supreme Council for Islamic
Affairs, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, stating that it smacks of usurpation of
government functions.
The
condemnation came barely two months after a similar incident in which they
criticised the action of the Sultan, accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of
taking instructions from the him.
It
was reported that in July 2016, Christian organisations lampooned government
over the extension of public holiday by the presidency over the non-sighting of
the moon by the Sultan.
In
a statement issued by the chairman of NCEF Mr. Solomon Asemota (SAN), on behalf
of the coalition, he stated that it was “very improper for the head of the
Islamic faith in Nigeria to announce, declare or extend public holidays.
“We
call on the federal government to rise to its task and cease abdicating its
responsibilities to the head of a religion. We do not want what happened during
the time of Abacha, when Sultan Dasuki was dethroned by Abacha to repeat
itself. It should not be forgotten that apart from Christianity and Islam,
there exist in Nigeria various traditional religions that are the foundation of
our culture as Africans.
“The
federal government should continue to play its neutral, non-aligned role in the
best interest of the nation. Meanwhile, we await the declaration of the Eid
el-Kabir public holiday by the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the
coalition stated.
Other
members of the coalition include Nigerian Christian Graduate Fellowship; Think
Tank For The Body Of Christ; Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria;
Association of Christian Schools in Nigeria; Students Christian Movement;
Christian Professionals Forum; Ministers Prayer Network; International
Christian Embassy Jerusalem; Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association and
International Prophetic Ministerial Association (Inc. Worldwide College of
Bishops and Ministers, Africa, UK and USA).
Others
are Intercessors Without Walls; Wailing Women International; Full Gospel
Businessmen Fellowship; Nigerian Fellowship of Christian Students; University
Joint Campus Christian Fellowship; Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship
(NCCF); Nigerian Supreme Council For Ecclesiastical Affairs; African
Association for Ecclesiastical Affairs; The Preacher; The Messenger and Womb of
Intercession International Fellowship.
The
coalition said notwithstanding its earlier warning in July, “there has been an
escalation of the impropriety.”
Asemota said: “We unequivocally wish to state that it is very improper for the head of the Islamic faith in Nigeria to announce, declare, or extend public holidays. This is the function of the federal government and need not be abdicated. This kind of anomalous development has not been taken place in Nigeria until the advent of the Buhari’s administration which has gone to great length to deepen religious divide and tension in Nigeria.
“Again,
we have no objection whatsoever to the Muslim public holiday but our concern is
that in a secular society as enshrined in Section 10 of the constitution, the
responsibility of declaring or announcing a religious public holiday is vested
in the federal government and such responsibility is sacrosanct.”
The
coalition said it was not unaware of various intrigues and acts of
impunity to “transform Nigeria from a liberal democratic society to an Islamic
theocratic state.”
The
organisation “reminded the government that religion is a very sensitive and
emotional aspect of Nigerians, sayingthe wisdom of the founding fathers of
Nigeria to adopt liberal democracy as national ideology to accommodate all the
divergent groups in the nation cannot be faulted.
“Any
attempt to distort that delicate balance in the Nigerian society shall produce
nothing but destruction and devastation as the nation is currently witnessing.
There is still time for religious extremists to desist before they push Nigeria
off the brink of the precipice,” Asemota stated.
He
added that the full membership of Nigeria in Organisation of Islamic Countries
(IOC). in 1986, by the Ibrahim Babangida military administration was
tantamount to making Nigeria an Islamic state.
He
held that “the nation is yet to resolve this unilateral imposition of one
religion over the nation by an individual. We also conclude that the present
distress in the nation, occasioned by religious intolerance and insurgency,
from the development of Boko Haram to the evolving of fanatical Muslim
assailants, like the Fulani herdsmen, derive from this unilateral and improper
decision of the Babangida administration.
“Even
the sponsors and actors of the membership of Nigeria in OIC in 1986 were aware
of the illegality of their action and as such, kept it out of public knowledge
for 10 years until 1996 when Sultan Dasuki confirmed to the Pope that Nigeria
was a full member of the OIC.
“We
also wish to appeal to the international community to remain circumspect before
interfering in religious issues in Nigeria. Even when the Pope visited Nigeria,
he ensured that he visited both Christian and Muslim leaders. We condemn, in
all totality, the recent visit of the United States Secretary of State, Mr.
John Kerry, in August. His visit was divisive, sectional and capable of
misrepresentation.
“Foreign
nations should be careful not to send the wrong signal that Nigeria is an
Islamic Sultanate with the Sultan as the Supreme Sovereign. Nigeria is not an
Islamic theocratic state. It is a democratic nation and authority is vested in
the democratically elected federal government.
“It
is necessary to reiterate the call to the 386 indigenous ethnic nationalities
in Nigeria to urgently convene a conference to examine the emerging trend and
threats in the nation and propose solutions that will sustain peace, progress
and development in Nigeria. The ethnic nationalities are the “owners’ of
Nigeria and it is their responsibility to ensure that justice, equality and
fairness prevail in this nation,” Asemota maintained.
Source:Thisday
Tags
Society