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Tag: Gumi

  • Northern CAN youths blasts Gumi, says leadership is about merit, not religion

    Northern CAN youths blasts Gumi, says leadership is about merit, not religion

    The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) in the 19 northern states has canvassed acceptance of leaders with competence irrespective of the religion of the leader.

    The CAN Youth Wing in the north which articulated its view in response to reports of an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Gumi suggesting that the FCT minister ought to be a Muslim, said the minister, Nyesom Wike, has proven competence and that competence is what should matter.

    The YOWICAN chairman for the 19 northern states, Evangelist Musa Misal, said in a statement released in Yola, that it is also dangerous for Gumi to have advised President Bola Tinubu not to leave national security in the hands of Christians or southerners.

    He said: “This is uncalled for in a secular and democratic state like Nigeria. They are getting it all wrong,” YOWICAN stated, adding that Gumi’s recent sermons would only stir unnecessary hatred and pitch Nigerians against one another.”

    Read Also; CAN backs Wike’s appointment as FCT minister

    The group also took exception to Gumi’s position on Nigeria’s relations with Israel, stating, “Sheikh Gumi and some other clerics have clearly displayed their bigotry. Attacking the diplomatic relationship Nigeria has with the State of Israel is a waste of time. The same clerics see nothing wrong with the Nigeria-Saudi Arabia relationship.”

    Insisting that Gumi’s “provocating comments during a sermon on 14th October in Kaduna” were unfortunate, YOWICAN sought a check on Gumi and others like him, stating, “It is particularly worrisome the obvious inaction of the nation’s security agencies and the slow attitude of the government to prosecute such people over their actions that are capable of causing serious religious crises in Nigeria.

    “We expect the leadership of this country to show them that no one is above the law and to curb hate speeches, inflammatory sermons or political statements.”

  • Northern elders condemn Gumi’s attack on Tinubu, Wike

    A group of Northern elders under the auspices of Northeast Consolidated Peoples Forum (NCPF) yesterday described the attack on President Bola Tinubu and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyelsom Wike, by the controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Gumi, as malicious, inciting and a misinterpretation of their history.

      Its spokesman, Alhaji Mohammed Abba Liman, said in Abuja that the elders distanced themselves from Gumi, adding that he was only speaking his mind and not for the North.

      The group expressed their determination to continue to supportTinubu and Wike.

      Describing Gumi as a “divisive element”, they said it was easy for him to make “unhealthy and inciting statements” because he had not experienced the pains and horrors of war.

      The elders also condemned the religious and ethnic incitements by those they described as “misguided elements and their sponsors” to cause disaffection and disunity in the country,” saying: “such does not represent the collective view and interest of the North, and certainly not Nigeria’s interest”.

      Gumi had taken a swipe at Wike, for receiving the Israeli ambassador who paid him a courtesy visit in his office, describing him as “Satanic” .

    Gumi also accused Tinubu of pursuing a Christian agenda against Muslims, adding that Christians could not be trusted with power because, according to Gumi, if you empower them, they would turn around and kill you.

    He asked the president to sack the FCT minister and said Muslims would rise up against Tinubu and would not allow him to finish his tenure in office.

    The cleric added that it was Christian soldiers who killed northern political leaders in the past.

    The elders group made up of statesmen and women disagreed with the cleric, saying: “We totally condemn such unprovoked divisive statements from a divisive element who is seeking to destabilise the peace and unity of our dear county, Nigeria, for selfish reasons.”

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    “The utterance is toxic and it should not be accepted by any decent and sound minded person who loves peace and our Nigeria”.

    The constitution of the Federal Public of Nigeria, according to Liman, “gives power and right to any Nigerian irrespective of tribes, religion and political affiliation to be appointed to any position of power as long as that person operates within the limit of our law.

    “What Nigeria needs now is a consolidation of its peace, unity and progress.

    “We caution profiteers of religious fundamentalism and ethnicity, as well as agents of destabilization and instability to desist henceforth.

    “We, therefore, stand with President BolaTinubu and Chief Nyesom Wike. We indeed stand with Nigeria and, of course, the Nigerian constitution for a better governance system for all Nigeria.”

  • PANDEF tackles Gumi, others

    PANDEF tackles Gumi, others

    •  ‘Any Nigerian can be FCT Minister’

    The Chief Edwin Clark-led Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has berated Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi for his comments against Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

    Gumi had urged President Bola Tinubu to remove Wike as FCT minister, and failure to do so will mean they will not be on the same page with the president.

    But PANDEF, in a statement yesterday, said Gumi was out of tune. It reminded Gumi that what the country needed now was how to foster peace and unity, and not divisive posture.

    The statement, by National Publicity Secretary Dr. Ken Robinson, reads: “It is unfortunate that at a time when every Nigerian should be concerned about the stability, peace, and unity of the country, the likes of Sheikh Gumi are further stoking the embers of discord, certainly, intended to exacerbate tension in the country. It’s despicable that a so-called cleric would fashion himself into a shameless promoter of parochialism and acrimony.

    “We consider the call for the removal of Chief Nyesom Wike as Minister of FCT, and indeed, any other Niger Deltan, based on wild predispositions, as an indirect poke at the people of the Niger Delta, and the South-South geopolitical zone, in particular, to catechise our stake in the Nigerian State.

    Read Also: Arrest Gumi over attack on Wike, Nabena urges security agencies

    “Perhaps, it is necessary to underscore some unadorned facts Sheikh Gumi is pretending to overlook; Abuja is the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria and not a sectional capital. Moreso, it was developed and continues to be developed with, mainly, the oil and gas resources of the Niger Delta, where Nyesom Wike comes from.”

    “It is commonly known that crude oil was swapped instead of payment to contractors in building the infrastructure in Abuja, including the Aso Rock Villa. At that time, no one talked of Abuja belonging to any particular ethnic group.

    “Any Nigerian can and should be appointed to serve as Minister of the FCT. Remarkably, Nyesom Wike is the 17th minister of the FCT, but only the second Southerner to be appointed in 47 years, since the creation of the FCT.”

    The group also hailed President Tinubu for his choice of Wike as FCT Minister.

    “We commend President Tinubu for his patriotism and political will in appointing a Southerner as Minister of the FCT after over four decades. It is needful that all patriots and true lovers of the nation, particularly of northern extraction, without equivocation, denounce the dangerous diatribes of Sheikh Gumi and those of his likes, in the national interest. We warn Sheikh Gumi and his backers to leave Nyesom Wike alone; and allow him do his job. This country belongs to all of us and no section is superior to the other!”

  • Rivers lawmaker slams Gumi over anti-Wike remarks

    Rivers lawmaker slams Gumi over anti-Wike remarks

    A member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Adoki Smart, has lambasted Sheikh Gumi for his inflammatory comment against the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike.

    Smart, who represents Port Harcourt 2 Constituency, warned Gumi and his cohorts against making further provocative remarks against Wike, whom he described as highly respected.

    He also told Gumi to stop spreading hateful messages and displaying his animosity against the southerners.

    Smart in a statement in Port Harcourt on Saturday castigated the controversial Muslim cleric that the era of anybody collaborating and sympathising with bandits and criminals for kidnappings and ransoms was over.

    He said that Gumi would meet his Waterloo if he failed to caution himself and apply restraint in his public speeches.

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    He said: “The era of anybody planning with bandits and criminals to kidnap and share ransoms with them is over. Chief Nyesom Wike is the Minister of FCT, deal with it and stop sounding foolish.

    “Some of these Northerners really believe that this country belongs to them. No wonder they saw it as their right for a northerner to take over from another northerner.

    “For your information Gumi, that era is gone. A man that his state produces nothing for the country sits at his dirty corner to ask for Wike’s sack as FCT Minister because Wike received the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria in his office. Though we have been expecting this frustrating statement long ago, these bandits’ sympathisers can no longer hide their frustrations since Wike was appointed the FCT Minister.” That is why Gumi could not endure and have voiced out. “FCT is built and maintained by the proceeds from the Niger Delta. We have not complained. You want to enjoy our money but you don’t want us to be FCT Ministers. Shame on you, Gumi.”

  • Rivers lawmaker slams Gumi over attack on Wike

    Rivers lawmaker slams Gumi over attack on Wike

    A member of the Rivers Assembly, Adoki Smart, has lambasted popular Islamic Sheikh Gumi for his comment against the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike.

     Smart, who represents Port Harcourt 2 Constituency, warned Gumi and his cohorts against making further provocative remarks against Wike, whom he described as highly respected.

    He also told Gumi to stop spreading hateful messages and displaying l animosity against southerners.

    Smart, in a statement in Port Harcourt on Saturday, told the controversial Muslim Cleric that the era of anybody collaborating and sympathising with bandits and criminals for kidnappings and ransoms was over.

    He said that Gumi would meet his waterloo if he failed to apply restraint in his public speeches.

    He said: “Those era of anybody planning with bandits and criminals to kidnap and share  ransoms with them is over. Chief Nyesom Wike is the Minister of FCT, deal with it and stop sounding foolish.

    “Some of these Northerners really believe that this country belong to them. No wonder they saw it as their right for a northerner to take over from another northerner. 

    Read Also: Wike approves revocation of houses converted to other uses in Abuja

    “For your information Gumi, that era is gone. A man that his state produces nothing for the country, sits at his dirty corner to ask for Wike’s sack as FCT Minister because Wike received the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria in his office.

    “Though we have been expecting this frustrating statement long ago. These bandits sympathizers can no longer hide their frustrations since Wike was appointed FCT Minister. That is why Gumi could not endure and have voiced out.

    “FCT is built and maintained by the proceeds from the Niger Delta. We have not complained. You want to enjoy our money but you don’t want us to be FCT Minister. Shame on you, Gumi”.

  • Niger Delta ex-militant leaders warn Gumi over anti-Wike comments

    Niger Delta ex-militant leaders warn Gumi over anti-Wike comments

    Ex-Niger Delta militant leaders have described as “provocative, reprehensible, and despicable” the recent statements by Sheikh Ahmad Gumi against the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

    The Islamic cleric had in a video sermon posted on his official Facebook page, labeled Nyesom Wike as “Satan” for receiving the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria in his office.

    The cleric in the sermon also asserted that President Bola Tinubu would be stopped from serving for eight years.

    The ex-militant leaders warned Sheikh Gumi and his collaborators to refrain from actions and unguarded comments capable of provoking the people of the Niger Delta.

    The ex-militant leaders, under the auspices of the Movement for the Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta (MSDND) in a statement on Friday, October 20, by its national coordinator, Ayibatekena Olodin, expressed suspicion that Sheikh Gumi may be representing groups of corrupt individuals who plunged the FCT into an abysmal state.

    The MSDND described Gumi’s utterance as disheartening, wondering that some individuals still engaged in hate speech and divisive rhetorics seeking to use religion to sow seeds of discord among Nigerians.

    They also described the statement as a provocative reminder of the inequality, mass genocide and monumental fraud perpetrated by some Northerners under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Read Also: Wike: I have no grouse against Islam

    The ex-militants said while the people of the Niger Delta region considered Gumi as a dissident in the northern region, it must be pointed out that the FCT is not a northern state-owned capital but a detribalised territory owned by all Nigerians.

    The MSDND said: “We have resolved to point out to Gumi and his likes that the massive fraud in the FCT including a garnishment order to the tune of $800 million against the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) was perpetrated under a Nothern minister and a Northern President.

    “The FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, is only making very hard decisions to restore the economy of the FCT. It is a sad reminder that Gumi could not speak out when his alleged sponsors were kidnapping, maiming, and killing northerners under the guise of Islamic fundamentalists.

    “Where was he when former President Buhari used Nigeria’s infrastructures and souls of Nigerians to borrow money? Suddenly, he turned to an activist against the FCT administration.

    “We challenge Gumi and his cohorts to mention a state Governor that has performed in their Northern states such as Nyesom Wike since the advent of democratic rule. Wike is the pride of the Niger Delta region.”

    They, however, said that despite the provocative stance of Gumi and his cohorts, the people of the region stand firm in support of their son, brother, and leader, Nyesom Wike, and called on the security agencies to immediately commence an investigation of Gumi over his alleged ties with terrorists and their activities across the country.

    They strongly called on the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Hon. Dele Alake, to ensure that the revenues from the mining of precious minerals in the North such as gold are domiciled in the nation’s treasury.

    The ex-militants warned that the failure of the Northern states to allow collective revenue into the nation’s purse would force the youths from the Niger Delta to truncate crude oil exploration and deny Northern states the benefits.

    They equally urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to embark on an urgent review of mining policies and ensure revenue from mining activities is domiciled in the nation’s purse, noting that “we stand ready to champion this cause to ensure that all revenues from our nation’s resources are brought into the national treasury.

    “We are ready to cut off the Northern states from crude oil exploration revenue if the monies from mining activities are not domiciled with the Federal Government.”