The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Islamise

  • Buhari to Catholic bishops: no plan to islamise Nigeria

    There is no plan to islamise Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari told Catholic bishops in Sokoto yesterday.

    Speaking at the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), the President said contrary to the propaganda and narrative in some quarters, there was no fact to indicate that the present administration was out to Islamise Nigeria.

    He noted with dismay that such negative propaganda and innuendos were being promoted by outsiders.

    According to him, such religious propaganda has created suspicion and distrust, leading to division and disharmony in the country.

    Buhari, who spoke through the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF), Boss Mustapha, stressed that such negative propaganda being promoted included, the membership of Nigeria to the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), introduction of Shariah in northern states, the Boko Haram insurgency as well as farmers/herdsmen clashes.

    He blamed the propanda on some desperate politicians, who have decided to use religion as a tool to spread hate and division.

    Saying the four issues predated the present administration, the President said: “It is pertinent to note that due to circumstances we have found ourselves as a nation, suspicion on religious grounds has almost destroyed the fabrics of unity and love that bind us.

    “There has been a lot of negative propaganda being instigated by outsiders and finds narrative in the church that there is a plan to islamise Nigeria without any credible fact.

    “The issue of membership of Nigeria to OIC, Shariah and farmers/herdsmen clashes had created a lot of suspicion in the minds of the people despite the fact that the problems had existed in the country for several decades.”

    Buhari noted that Christian and Muslim religious leaders had been victims of killings in some parts of the country.

    Restating the Federal Government commitment to security of lives and property, he said: “I assure all Nigerians that criminals will be fished out and dealt with. The Federal Government will continue to provide a safe society for everyone.

    “The fight against the Boko Haram insurgency is achieving the desired goal, while efforts are being made to tackle myriad of challenges in the polity.”

    The President believed that the country would overcome its myriad of challenges.

    He stressed the need for the church, especially Catholic bishops, to rise up to the occasion and educate the people on the negative propaganda being spread by politicians in order to achieve their selfish aims.

    “As you round off this conference, I urge you to go back to your various communities and preach a message of hope, reconciliation and peace,” he said.

    In a remark, Conference President Augustine Akubueze said the bishops were in Sokoto to deliberate on issues affecting the church and the nation, as well as advise Nigerians to make informed decisions ahead of 2019 elections.

    He called on Nigerians not to despair, despite the challenges bedevilling the country, stressing that only those who confronted their challenges achieved the desired goals.

    Akabueze cautioned youths against engaging in fraudulent acts, saying they should uphold the virtues of honesty.

    He warned politicians to desist from using religion and ethnicity to divide Nigerians.

    The cleric said: “We want to use this medium to warn politicians who are instigating hatred and division by using religion and ethnicity, to desist forthwith.

    “We say to these politicians, enough of your deceit. They steal our money while they distract us with religion.”

    The Apostolic Nuncio of Nigeria, Monsignor Antonio Filipazzi, who preached peaceful coexistence, urged the government to end the violence ravaging some parts of the country.

    He said the people should rather give priority to peace and dialogue among various religious and ethnic groups.

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, enjoined the bishops to redouble their efforts towards promoting peace and mutual understanding among various religious groups.

     

  • Onaiyekan to Christians: nobody plans to Islamise Nigeria

    John Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, has urged Christians to rise up and Christianise Nigeria instead of complaining that Muslims want to Islamise the nation.

    Rev. Onaiyekan spoke yesterday in his homily at a Mass to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Gwarinpa II, Abuja.

    “So, let nobody deceive you. I don’t think there is anybody who has plan to Islamise Nigeria, but even if they do, they have every right to do so.

    “They have every right to do so provided they also know that I have the right to Christianise the whole of Nigeria.

    “The answer is not in complaining and crying; stand up like a man and Christianise Nigeria,’’ the Cardinal said.

    He said Christians had the mandate to preach Jesus Christ to everyone without being distracted with material things.

    Rev. Onaiyekan urged Christians to defend their faith by preaching the gospel in words and deeds without comprising the message of the Cross.

    He said the disciples of Christ preached the crucified Christ, accepted persecution and that many even died for their faith.

    “People complain that Christianity is being persecuted; they are saying that some people want to Islamise the nation. Just know that nobody canIslamise you unless you agree to be Islamised.

    “For as long as you are not ready to stand up and carry the Cross, you are on the verge of losing your faith; if you don’t want to lose your promotion for Christ sake, you are also not worthy to be a Christian.

    “Anybody who presents another programme different from the programme of Jesus Christ on the Cross will lose, you will drop; you will just drop like an overripe apple.’’

    According to him, Christians cannot achieve the feat by compromising their faith, it can only be achieved by carrying their cross and following Christ.

    “You don’t Christianise the nation by standing up and looking for prosperity or material benefits.

    “You Christianise a nation, if you are ready to stand up for the truth, preach the gospel, carry the Cross and follow the Lord Jesus.’’

    Quoting from the Gospel of Mathew Chapter 10 verses 37 to 42, Onaiyekan said anyone who loved his or her mother, father, children, husband more than Christ is not worthy of His kingdom.

    He, however, said the message of Cross is that of salvation, which was gradually being reduced to the message of prosperity, adding that it was natural to face suffering in the world.

    The cardinal said that Christianity had survived over 2,000 years and the religion became more established even when the apostles faced persecution and were even killed.

    “The apostles went through horrible suffering because of that, the Church took root when everybody thought it was the end of the story of Jesus, who died on the Cross.

    “That is the mystery of Christianity, if it is not God’s own doing, Christianity would not have survived,’’ he said.

    Rev. Onaiyekan administered sacrament of confirmation to 63 Catholics in the parish and also laid a foundation of the 2,000 capacity new church.

    According to Catholic teaching, the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace.

    Thirty candidates received first Holy Communion at the Mass.

  • No plan to Islamise Nigeria – FG

    No plan to Islamise Nigeria – FG

    The Federal Government says the alleged Islamisation of Nigeria under the current administration is totally false and should be perceived in its entirety as a campaign of calumny.

     

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed stated this on Monday in Ilorin at the Federal Government Town Hall meeting for the North Central zone.

     

    He noted that in recent times, the media had been increasingly awash with incendiary statements designed to pitch the adherents of the two prominent religions Christians and Muslims against one another.

     

    The minister said the secular nature of Nigeria’s Constitution makes the issue of religious dominance and impunity improbable.

     

    “Such fallacies like the Islamisation of Nigeria, the killing of Christians by Muslims, the labeling of Nigeria as the most dangerous place for Christians in the world can only serve one purpose: trigger a religious war.

     

    “Needless to say that no nation ever survives a religious war,’’ he said.

     

    The minister said those making the allegations were using religion as tool to demonise the government and divert attention from the government’s anti-corruption stance.

     

    He said that more often than not, conflicts between Muslims and Christians were fuelled by political motivations, ethnic differences, extremism, intolerance and terrorism.

     

    “Make no mistake about it, there have been conflicts between adherents of the two major religions in certain parts of the country.

     

    “To now extrapolate from that to say Nigeria is the most dangerous place for Christians in the world is a disservice to Nigeria and an overkill.’’

    He appealed to the media to desist from providing a platform for exponents of incendiary statements.

     

    The minister also appealed to Christian and Muslim leaders to emulate Catholic Cardinal John Onaiyekan and Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar who formed the Inter-faith Initiative for Peace to promote inter-faith dialogue.

     

    Mohammed said the North-Central edition is the eighth in the series of the Town Hall Meetings, which started in Lagos on April 25, 2016.

     

    He said the intention was to bridge the communication gap between the government and the people, carrying the people along in the process of governance and also getting the much-needed feedback from the citizenry.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Ministers of Health,  Prof. Isaac Adewole, Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu attended the event .

     

    Others are Ministers of State for Mines and Steel,  Bawa Bwari, Budget and National Planting,  Zainab Ahmed and Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar.

     

    The ministers gave accounts of their stewardship and fielded questions from the audience on critical national issues. (NAN)

  • CAN alleges plan to Islamise Osun

    CAN alleges plan to Islamise Osun

    •Govt:it’s not true

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Osun State yesterday accused Governor Rauf Aregbesola of planning to Islamise the state.

    The government denied the allegation.

    At a press conference attended by its Chairman, Superior Evangelist Abraham Aladeseye; the Secretary, Rev. Fr. Michael Ajayi and Christian leaders from all denominations, CAN alleged that the government was planning to introduce the use of hijab in Christian-owned public schools.

    Reading a statement by the association to the press, Rev. Fr. Ajayi said: “The agitation for the use of hijab got to a climax when a female pupil of Baptist High School, Iwo, was arrested by the police on the order of the school authorities for wearing hijab to school.”

    CAN criticised some of the educational policies of the Aregbesola administration, such as the merger of public schools and demolition of some school buildings.

    It described them as a plot to erase the names of missionaries from schools established by Christian bodies.

    The government debunked the allegation.

    The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Sunday Akere, said the administration has always respected all religions and would continue to do so.

    Akere said the allegations might be the handiwork of persons trying to undermine the administration’s achievements in the education sector. He said the government would not be distracted from its efforts to improve the state.