The Nation Newspaper

Tag: politicise

  • Don’t politicise religion in Nigeria

    In 1844, the Revd Samuel Ajayi Crowther returned home to Yorubaland (now part of modern-day Nigeria). Twenty years earlier, he had been kidnapped and sold to European slave traders who were bound for the Americas. He was freed by an abolitionist naval patrol, and received by the Church Missionary Society. There, he found his calling.

    Crowther made his voyage home to establish the first Anglican mission in Yorubaland. He came with the first Bibles translated into Yoruba and Hausa languages. He opened dialogue and discussion with those of other faiths. And his mission was a success: Crowther later became the first African Anglican bishop in Africa.

    Today, Nigeria has the largest Christian population on the continent. The messages and teachings of Christianity are part of the fabric of each person’s life.

    Along with the millions of Christians in Nigeria today, I believe in peace, tolerance, and reconciliation; in the institution of the family, the sanctity of marriage, and the honour of fidelity; in hope, compassion, and divine revelation.

    Like Bishop Crowther, I am a descendant of Abraham; unlike him, I am a Muslim. I believe our two great religions can not only peacefully coexist but also flourish together. But Muslims and Christians must first turn to one another in compassion. For, as it says in Amos 3.3: “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?”

    As they are People of the Book, I believe that there is far more that unites Muslims and Christians than divides them. In fact, I believe that the messages of the Bible are universal: available for anyone to exercise, and instructive to all.

    We must resist the temptation to retreat into our communities, because, if we do, we can only look inwards. It is only when we mix that we can reach new and greater possibilities.

    Whichever religion or religious denomination they choose to follow, Nigerians are devout. Anything that Nigerians believe will place impositions on their practice, and belief is therefore sure to cause widespread alarm.

    And, unfortunately, there are those who seek to divide Nigerians — and our two great religions — and to do so for their own advantage.

    I stand accused — paradoxically — of trying to Islamise Nigeria while also being accused by Boko Haram terrorists of being against Islam. My vice-president is a devout man, a Christian pastor. He, too, is accused of selling out his religion, because of his support for me.

    This is not the first time that I — nor, indeed, my Christian-Muslim evenly split cabinet — have been the subject of such nonsense. Fortunately, the facts speak differently from the words of those who seek to divide us from one another.

    Since my administration has been in power, Boko Haram has been significantly and fatally degraded; I have befriended church leaders and church groups both within and outside our country; my vice-president has addressed and opened dialogue with Muslims up and down our land.

    In all things, we seek that which all well-meaning Christians and well-meaning Muslims must seek: to unite, respect, and never to divide. Does it not say “There is no compulsion in religion” (Qur’an 2.256)? Does it not say “Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us” (Luke 9.50)? This, surely, is the path that followers of both our two great religions must walk.

     

    Unfortunately, those who wish us all to walk apart have recently found another focus for their efforts: the tragic clashes between nomadic herdsmen and settled farmers in the central regions of Nigeria.

    For generations, herders have driven their cattle from the north to the centre of our country; they tend to be predominantly Muslim, although not exclusively. The farmers, in certain areas of central Nigeria, are predominantly Christian.

    The causes of this conflict are not religious or theological, but temporal. At the heart of this discord is access to rural land, exacerbated both by climate change and population growth.

    Sadly, there are some who seek to play fast and loose and so make others believe that these are not the facts. When religion is claimed as the cause — and by those who know that it is not — it only makes finding a resolution more difficult.

    The government has taken action to mediate, to bring the two groups together in peace and unity. But we also need all parties to follow the teachings of the scriptures, and encourage reconciliation rather than cause division. As it is said: “Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?” (Mark 8.18).

    As our constitution codifies, politicising religion has no place in Nigeria; for it makes us turn away from one another; it makes us retreat into our communities and walk different paths.

    I believe that there is a better way. To those who seek to divide, I still hold my hand out in brotherhood and forgiveness. I ask only that they stop, and instead encourage us to turn towards one another in love and compassion. Nigeria belongs to all of us. This is what I believe.

     

    • President Buhari’s opinion piece on religion was first published on November 30, in Church Times, UK’s largest Anglican newspaper.
  • Presidency: Don’t politicise attack on Buhari

    Presidency: Don’t politicise attack on Buhari

    The Presidency yesterday urged caution  by the political class  in appraising Wednesday’s bomb attack targeted at former Head of State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Mohammadu Buhari.

    Speaking in Abuja on Friday, the Political Adviser to the President, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali said resorting to blame game could be counter productive to the war against terrorism.

    Alkali sympathised with Buhari over the attack, saying it was by providence that the nation was saved the trauma of having the former Head of State and Sheik Dahiru Bauchi come to harm.

    Alkali said: “I want to also state that in a season like this, the usual thing is what has become the popular culture of blame game. I don’t think anybody in this country would be associated with such thing in any way or form.

    “Therefore, those who want to trivialise or personalise these issues by attributing it to this government or the leadership of this government in any form, directly or indirectly, should desist from that.

    “This government is committed to the security of this nation, it is committed to lasting peace in this country and Mr. President is deeply committed to bringing stability in our political environment.

    “We should not over dramatise these issues. All of us must come together, we have a collective responsibility to protect and defend our country. This is not a time for politicising issues.

    “Security matters are not for politicians. There are people who have been trained and who are responsible for security. We cannot do their job for them; they should be allowed to do their job.”

  • ‘Don’t politicise Osun’s education policy’

    Opponents of the re-classification of schools in Osun State have been warned against being used by desperate politicians to slow down the state’s progress.

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Prince Solagbade Amodeni, spoke with reporters at the weekend in Akure, the Ondo State capital, following protests by some parents against the reclassification.

    He said the policy would bring immediate and long-term benefits to the educational system.

    Amodeni described the re-classification as “a good template” that should be emulated by other states.

    He said it had further proved that Governor Rauf Aregbesola has the vision and intellectual capacity to develop Osun.

    Amodeni said the policy would strengthen education and urged the people not to be deceived by the governor’s detractors.

    He said: “Aregbesola believes in the future of children, who are the future of tomorrow. He wants a brighter future for them. He is a man of vision and capacities. He has done another commendable thing in the education sector.

    “I urge parents not to allow some unscrupulous politicians to deceive them by criticising this laudable scheme. The practice now in Osun’s educational system is like that of advanced countries, where you have middle and high schools. Aregbesola has indeed modernised the state.”

    The APC chieftain said within Aregbesola’s short time in office, he has created jobs for youths and awarded a contract for the construction of an airport, named after the late Chief Moshood Abiola.

    He said work was ongoing on 21 roads and the government feeds primary school pupils daily.

    Also at the weekend, the Old Students’ Association of the Baptist High School (BHS), Iwo, Osun State, urged Aregbesola to always consult with the public before making major decisions.

    It said failure to consult the public before the new education policy was made had made it unpopular.

    BHS National President Oyesoji Aremu, an associate professor of Education at the University of Ibadan (UI), spoke with reporters in his office at Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    He said the association was not against the policy, if it would enhance education, but said the peculiarities of schools, including the culture, tradition and orientation, must not be jettisoned.

    Aremu said schools, such as BHS, were big enough to accommodate middle and high schools and should not be divided.

    He asked the governor to explain whether hijab was part of the official uniform approved for public schools.

    Aremu said: “If the answer is yes, the governor should ensure that schools with the culture, tradition and orientation of hijab-wearing are reserved for hijab-wearing pupils. But if it is no, then, wearing of hijab to schools by any pupil should be seen and treated as an act of indiscipline.”

    He said when choosing schools for their children, parents consider many things, such as proximity to their homes and the schools’ culture and tradition, noting that anything that alters all these would not receive their blessings.

    Aremu said some pupils would have to trek long distances to and from school daily because of the new policy.

    He said: “Such pupils would be fagged out and would be punished if they get late to school. There is no way they will not be affected academically and, by implication, the purpose of the policy would be defeated.”

    Aremu condemned the idea of a single uniform for all schools, wondering how pupils would be identified at programmes involving more than one school.

    The educationist described as “puerile” the argument that badges would be used to identify schools on such occasions, saying: “For God’s sake, why should pupils need to be drawn closer to identify which school they belong to?

    The Joint Muslims’ Action Forum (JOMAF), an umbrella body for all Islamic groups in Osun State, has urged Christians to be wary of mischief-makers and embrace the new policy.

    In a statement by its Coordinator, Alhaji Kola Uzamat, and Secretary Qaasim Odedeji, JOMAF faulted critics of the policy and condemned the protest by some members of the Baptist Church in Iwo.

    It said the disruption of academic activities at the Baptist High School, Iwo, by the protesters amounted to lawlessness and a breach of the peace.

    JOMAF said: “The protesters claimed that the merger of schools would obliterate the Baptist heritage and that they cannot allow female Muslim pupils to wear hijab in a school established by Christian missionaries.

    “We expected that in an orderly state as Osun, they should have channelled their grievances to the appropriate institutions, rather than embarking on such a protest.

    “This is a blatant display of religious intolerance and lack of accommodation, which cannot stand the test of time in a multi-religious society. This is an appropriate time and medium to debunk the age-long erroneous ownership claim on those schools, which were acquired by missionaries from their host communities.

    “The Baptist High Schools in Iwo, Ede and Iree, as well as the Methodist High School in Otan-Ayegbaju, Gbongan\Odeomu Anglican Grammar School and St. Paul’s Anglican Grammar School, Ilobu, were all founded by Muslim-dominated communities, but were fraudulently hijacked in the course of registration and search for teachers.

    “We draw the attention of the Baptist Convention and other missionaries to the fact that the loss or obliteration of their heritage could not be rightly located in the education transformation policy of the present administration in Osun.

    “The ownership of schools was settled way back in the mid-70s, when the then Federal Government acquired all missionary schools (both Muslim and Christian-owned schools) and compensated them.”

    JOMAF expressed the need for Muslims and Christians to promote a just and egalitarian society devoid of all forms of hegemony and subtle religious oppression.

    It insisted that wearing hijab was a constitutional right of every Muslim female pupil in public schools.

  • Ogun ACN to PDP: don’t politicise health challenges

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Ogun State chapter, has asked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop politicising the state government’s efforts to curtail the outbreak of Gastroenteritis, popularly called Cholera.

    In a statement in Abeokuta by the ACN’s Publicity Secretary, Mr. Sola Lawal, the party described as “cheap politics” the call by the PDP on the World Health Organisation (WHO) to come to the aid of the people in checking the spread of the disease.

    It said a statement credited to a chieftain of the party and former Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Sarafa Isola, that a state of emergency be declared following the scourge was “unwarranted and reckless.”

    The party said: “It is also heartless for the PDP to capitalise on such an issue to score a cheap political point when it was obvious that the media attention was only drawn to it more than two weeks after the outbreak and effective control by the government.

    “How can a government, which through its relevant agencies, has been taking steps to ensure that the confirmed cholera cases do not exceed the already-recorded three casualties, be accused by the PDP of ineptitude if not that the party is petty and seeking undue attention.”

    ACN said most cases of the current medical challenges in the state involved vomiting and excreting, resulting from poor personal hygiene. It assured that the government was capable of checking its spread.

    “Sensitisation and other related steps taken by the government health agencies and personnel to curtail Gastroenteritis, which is principally diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain, have been effective.

    “Government’s efforts in this regard were spontaneous and in line with its commitment to ensure the delivery of efficient health care services, which is one of its five cardinal programmes.

    “Although the alarm being raised by the PDP is ridiculous and baseless, the government is not toying with this challenge and is bent on ensuring that it does not occur,” the party added.

  • ‘Don’t politicise land-swap initiative’

    The FCT Administration has warned against the politicisation of the FCT Land Swap programme because infrastructure must be provided in the entire 250 square kilometres of the Federal Capital City as well as the 8,000 square kilometres that comprise the Federal Capital Territory through an affordable means.

    The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed gave this warning while inaugurating the 30-member Ministerial Committee on the Implementation of Land Swap Programme and Resettlement Matters at the FCDA Conference Room, Central Business District, Abuja.

    Senator Mohammed also cautioned those who may wish to hijack the genuine concerns of the people to cause confusion to desist from such acts.

    He said: ”Let me use this opportunity however, to serve a word of caution to those that may wish to hijack the genuine concerns of the people to cause confusion”.

    According to him, “We, as an administration prefer the way of dialogue and civil approach to all matters affecting the citizens of the FCT. We cannot however, abdicate our responsibility for maintenance of peace, wherever there is a threat to law and order”.

    The minister remarked that the inauguration is a follow-up to the promise made during the Special Town Hall Meeting convened last month to discuss matters affecting the FCT Land Swap Programme.

    He reiterated that the meeting was designed to provide a forum for all stakeholders to make input into the Land Swap Programme as well as to listen to the concerns of the various communities that would be affected by the project among others.

    Senator Mohammed recalled that the deliberation at the meeting was conducted in a free and fair atmosphere, adding that the occasion provided a unique opportunity for the administration to listen keenly to the submissions made by various stakeholders.

    The minister described the meeting as a huge success because all stakeholders participated and therefore used this occasion to thank all that attended the event.

    “Your contributions remain an invaluable resource for our administration and make us proud. It, indeed, was democracy at work and at its best. We showed the whole world our transparent desire to listen to all and to carry everyone along” he stressed.

    The minister noted that one great lesson learnt at the occasion was that there was still need to allay the resettlement fears of the various communities that are likely to be affected by the project.

    Senator Mohammed also noted some communication gaps that needed to be bridged and misinformation that required correction because FCT Administration is guided by the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan and cannot fold its arms or turn a deaf ear to the genuine yearnings of its citizens.

    He said that his administration has been in constant dialogue with all stakeholders; explaining “on the same strength, we have gone ahead to constitute a 30- member Ministerial Committee to harness the lessons learnt at the event and to address the grievances expressed by the affected communities.

    “Accordingly, the Chairman and Secretary of this committee are Engr. John Obinna Chukwu, FCT Permanent Secretary and Malam Baba Kura Umar of the FCDA Resettlement and Compensation Department FCDA respectively”.

    Senator Mohammed emphasised that the committee has been made large enough so that all shades of opinion are represented and all issues are thoroughly examined with solutions proffered.

    Meanwhile, the terms of reference of the committee are as follows:-

    •  to examine all the presentations made at the Town Hall meeting of Friday, April 26, 2013 and advise government on subsequent action.

    • to visit the Communities affected by the Land Swap Project and determine the best way forward on matters of their resettlement/compensation.

    * interface with relevant community groups/associations within the Land Swap site and establish confidence-building measures.

    *  ensure that appropriate measures are put in place to enable government conduct all outstanding surveys to gather vital data required for implementation of the scheme and

    *  advise government on any other matter relevant to the success of the resettlement scheme at the Land Swap Districts among others.

    While saying that he expects the report not later than three weeks from the inauguration day the minister reiterated the commitment of his administration to partner with the original inhabitants and the entire residents of the FCT in a bid to achieve the dream of the founding fathers.

     

  • Don’t politicise Nigerian Army

    Don’t politicise Nigerian Army

    SIR: The rumour of ethnic agenda in the recent promotion, recruitment, retirement and redeployment in the Nigerian Army is unhealthy and unfortunate. It is a pity that some people still want to hide under politics and ethnicity to destabilize/distract Nigerian Army at this critical time of general insecurity.

    Military service all over the world is a call to service and it should not be seen as civil service where professionalism is sacrificed on the altar of the so-called “Federal Character”.

    It is no gainsaying that Nigerian Army is one of the best in the world for discipline and selfless service both at home and sometimes at the United Nations..

    Nigerian Army is currently fighting a great battle against the Boko Haram sect at home and other Islamist terrorists in Mali in conjunction with other foreign troops; therefore it is expected of politicians to face the business of the politics and give the Nigerian Army the necessary support she needs and not to distract her.

    Since Nigerian Army has her own court and different boards of enquiry, any officer (serving or retired) that has any complaint or grievances against any action taken by the army should obey first and then make his/her complaints at the appropriate army quarters and not to “bloody civilians” as the military would say.

    The discipline that the army is known for should be upheld and strengthened and any officer that wants promotion by lobbying and through cheap black mail must be dealt with militarily.

    The executive and the National Assembly must allow the army to do their job. They should not listen to rumours from disgruntled elements within the army.

    As Nigerian Army’s spokesperson has rightly said of the officers carrying rumours during the first quarter of 2013 Chief of Army Staff Conference in Abuja on Monday February11, “if they had no ulterior motives, they would have sought to air their grievances through official channels of communication which are available for redress by any genuinely aggrieved person over a policies or action of the Nigerian Army”.

    The Chief of Army Staff also recalled during the conference that in the inglorious past of the nation, it is the same disloyal officer in the army that always stage coups and counter-coups in order to achieve their selfish objectives.

    The general public must also desist from carrying rumours or false information about the state of the security of the nation. Members of the Boko Haram sect are no respecter of any person, as they are attacking Ibo, Hausa and Yoruba regardless of anybody’s status or religion.

    The Nigerian Army under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika must commit itself to rewarding hard work and performance not parochial for postings and appointments. On the bombing of Jaji Cantonment, Nigerians await the final report of the board of enquiry; it must not be swept under carpet.

     

    • John Tosin

    Osogbo, Osun State