A coalition of 22 Christian groups in Nigeria led by National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF), yesterday, said the declaration of September 12 as public holiday in commemoration of Eid-El-Kabir celebration by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, was the height of impunity.
A similar incident took place in July 2016, when Christian organisations criticised the extension of public holiday by the Federal Government over the non-sighting of the moon by the Sultan. A statement issued by the chairman of NCEF, Mr. Solomon Asemota (SAN), on behalf of the coalition and obtained by journalists in Abuja, said it was “very improper for the head of the Islamic faith in Nigeria to announce, declare, or extend public holidays.” The statement entitled: ‘Is the Federal Government Abdicating Its Responsibility?’, reads:
“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 taking place in Nigeria until the advent of the Buhari Administration which has gone to great lengths 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.
“We are not unaware of various manipulations and acts of impunity to transform Nigeria from a Liberal Democratic society to an Islamic Theocratic State. As we stated in our previous paper, the full membership of Nigeria in OIC, in 1986, by the Babangida Military Administration is tantamount to making Nigeria an Islamic state. “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 wish to remind the present Administration that religion is a very sensitive and emotional aspect of Nigerians. The wisdom of the founding fathers of this nation 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.”
These are the underground changes that buhari regime have for Nigeria, more to come
ReplyDeleteYou can go to Court or relocate to Gabon.
ReplyDeleteI may not like to generalize in this case because the voice here is not that of CAN, if not when has it becomes abomination for Sultan again to announce Salah day as he uses to since Nigeria has ever being. Has he declared public holidays as such? Those sounding religious war drum should desist because it will not favour them as it will not stand as well. Nigeria can only divides possibly/probably along regional line not religious. Buhari is not even an Islamic cleric as Osinbajo. No more free money to share, no more private jet as birthday gift, go to farm or use your ingenuity to create to satisfy human needs and make money. Stop Islamophobia and stop Buhari hatred. Nobody cried Christianization of Nigeria when private jet are impounded with dollars in South Africa. Buhari only need four years. Biko.
ReplyDeleteplease let us allow peace to reign in Nigeria. There is a supreme being that has the answer to every negative and positive treatment on His people.
ReplyDeleteYes, more to come. And if u r uncomfortable with dat, u may pack out of d country.
ReplyDelete.....now who tolerate and respect each other religion. During last administration Goodluck do announces or give speeches concerning nation in the churches nobody complain.Sunday is reserved as weekend for christains to practice their religion nobody complain. Christmas day nobody complain. New year day nobody complain. Good friday nobody complain. Easter monday nobody complain. And all these holidays we do celebrate it together but coming for muslims some groups do complain why? And you preaches love.
ReplyDeleteWhat a noise!!!
ReplyDeleteStop wrong critics. What has buhari to do with this? Even you will soon blame buhari for the rats in your house
ReplyDeleteBut the Sultan only declared the day for the Eid celebration, he did not declare any public holiday.
ReplyDeleteSentiments everywhere.
That clearly shows that the 3 arms of government need to wake up and take their responsibilities, Islam, Christianity and other religions should not be an instrument to divide us but rather to keep us together working towards a better Nigeria, we can only pray to make things work,let us learn again to be Nigerians as it was before the 80's.
ReplyDeleteVery soon pastors will start declaring public holidays also,since the suktan can declare holidays in Nigeria...
ReplyDeleteAmerican congressman, Tom Marino, said it that Buhari is becoming too sectional for a president of a "democratic" state. My worry is that while the northerners aspire to become Islamic Mullahs, they are still using our oil money to fund their sociopathical beliefs.
ReplyDeleteThe group's reaction shows it is not as informed as expected, notwithstanding the calibre of its chairman, Mr. Solomon Asemota (SAN). Sultan hasn't announced any holiday for the country. He has only informed Muslims about the days of Arafat and Eid-el Kabir. It's government that will take a cue from this and declare the appropriate period as a national holiday. The issue of OIC is over-flogged. Since our membership of OIC, why has Nigeria not become an Islamic state? Morever, the body isn't only for Muslim states. Cote D'Ivoire, in spite of its large Christian population, is a member. We need to tolerate one another if the country must move forward.
ReplyDeleteThe antidote to these Muslim design is for Christians not to obey the declaration and go to court to stop the nonsense. Buhari has kept his ominous silence
ReplyDeleteThat's wat u get wen u blindly vote a religious extremist into power.
ReplyDeleteNigeria is fast becoming a nation of bigots and intolerant fools. People whip up enthnic and religion sentiments at every opportunity . Asemota is only trying to be relevant.Sultan as the leader of Supreme council of Islamic affairs in Nigeria has always been the one to inform the Muslims and government on Islamic holidays. He did it all through Jonathan administration yet nobody raise dust. Few Folks from South East and South South are bad losers who seek to use every opportunity to attack the government.Get over it and allow the government to work.
ReplyDeleteGood points.
DeleteAnnouncing dates of Islamic feasts is the reserved right of His Eminence the sultan of sokoto since the coming of Nigeria together. Then why the noise? Any party feeling aggrieved should go to court and seek for redress.
ReplyDeleteThat's why we are still backward in Nigeria all because of religious bias. We should accept human diversity because God created us that way. He's just trying to notify federal government about it
ReplyDelete