President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to the country from the United Kingdom, UK where he went for a private trip.
Buhari arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport on Thursday evening.
More details to follow …….
Hon. Stephen Jings Appointed Spokesman Federal Character Commission, Abuja
April 15,2021
The Federal Character Commission Headquarters Abuja has appointed a spokesman for the Commission.
The Commission’s new spokesman is Mr Stephen Jings,the Commissioner Representing Plateau State at the at the Commission.
Jings was appointed during an Executive Session of the Commission at its Board Room.
Members observed that activities of the Commission were not adequately given the desired publicity hence the need to appoint one of the Commissioners as a spokesperson.
Accordingly members unanimously resolved that given the experience of Mr Jings in the media he should be given the responsibility.
In a remark, Executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Dr.Muheeba Farida Dankaka called on the new spokesman to deploy his expertise in the assignment in other to give the Commission the necessary publicity.
Responding,the new spokesman of the Federal Character Commission Abuja, Stephen Jings said he will do his best to ensure the Commission is heard and effectively synergize with media and other relevant stakeholders in adequately disseminating information on activities of the Commission.
The newly installed 27th Long Kwo of Kwo Chiefdom in Kwande District of Qua’anpan Local Government Council of Plateau State Colonel Fidelis Attahiru Longtoe 1 has officially resumed in his Palace in Kwo Chiefdom yesterday.
Thousands of people include Gamai’s Masquerades lined up the road in their traditional attires carrying fresh leaves to welcome the traditional ruler in what observers described as a triumphant entry into Kwo.
Prior to the arrival of Miskoom Fidelis Attahiru Longtoe 1 from Jos to Kwo, traditional preparation and rites of passage was concluded before his home coming as he was ushered into the palace .
The Long Kwo also stopped over to pay homage to the Long Pan Nda Emmanuel Dabang and the Chairman of Qua’anpan LGC Hon. Abdulmalik Haruna at the council secreteriat in Baa’p .
Speaking at the palace of Long Pan and Qua’anpan local government council’s secreteriat the new Long Kwo Miskoom Fidelis Attahiru Longtoe 1 lamented the 33 years absence of leadership in Kwo chiefdom.
He further promised to build bridges of reconciliation and friendship with neighbouring communities with a view to ensure harmonious co-existence among the people adding that no meaningful development will take place in an atmosphere of bitterness and rancour .
The new Long Kwo also said he hold in trust the mandate that was given to him by the people stressing that he will continue to interface with relevant Government agencies to ensure that Kwo as a farming Chiefdom get farming implements and inputs so that they can engage their youth who have been made idle for the past 33 years to contribute their quota to the development of the Chiefdom, State and the Federal Government food security initiatives .
He assured that he will carry all Princes of the Chiefdom along in his quest to unite the people and develop the Chiefdom for the benefit of all.
Governor Simon Lalong on Thursday again advocated for tolerance and religious harmony as a catalyst for peace, security and good governance in Nigeria.
The Governor was speaking at the installation and reception of Pallium by the new Catholic Archbishop of Jos Most. Revd. Dr. Mathew Ishaya Audu held at the Divine Mercy Cathedral, Lamingo -Jos.
This was contained in a statement signed by Simon Macham ,his director of press and public affairs and made available to newsmen in Jos
Lalong while congratulating the Archbishop said within one year of assuming duties, His Grace Most. Rev
Mathew Audu has demonstrated that his calling is divine and that he is totally committed to ensuring that the will of God is implemented in Plateau State and the world at large through the Church.
Lalong said the Archbishop has given the Laity, religious and clergy the needed leadership to enable them carry out their duties in the service of God and humanity without any hindrance. He has made personal sacrifices to ensuring that all challenges are addressed to make the propagation of the gospel of Christ seamless.
The Governor said “While it is the duty of religious leaders to speak the truth to power and the public, you should also beware of, and shun rhetorics that promote hate, division, and distrust among the people. You should guard against politicians and other interests that are always desperate to exploit the pulpit for their selfish reasons. The people look up to you for guidance and motivation that guarantees a united, equitable and prosperous society where the rights and privileges of all are guaranteed. Be assured that my administration will continue to work with you as we build a better Plateau and Nigeria of our dream”.
Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria Most. Revd. Anthonio Fillipazzi said the presentation of the Pallium to the Archbishop is a significant event that confers authority on the Archbishop to discharge his duties in line with the doctrine of the Catholic Church. He called for prayers for Archbishop Audu as he shepherds the Church within his jurisdiction even in difficult times.
Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba also congratulated the Archbishop and promised the support of the traditional Institution for the Church and the Government.
Archbishop Audu thanked God for bestowing on him this assignment which he intends to do his best to discharge. He thanked His Holiness Pope Francis for the installation and called for unity in the body of Christ in Plateau State, Nigeria and the world at large.
He also assured of his intention to continue to work for inter-faith harmony, tolerance and forgiveness in Plateau State and elsewhere just as his predecessor, Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama had done. Archbishop Ishaya Audu also marked his 20th Anniversary as Bishop.
THE NEED FOR UNITY AMONGST PLATEAU YOUTHS.
Unity is commonly defined as “the state of oneness of a people” suffice it to say, unity is the many people seen at once. For a society to progress and develop, philosophers believe that,” only when a unit performs a particular activity in unison, its possibility of making exploits as a whole is nearly impossible. In a unit where everyone takes a different part with different priorities, the unit is certainly going to be at the state of disarray. This is particularly, the case of plateau and its YOUTHS in recent times.
Youths being the most productive, reliable and efficient part of every society and nation, cannot be overruled in the committee of national value and needs. These in the society are the sets of people proven by science and arts to be the most active, strongest, enduring, critical, creative and sensible sets that are reliable to determining the growth, development and security of every nation when they of course, are priotised productively.
To come to terms with the true sense of unity amongst the youths of plateau State, reverse is the case.
Though amidst economic dwindling and financial bankruptcy, unemployment, poverty and limited opportunities that have become the order of the day, the youths are typically and grossly apart. There is serious jealousy, gossip, envy and hatred that have birthed sinistruos backbites, blackmails, treachery, dishonesty and unhealthy competition that have made our youths totally inhuman to themselves. There is no more an acord and respect for creativity in literature amongst the youths, no Honor in their manners and mannerism, no decency for culture and values, no modesty in the use of costumes as appropriated for their names in the society.
The YOUTHS are being seriously engolved into an ill wheeled competition in strive of what will hold the stomach to live. Friendship amongst the YOUTHS is about playing and drinking, as well laughing with their teeth at leisure but not about dreaming together and planning as much who know about the dreams and plans Will not sleep at night planning how to thwart the success of their friends. They vigorously sabotage themselves even to the the extent of Killing one another in the name of prejudicial hatred in competing on the scarce resources and chances our present situation has brought upon us. Instead of helping and supporting one another in this most unfortunate times, they youths have rebuilt what used to be called” the pull him down syndrome” to ” crush him best for our chance.” The chance which will still lead to the crushing of another repeatedly, such a dangerous phenomenon that makes us domant and dogmatic must be stopped.
However, plateau youths must deliberately Peru’s their paths to togetherness, through the display of true love to one another, patience, tolerance, honorability, mobility, sacrifice, fairness, patriotism and togetherness which makes every hard task simple.
As a point of duty, the government must step up practical measures to curtail the very serious level of unemployment and limited social chances which are some of the very serious reasons for the unhealthy competition of the youths, make up fundamental policies that can create better systematic and realistic spheres that will naturally get the YOUTHS occupied responsibly, engage the youths in governance as best as it can ever emmeasurably be seen, as well, expand the level of skill acquisitions and trainings for talents to thrive.
Religious bodies must also step up their faith and moral teachings in their places of worship to curtail the sinistruos characters that are reterdating the growth and successfulness of youths and the society, so that, the younger generation will have a better attitudinal character to inherit for a progressive society to be better birth.
Families as well must foster the normal African traditional culture to our youths through Parenthood and our traditional rulers where lies and blackmails are treated seriously and with quencequences through traditional rules, for, the way the trends in the likes of the ills are increasing by the day, the present youths on the PLATEAU may not be able to take on leadership from the fast fading parents and hand it over to the younger generation in good faith.
Lest we do something, the war deeped out of dop of our youths around the sparce resources and opportunities will soon consume us all, for casualties, we shall all be.
I humbly use the event of my birthday to most passionately and on behalf of all the well meaning youths on the PLATEAU to please, call on all plateau youths in skirts and truasas, to lay down their swords made out of whatever guise of hurt, betrayal, deprivation and worst things to mention, so we could have A BETTER US TOGETHER and a better YOUTH COUNCIL together, for the world itself does not exist out of unwarranted phenomenas. May we see reasons to sacrifice than to hold to what consumes us and the younger generation that are our responsibilities to breed.
I’m BB.GAKNUNG writing on my birthday.
#thatwemayrise
God is great!
The Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has distanced itself from a zoning arrangement list in circulation.
The zoning arrangement for major national elective offices and for positions in the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) allegedly released by the party went viral on social media.
The purported arrangement was titled: “BREAKING: APC announces zoning arrangement ahead of 2023 election year. APC 2023 presidential ticket zoning and National Working Committee.”
By the list the presidential ticket is zoned to South, Vice President – North, Senate President – South, Deputy Senate President – North while Speaker – North and Deputy Speaker – South.
For the National Working Committee zoning, the list showed that the north will produce the National Chairman, National Secretary – South, National Treasurer – South, Financial Secretary – North, Legal Officer – North and Welfare Officer – South.
The office of the Auditor is zoned to North, National Youth Leader – South, National Woman Leader – South, Publicity Secretary – South and Persons With Disability PWD Leader – South.
But the Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of the party, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe disowned the list.
He said: “Our people should disregard the list. It is not from the Caretaker Committee, it is not from the party.”
He maintained the party will required to make extensive consultations before such arrangement would be arrived at, adding zoning of offices is yet to be on the table of the Caretaker Committee.
“As far as I am concerned, the last Caretaker Committee meeting we had, we did not discussed that. That is not what we are concerned with now. What we are concerned with is data collection. How to collect data without making mistake.
“Let me say that zoning is not for the Caretaker Committee alone. It has to do with the President, it has to do with other major stakeholders, it has to do with a lot of people.
“I want to mute the speculation. The list is not from us ( Caretaker Committee). The President is not in town.
“There is no way such decision will be taken without consulting with the President, consult with the governors and other major stakeholders.”
He blamed the list on circulation on individuals interested in contesting for one office or the other in the party, insisting the Caretaker Committee cannot be pressurised into taking wrong decision.
NORTHERN GOVERNORS SYMPATHISE WITH ARMY OVER KILLING OF SOLDIERS IN BENUE.
The Northern Governors Forum has sympathised with the Nigerian Army over the killing of 12 soldiers in Konshisha LGA, Benue State, describing it as a condemnable act which must not be allowed to happen again as it is capable of demoralising security personnel from giving their best to fighting insecurity in the country.
Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State Simon Bako Lalong in a statement said the forum sympathises with the families of the slain soldiers and the Nigerian Army over this unfortunate incident, which occured when the soldiers were on an assignment to ensure the security of lives and properties.
The Forum urges the Army not to be discouraged by the act and continue carrying out their legitimate duty of defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity and assisting in maintaining internal security, particularly at this time when the nation is confronted by many criminal activities.
While pledging its continued support and collaboration to the Armed Forces and the security services in general, the Northern Governors appealed to the Army to remain professional and exercise caution and restraint even as they work hard to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act.
The Governors also called on the citizens to assist the security forces with useful information that will lead to the arrest of those behind the killing of the soldiers as well as the apprehension of other criminals tormenting innocent citizens across the country.
Dr. Makut Simon Macham
Director of Press & Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State and Chairman, Northern Governors Forum.
13th April 2021.
Photographs have emerged of 11 soldiers and an officer killed by a militia in Bonta community of Konshisha council area of Benue state.
It will be recalled that on Thursday, the Nigerian Army confirmed the killing of 11 soldiers and an officer who were on stabilisation operation in Benue state by yet to be identified criminals in Konshisha local government area of the state.
The soldiers were deployed to the communities to quench the communal crisis between towns in Konshisha and Oju LGAs over land dispute.
While giving update on the sad incident, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Yerima, Director, Army Public Relations, in a statement on Thursday in Abuja said the troops who were initially declared missing was however found dead by the joint search and rescue team in Konshisha Local Government Area of the state.
To this end, according to Freelance Reporters, photos have emerged of the soldiers who fell to the hands of the notorious bandits.
Each soldier is pictured, with name, date of birth, date of death and religion detailed beneath a head shot.
Meanwhile, it have been gathered that bodies of the 11 soldiers killed in Bonta community of Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue State have arrived the military cemetery in Makurdi, the State capital.
Our correspondent gathered that some top army officials are currently at the cemetery located at Wurukum in Makurdi to witness the burial.
Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has assured the leadership of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly of the commitment of all Governors towards achieving autonomy for the legislative and judicial arms of government.
Governor Lalong who received a delegation led by the Chairman, Conference of Speakers, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Suleiman said the issue of autonomy will soon be put to rest with the final engagements between all stakeholders holding soon.
He used the opportunity to clarify that autonomy is not just for financial independence, but also for strengthening the legislature and enhancing democratic values. According to him, the implementation of autonomy will require each State to establish the House of Assembly Service Commission which will handle all administrative functions of the legislature and provide proper accountability just as there are civil service commissions and others.
He advised the Speakers to engage other parties as well as educate the public on what autonomy is all about because a lot of misconception is creating an impression that members of the legislature stand to gain financially rather than be better supported to serve the people.
On tackling insecurity, Lalong said the implementation of community Policing is the way to go which will gradually lead to state police when fully implemented.
Chairman, Conference of Speakers Abubakar Suleiman said they were on an advocacy visit to discuss the issue of autonomy and other national matters such as curbing insecurity.
He said the Conference recognises the strategic position of Governor Lalong as former Speaker and Chairman of the body, Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and a strong member of the Nigerian Governors Forum who has been at the centre of discussions towards autonomy.
He assured the Governor that the speakers would continue to work in synergy with the Executive in order to provide good governance and better living standards for the people.
CAN Press Statement
RE: NSCIA ACCUSES CAN OF CAMPAIGN OF CALUMNY OVER SHORTLISTED JUSTICES OF THE COURT OF APPEAL: A REBUTTAL
Our attention has been drawn to a Press Statement issued by the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) where the Council used vulgar, immature language and unprintable words to describe the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in its bid to justify the obvious lopsided appointments of the Federal Government in favour of its members. The Council was smart by half when it picked an example of just one arm of Government without addressing the totality of fundamental questions on all the arms of government. Should it not have been better for the Council to have been bold enough to examine the entirety of appointments made by President Muhammadu Buhari as serially referenced by CAN? The NSCIA evaded those troubling issues that are well known not only to Nigerians but members of the international community; those knotty issues that have pushed our country on the edge of precipice. By so doing, NSCIA has unwittingly exposed itself as a promoter of bad governance, divisiveness and injustice in Nigeria under the Buhari administration.
Why did the Council remain evasive on the big issue of the Court of Appeal? Interestingly, there was never a time when CAN ever attacked or made veiled reference to NSCIA over the obvious lopsided appointments in the country. CAN’s concern has always been directed at the Federal Government as a concerned non-governmental group but NSCIA as an underdog of Government rather took it upon itself to speak for the Government. We wish the Council had allowed the Government to speak for itself.
We are disappointed with the tone of the highest Islamic body in the country for the abysmal and tragic condescension knowing that the Council is made up of eminent and highly respected personalities. But we will not join them in the mudslinging because we chose maturity, candour, moderation and objectivity over parochialism and fundamentalism because we have the facts and figures (which the entire world knows as well) to prove our points beyond any (un)reasonable doubts.
Of course, we need to set a record straight by underlining the fact that CAN as a body does not have hatred for Islam and Muslims or whatsoever. It is the highest degree of cheap blackmail for any individual or group to have made such puerile and empty claim.
For example, whenever any Muslim leader in the country was under any unjustifiable attack, we have stood up to speak against it. Two good examples were the then continued incarceration of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki and the leader of Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim Yaqoub El Zakzaky, despite the court’s rulings. CAN was among the potent voices calling for their release. Similarly, whenever terrorists or bandits attacked any Muslim community or mosque, CAN always comes out publicly to speak against it. But CAN has never seen NSCIA reciprocating that whenever their brethren attacked Christians, or predominantly Christian communities or churches. Who hates who in this context?
NSCIA claims that it “would not allow the serial falsehood of CAN and its propensity for character assassination of people on the basis of their religious identity to stand because truth is irrefragable.”
We demand answer for the following:
Is it falsehood or character assassination that the Security Council of the country has remained an appendage of NSCIA under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari? The Constitutional position is that all of us, Christians and Moslems are stakeholders in this country, and votes were not collated on the basis of religion. So for the government to bend or lean towards Muslims in its appointment of Security Chiefs is unconstitutional and doesn’t take into consideration the varied interests of other ethnic and religious groups. That is why those who oversee the security architecture are failing because those who are responsible for the killings, banditry and kidnapping in the country share same faith with them. Whereas, if the monopoly is broken even as widely canvassed by eminent political and opinion leaders of Islamic faith, surely the prevailing ugly security situation in the country would have been a thing of the past, or at worst reduced to the barest minimum. But a situation where hunters and robbers draw from the same source can never yield any good result!
We dare either the Federal Government or its self-appointed spokespersons, NSCIA, to publish names, state of origins and religions of the appointments by President Buhari into the following offices since 2015 to date: Ministers of Defence, Police Affairs and Interior, the National Security Advisers (NSA), the Inspectors-General of Police, Director-Generals of the Security Service, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA); Chairmen, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); the Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA); the Comptrollers-Generals, Nigerian Customs Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Correctional Service, Federal Fire Service, and Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). Out of all these, maybe only one or two are Christians and from the South!
Others are the Accountant-General of the Federation, all heads of the agencies and parastatals. The whole world will then know the agent of falsehood and character assassination between CAN and NSCIA. The grand plan of subtle Islamization is to make a Muslim the head of every key board, committee, parastatal and put Christians under without much influence in the decision-making process in the establishment (irrespective of their number). Cases of this abound severally. This observation of the Christian Association of Nigeria has been recently strengthened by the ‘2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nigeria’ of the U. S. Department of State. In the report, it was stated that, ‘traditional relationships were used to pressure government officials to favor particular ethnic groups in the distribution of important positions and other patronage.’
Still on appointments, the NSCIA just decided to use figures to pervert the truth and mislead the public. They were economical with the truth.
We need to go back to history to understand why in the early years of the emergence of our country as a nation, more Christians were eligible for employment into the public service.
Where were the members of NSCIA in the 1800s when Western Education was brought to this part of our world and Christians in the Northern and Southern parts of the country were sending their children to schools? Were they not sending theirs to Arabic and Q’uranic schools? Was it Arabic or Qur’anic studies that they would use to get appointment to government offices and the courts? Were they not opposing self-rule initially when the Southerners moved the motion for it because they were not prepared educationally for it?
They should blame themselves for lack of qualified personnel (not religious discrimination) if the number of them in public service was and is not much. Up till today, is the Muslim North still not comparatively lagging behind in Western Education? They would need to do a little bit of more history to understand properly their own predicament. It is different from what is happening today when those in power are deliberately overlooking the qualified Christians who should be in different positions. By the way, was it CAN that prevented them from going to school? Most of the schools that the government took over during the military’s unlawful government were built by the Christian missionaries when our Muslim counterparts were investing in the Quranic schools. Up till today, it is those things that cannot bring development in education that the NSCIA members are still fighting for such as the wearing of hijab in schools started by Christians and are still largely being maintained by them. Will a girl wearing hijab be more brilliant in school than the rest of her counterparts? They have forgotten that till today, we are not mounting pressure on the government to introduce the Christian culture to the Islamic schools.
A group of Muslims today still says that ‘Western Education is forbidden’ (Boko Haram) and they have taken up arms to wipe Christians out of the country. There was a time when a Christian President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, established modernized Almajiri Schools to withdraw their children who, according to some Northern leaders, had become big pool from where terrorists and now bandits recruit from the streets, CAN did not kick against it, despite the fact that we knew that those schools were not meant for Christian children and our commonwealth was being used in several millions of naira to run them. Again, when this government came on board and closed down those schools and NSCIA said nothing, did CAN ever make any release to attack NSCIA? It was lack of respect for another religion that made NSCIA to attack CAN thus making themselves official mouthpiece for the Government. This suggests again that those in Government are plainly carrying out NSCIA’s marginalization policy against qualified Christians.
NSCIA also stated that CBN has been funding CAN. This is another wicked lie and dubious attempt by them to mislead the public. It baffles sanity for any group to make such outrageous claim. This is nothing but a blackmail and it is unfortunate for a religious organization with worth to be involved in this. On the other hand, NSCIA is the one benefiting most of the time from Government funding.
The CBN approached CAN on 11th March, 2005 requesting for the use of National Ecumenical open space as car park by its staff. This was officially approved by CAN in November, 2006. In furtherance of that, a rent agreement was entered into legally, since then, they have been using the place till date. NSCIA is aware of this but only attempted to blackmail CAN. Didn’t they know that if at all CAN gave them parking space free, it would need to hire security men to watch over the vehicles parked within its premises till the owners take them? Will we also not pay such security people? Didn’t they equally know that the parking space has to be maintained with money? A religious organization that does not speak the truth but speaks out of malice, spurious propaganda and bitterness such as NSCIA has done is most shameful and unfortunate.
Under the watch of President Buhari, especially throughout his first term, the Judiciary was literally an appendage of NSCIA because its members were in charge of its affairs. We all know how they removed Justice Walter Onnoghen from office without following due process. But for the critical section of the polity including the likes of Col. Umar Dangiwa, the incumbent President of the Court of Appeal would have been denied her succession privilege and right. We didn’t see NSCIA on the list. The entire country knew how the scandalous process went. If this is another falsehood, we dare the Federal Government or its spokespersons to publish the names, state of origins and religions of those who have held the following positions from 2015 to date:
• The Chief Justice of Nigeria
• The President, Court of Appeal
• The Chief Judge, Federal High Courts
• The Chief Judge, FCT High Court
Special Treatments/ Funding of Islam:
One of the evils perpetrated by the Military Governments was the Islamization agenda beginning with the unlawful membership of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) under the General Ibrahim Babangida regime. The membership of the country has made the Federal Government a key sponsor of Islam in the country. To buttress this point, we demand to know from the Federal Government or its unofficial mouthpiece, NSCIA: Who funds Nigeria’s membership of these Islamic organizations?
*Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)
*Islam in Africa Organization (IAO)
*Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hqtrs Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and all its agencies or allies
*D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation Hqtrs Istanbul, Turkey
*Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) with headquarters in Morocco, etc.
Christians in Nigeria under CAN have severally been attacked through the uncouth and provocative languages by MURIC (The Muslim Rights Concern) but CAN maintained a cool head and never reacted to such evil-intended, anti-Nigerian distractions. CAN is a peace-loving Association and it believes in dialogue and negotiation rather than verbal war in the media as done by the NSCIA in its recent publication. NIREC is also there. Or should we all pretend that this body is not a fluke?
This country is greater than anybody or Association for that matter. We shall come and go but the country will outlive all of us. We should therefore avoid both political and religious war and live in peace as one with the understanding that what you do not want others to do to you, do not do it unto others. We recall that the leadership of NSCIA protested against the perceived lopsided appointments of the CONFAB under President Jonathan. We did not go to the press abusing them for their actions. Can’t they borrow a leaf from us?
We in CAN speak as decent, concerned and responsible stakeholders, and we have been very consistent in this irrespective of who heads CAN or who leads Nigeria. So, the cheap blackmail by NSCIA is unbecoming of a religious body. In its last outing, it appears more like a political organ serving narrow aims which supports bad governance in the country. What is self-evident are the issues raised by CAN. There is no imaginary character assassination in these matters except for a vain figment of imagination of NSCIA. CAN stands by the fear of God, truth and it defends all irrespective of their religious or political affiliations. We wish NSCIA can do the same rather than shooting into the gallery to divert attention from the truth.
It is on record that CAN and its predecessors had no issues with Nigeria’s Muslim rulers like Balewa, Murtala Muhammed, Shehu Shagari and Umaru Yar-Adua, because they did not allow their religion (Islam) to becloud their reasoning as patriots. The trouble started with Babangida and the OIC membership and now Buhari, who has not followed the Constitution in all his appointments. For the first time in our recent history, the three arms of government are headed and dominated by Muslims. If the Christians were to be their heads, only God knows what some fundamentalists would have turned the country into by now. But here we are today, President Buhari and NSCIA would see nothing wrong with that in a multi-religious country like Nigeria. This is the truth, not a blackmail.
In all these, it must be boldly stated that our faith remains firm and resolute. May God help Nigeria to rise above mediocrity, spiralling challenges and be prosperous in Jesus’ name.
We hereby demand some serious adjustments forthwith on the appointments already done, and henceforth desire a paradigm shift in the ways and manners the affairs of this country are run, and appointments are done from time to time as to be clearly reflecting that this country, Nigeria, is not owned by Muslims, but a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Signed
Joseph Bade Daramola, Esq.
C
AN General
11th April, 2021
Freelance Reporters 