Gyang Bere, Jos
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has accused the Federal Government of unduly harassing former President Olusegun Obasanjo over the latter’s comments on alleged Islamisation of Nigeria.
The body noted that rather than intimidating the former president, the Federal Governent should urgently address the issues raised by him.
Obasanjo had, in a keynote address at the 2019 Synod of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), held in Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State on Saturday, May 18, said the aim of the terror sect Boko Haram was the ‘Fulanisation’ of West Africa and Islamisation of Africa.
The former president said the Buhari administration must employ an immediate and more aggressive approach to deal with the current challenge of insecurity across the country brought about by the Boko Haram sect and its allies in ISIS.
Said Obasanjo: “It is no longer an issue of lack of education and lack of employment for our youths in Nigeria which it began as, it is now West African Fulanisation, African Islamization and global organised crimes of human trafficking, money laundering, drug trafficking, gun trafficking, illegal mining and regime change.
“Yet, we could have dealt with both earlier, and nip them in the bud, but Boko Haram boys were seen as rascals not requiring serious attention in administering holistic measures of stick and carrot.
“And when we woke up to the reality, it was turned to industry for all and sundry to supply materials and equipment that were already outdated and that were not fit for active military purpose.”
But in its reaction to Obasanjo’s statement, the Federal Government accused the ex-president of attempting to divide the country.
Immediate past Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, said it was particularly tragic that a man who fought to keep Nigeria one was the same one seeking to exploit the country’s fault lines to divide it in the twilight of his life.
He said Obasanjo’s comments were as insensitive and mischievous as they were as offensive and divisive in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country like Nigeria. .
”Since the Boko Haram crisis, which has been simmering under the watch of Obasanjo, boiled over in 2009, the terrorist organisation has killed more Muslims than adherents of any other religion, blown up more mosques than any other houses of worship and is not known to have spared any victim on the basis of their ethnicity. It is therefore absurd to say that Boko Haram and its ISWAP variant have as their goal the ‘Fulanisation and Islamisation’ of Nigeria, West Africa or Africa,” Alhaji Mohammed said.
In a chat with journalists in Jos, National Director, Legal and Public Affairs of CAN, Kwamkur Samuel Vondip, said the Federal Government should address issues raised by Obasanjo and stop harassing the former president.
Vondip, who also briefed journalists on the forthcoming CAN Presidential elections slated for July this year, said: “We commend sincerely the position of the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo for opening up against the planned Islamisation of Nigeria. The former President simply repeated what many of our CAN leaders have said before.
“We had even taken this in a written form to the Presidency for immediate attention. If what Obasanjo said should be doubted, what is the justification for the community cleansing by killer Fulani herdsmen who jump on innocent communities in the night, killing them and taking over their communities?
“We commend Chief Obasanjo’s boldness to speak out at this critical period of the nation. We wonder what will become the fate of Nigeria and Nigerians if respected and bold leaders like Obasanjo are no more there to speak.
“We call on the Federal Government to take seriously the alarm raised by Chief Obasanjo and act on it if they are to be trusted. Chief Obasanjo has spoken the minds of many people and we urge that he should never be intimidated by government for the sake of peace.”
CAN said the foundation of the planned Islamisation of Nigeria has been laid by the makers of Nigeria’s constitution and some previous leaders in the country.
“Particular examples are the provisions made in the constitution for the operation of sharia laws and courts. This makes the common law and the sharia law to be operating in the same constitution. This naturally has divided the nation into two and sets the tone for Islamization.”
He noted that CAN has set in motion all machineries possible for the conduct of the polls, adding that the process has since begun.
“The Electoral College, which was inaugurated in early May 2019 has sat on the nominations and elected two of the three candidates, namely Rev. Dr Samson Ayokunle, the current President of CAN who is going for a possible second tenure from CCN, and Rev. Dr Caleb Solomon Ahima from TEKAN/ECWA.”
Vondip regretted that certain persons were going round campaigning against one another in a process that is supposed to be more spiritual than carnal.
“The process will be completed with the final ratification of the two elected leaders by the national assembly of the association at a later date. A date has been fixed for the election of the president by NEC in June while the ratification comes on a date in July,” he said.