The Christian Association of Nigeria on Tuesday expressed concern over
the composition of the leadership of the National Conference Committee on
Religion, saying its chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, was carrying out an
Islamic agenda.
The association specifically accused the ex-Chief Justice of Nigeria of
appointing a Muslim from his home state, Niger State, as the chairman of the
committee but refused to make a CAN delegate a co-chairman.
A statement by the Director (National Issues) of CAN, Mr. Sunny Oibe,
titled, ‘Justice Idris Kutigi’s Islamic Agenda and Confab Committee on
Religion’ said the appointment of Bishop Felix Ajakaiye was laced with mischief
because he is representing Ekiti State in the confab and not CAN.
Oibe said the mischief became more pronounced when Kutigi decided to
include the name of a delegate, Dr. Jonathan Obaje, representing Nigerians in
the Diaspora as a member of the Committee on Religion after granting permission
to him to travel abroad.
The association therefore demanded equal representation in the confab
adding, “if Muslims are 12, Christians must be 12 on the religious committee.”
The statement reads in part, “We hereby express our reservations on the
composition of the members of the National Conference Committee on Religion and
without fear or contradiction state that the Chairman of the Conferenec,
Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, has done his wish to ensure that the leadership of
the committees favours Muslims in Nigeria. He is from Niger State and the
Committee on Religion should be a sensitive committee. The chairman has decided
to scatter the Christians in the confab and now brought Nurudeen Lemu, the son
of Sheikh Lemu, who is also from Niger State, to chair the committee and did
not pick any delegate representing the Christian Association of Nigeria.
“The supposed Christian in the committee, Dr. Jonathan Obaje,
representing the Diaspora in the confab has been given express permission by
Kutigi to travel back overseas for holiday; he is not even in Nigeria at
present and does not represent CAN. The delegate is not around and Christians
will be affected during voting. Bishop Felix Ajakaiye, who was named
Co-Chairman in the committee, is representing Ekiti State and not CAN. In that
case, we have already lost and the ratio will now be 12 members for Muslims and
six for Christians.
“To us in CAN, Justice Kutigi is working out a script to undermine the
interest of the Christians in the confab. Ordinarily, the Christians who have
been on the receiving end from the members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect in
the North should be a co-chairman in the Committee on Religion. But what Kutigi
did was to pick a Muslim from the North as chairman and a Christian from the
South-West (Ajakaiye) who has little or no knowledge of what is happening in
the North as co-chairman.
“The interest of Christians in this case, will not be adequately
protected. Already, the confab is a stage-managed conference. President
Goodluck Jonathan has a good intention; but there is a problem in allowing
Kutigi to be the chairman.
“Justice Kutigi is from Niger State and he decided to pick his Muslim
brother from Niger State to head such a sensitive committee. So Christians in
Nigeria are not happy and we don’t expect that a man who is highly placed like
Justice Kutigi would allow his religion to override national interest. That is
why he decided to keep the issue of religion and the committee to himself
closely. So we are asking the Vice Chairman of the conference, Prof. Bolaji
Akinyemi, the what he is doing there? It may also interest Nigerians to note
that none of the delegates sent by CAN were allowed to head any committee in
the confab; this is unfortunate. Where is the transparency? Where is the equity
and fairness?”
Though the association stated that it did not have any problem with
Ajakaiye, it argued that his choice was a mischief by Kutigi.
The statement further reads, “Ajakaiye is a Christian from the
South-West but to us, a Christian from the North and CAN delegate who knows how
Christians are being slaughtered on a daily basis by Boko Haram should be the
co-chairman of the committee. But Kutigi refused because he is carrying out an
Islamic agenda. These are the same people who claimed that Jonathan skewed the
conference to favour the Christians. But the truth has now been revealed that
Kutigi is the person who skewed the committee to undermine the Christians.
“What we need is equal representation in the confab; if Muslims are 12,
Christians must be 12 in the religious committee. We demand that the man in
Diaspora should be replaced because he doesn’t know what is going on in this
country. We want a Christian from the North to be a co-chair. Anything short of
that means that Kutigi is biased and playing an Islamic agenda against
Christians in this country. We are therefore doubting his credibility to pilot
the affairs of the good conference put together by Jonathan’s administration.”
But in his reaction to the allegation, the Assistant Secretary of the
confab (Media and Communications), Mr. Akpandem James, said there was nothing
wrong in the composition of the committee on religion.
He said, “Is Bishop Ajakaiye not a Christian? Somebody is a Christian
and because he is not a CAN delegate he shouldn’t be co-chairman? Look, CAN is
just an association and it is not every Christian that is a member. Not all
churches in Nigeria are members of CAN. Must somebody come from Borno or Yobe
State before heading a committee on religion?
“We had few people representing CAN; and is that a group that should
dictate what to do? The committee is made up of Christians and Muslims, whether
(or not) you are a member of CAN or the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic
Affairs in Nigeria. Are there not other members of SCIAN? People are just
looking for trouble where there’s none.”
The members of the Committee on Religion obtained from the Conference
Secretariat are: Alh. Nuruddeen Lemu (Chairman); Bishop Felix Femi Ajakaiye,
(Co-Chairman), who represens Ekiti State in the confab; Hajia Shetu Alfa,
Bishop Joseph Bagobiri, Hadija Dije Dattijo, Prof. Obini Ekpe, Pastor Bosun
Emmanuel and Prof. Layi Erinosho.
Others are Mallam Muzzammil Hanga, Prof. Andrew Haruna, Monsignor Obiora
Ike, Godswill Iyoha Iyoke, Prof. Munzali Jibril, Hajiya Talatu Nasir, Justice
Mamman Nasir (retd), Dr. Jonathan Obaje, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede and Hajia Amina
Omoti
One of nigerians problem is CAN. What do u people want again? Christians hav almost 345 delegate in ds conf and while muslims are just 180+ but CAN is stll Complaining. Nawaooo am bgining 2 ds lyk all religion sef cos all of dem just dey myk us fight each oda
ReplyDeleteMy dear,CAN is not the issue. I tell u like the 1st commentator it is absent of love that is the major problem in Nigeria. Even the Islamic supreme council has no love for other religious organisations . But we have forgotten that if we dont hv love, God is not with us bcos God himself is love.
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