MURIC rubbishes Christian elders over attack on Buhari govt
Elders Forum (NCEF) under the chairmanship of Solomon Asemota.
NCEF had warned that with the spate of killings in Nigeria, there may
be no Christians in the next 25 years.
The group also accused the Buhari administration of honoring Chief M.
K. O. Abiola, Baba Gana Kingibe and Chief Gani Fawehinmi "ostensibly
to swell the ranks of Muslims in the roll call of these awards."
NCEF further alleged that, "EFCC is becoming the prosecuting arm of
the Jama'atu Nasril Islam (JNI)"; that "the 1975 coup (and other
preceding coups), were jihad, promoted for the Islamization of Nigeria
for Sharia to replace democracy"; that "the current Federal Government
in Nigeria is openly pursuing an anti-Christian agenda that has
resulted in countless murders of Christians…" and that "The present
generation of Christians in Nigeria may cease to exist in 25 years
from now (2043), beginning from 2018" due to incessant killings.
But in a reaction on Monday signed by the director of the
organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC held that it could not
resist laughing at these allegations.
"They are all baseless, unfounded and ridiculous. They exist only in
the figment of NCEF's imagination. These allegations are symptomatic
of intellectual poverty and desertification of thinking faculty. NCEF
is reliving Don Quixote. MURIC is laughing in Latin."
"We are constrained to ask if we need to conduct an all-encompassing
examination of medical fitness for religious leaders in Nigeria. How
can anyone just jump to the conclusion that the present administration
which merely yielded to persistent agitations over the June 12 saga
was engaging in jihad because all the June 12 awardees are Muslims.
"NCEF has deliberately and most wickedly twisted a coincidence to whip
up gymnastic religiousity. The group also goofed by saying that Abiola
was not a Sunni Muslim. How much of Abiola's Islam do they know? This
claim amounts to desecration of the dead."
"How could there be a connection between the Jama'atu Nasril Islam
(JNI) and EFCC?" It querried. "Was it not Obasanjo who established the
EFCC? The last time we checked, Obasanjo had not made up his mind to
become a Muslim. NCEF's imagination is running wild. Nigerians should
not be surprised if by tomorrow NCEF claims that the Saudi king is
plotting to become the next American president in order to Islamise
the whole West.
"If Nigerian Muslims have never claimed that the January 15, 1966 coup
was an attempt at Christianising the country, how can NCEF, in its
rational moment (which of course is very rare), claim that the 1975
coup was a jihad?"
Akintola argued that facts on ground also rubbish NCEF's allegation
that the Buhari administration is pursuing an anti-Christian agenda.
According to him, "Christians have more cabinet positions in this
regime. Christians and Muslims have 18 ministers each but both the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation as well as the Head of
Service are Christians. This gives Christians 20 positions while
Muslims remain 18. Yet Muslims have not started complaining. NCEF
needs to check its mathematical expertise. 18 cannot be higher than
20. NCEF's vituperations are portraying Nigerian Christians in bad
light and that is to say the least."
The Islamic group also contends that the large number of Muslim
casualties in the ongoing killings has belied NCEF's claim of the
killing of Christians.
"It has been established beyond any reasonable doubt that more Muslims
have fallen victims and the number of Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs) which has risen above 1.5 million Muslims has further cemented
this position. Therefore, NCEF is merely crying wolf where none exists
with its allegation that the present generation of Christians in
Nigeria may cease to exist in 25 years from now.
"One of the most wicked claims of NCEF is that only Christians are
being haunted and jailed by EFCC. Col. Sambo Dasuki has been in
detention for almost three years. Did NCEF hear of any claim from JNI
or from the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) that
a Muslim is being persecuted? What of the former governors of Niger
and Jigawa states? Are they not Muslims and have they not fallen under
EFCC axe?
"These allegations are as ridiculous as saying that Buhari is
Islamising the Green Eagles and that was why he strategically placed
Ahmed Musa in Iceland's eighteen to score two goals for Nigeria in the
ongoing World Cup in Russia. NCEF pontifications can also be likened
to declaring that although his predecessor returned a meager N50
million in seven years, Professor Ishaq Oloyede as JAMB registrar
returned a mind-boggling N7.8 billion naira to the Federal Government
(FG) in order to Islamise the Joint Admissions and Matriculations
Board (JAMB). Not to be left out of the Islamisation race, Hameed Ali
fetched FG a record N1 trillion from Customs in 2017 alone."
MURIC said it could not help wondering why NCEF must demonise
performers. "Why must excellence be sacrificed on the altar of
mediocrity? Who stopped Obasanjo from Christianising Nigeria by giving
us light instead of darkness for our $26 billion? Why didn't Jonathan
Christianise this country by treating stealing as corruption?"
"Apart from deliberate mischief, perception appears to be NCEF's major
undoing, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) therefore needs
urgent re-engineering of the perception of its flock. In particular
CAN should fumigate its immediate environment in order to rid it of
this notorious NCEF Islamisation virus. CAN should also beware of
dissidence in the body of Christ in Nigeria as we suspect open
rebellion in NCEF's statement. CAN is therefore advised to call NCEF
to order.
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