PRESS RELEASE: CHRISTIAN STATE: CALL WIKE TO ORDER NOW
The
governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, declared two days ago that the
state is a Christian State. The governor made the statement during a
crusade organized by the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Church in Port
Harcourt, capital of Rivers State.
However, an Islamic human
rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on
stakeholders in the Nigerian project to call Wike to order. In a press
statement distributed on Thursday, 27th June, 2019, MURIC described the
governor’s statement as audacious, unguarded and reckless. The statement
was signed by the Director of the organization, Professor Ishaq
Akintola.
“At a time when Nigeria is facing religious and ethnic
crises, a state governor still has the temerity to declare his state a
Christian state. Wike is short in intellect, long in impunity. It is not
his first time of making this pronouncement. We ignored him the first
time because we did not want to dignify him with a response. But he has
just exposed himself as an analogue governor with a triangular approach
to all problems: religion, violence and impunity. Wike cannot think
outside this triangular box.
“At a time when religious fanaticism
is on the rise and the authorities are cautioning Nigerians to be
moderate, a state governor is running loose with reckless statements
like, ‘I repeat once again without apologies, Rivers is a Christian
state. That is why nobody can touch us’.
“This is nothing but
articulated demagoguery. It is audacious, preposterous and myopic. It is
also a dangerous precedent. Nonetheless, Wike’s statement must also be
seen as meaningless unless he can establish Canon law for his ‘Christian
State’. That is the challenge we like to throw at Governor Wike. He
should promulgate canon law without any hesitation, otherwise all his
boasts amount to nothing. They are empty.
“Is Rivers the only
state with Christian majority? Wike should learn from the moderate
stance of the governors of Cross Rivers, Delta, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi,
etc on the issue of religion. Wike is perpetuating a culture of
acrobatic religiousity. He is playing on the intelligence of the good
people of Rivers State and lending credence to Karl Marx’s view of
religion as opium of the people. He is brandishing state-sponsored
religiousity to cover his gross ineptitude.
“The spate of crime
in Rivers State is an indictment on Wike. Cult-killing is on the rise.
Kidnapping has become an obsession. Youth restiveness is everywhere in
the state. But all these are by-products of mass unemployment. This is
what Wike should face.
“He should be thinking of empowering the
youth. Where are the roads built by Wike? What is the state of Rivers’
schools? Are there drugs in the hospitals? What are the rates of infant
and maternal mortality in Rivers State? Port Harcourt is one of the most
expensive places to live in Nigeria. How can Wike bring relief to the
residents? It is high time Wike focused on governance and stopped
propagating motor-park doctrine, manifesting ‘agbero’ faculty and
exhibiting ‘bolekaja’ mentality.
“Nonetheless, Wike’s statement
must also be seen as meaningless unless he can establish Canon law for
his ‘Christian State’. That is the challenge we like to throw at
Governor Wike. He should promulgate canon law without any hesitation,
otherwise all his boasts amount to nothing. They are empty. Wike’s
Christian state is a red herring
“Where is Wike’s constitutional
backing? Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria clearly prohibits state religion. It says, 'The Government of
the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as a State
Religion.' Wike’s declaration is therefore ultra vires. It is null, void
and of no consequence whatsoever.
“It is illegal, unlawful and
unconstitutional for any governor to declare his state a Christian or an
Islamic state. For the avoidance of doubt, a clear difference must be
seen between Wike’s declaration and the introduction of Shariah in parts
of the North. The state legislatures of states where Shariah was
introduced followed due process. The governors did not just wake up one
day and make arbitrary declarations.
“In any case, there is also a
world of difference between declaring a state an Islamic state and
merely introducing Shariah to be used by the Muslim population. That is
why several parts of the United Kingdom, the United States and some
Western countries have introduced Shariah for their minority Muslim
populations without necessarily declaring those countries Islamic
nations.
“But where are the secularists? Where are those who
claim that Nigeria is a secular state? Why is it that only Muslims are
taken up when they make declarations bordering on religious
particularism? Why are they silent now? Is this not selective judgement?
Must we always behave a la Animal Farm? Our self-righteous public
commentators and human rights lawyers would have brought heaven down if
any Muslim governor made a similar statement. Why are we like this? Who
placed a curse on Nigeria? Well known critics who fail to speak on
Wike’s recent pronouncement should bury their heads in shame.
“Before
we take a break, we remind Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State that
specialisation necessitates division of labour. He should, therefore,
concentrate on governance which is the job for which he was elected and
leave evangelization and fire-brand crusade to Christian clerics. Wike
should improve the security situation in order to attract investors and
tourists. We appeal to stakeholders in the Nigerian project to call Wike
to order.”
Professor Ishaq Akintola, Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
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