President Muhammadu Buhari returned to Abuja on Sunday evening after attending the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) conference in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The President, who was received at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by top government officials, was flown to State House in a helicopter. But his hurried departure for the 14th OIC summit, skipping the inaugural banquet in the evening after his inauguration last Wednesday, has left many wondering why the surreptitiousness.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is of the view that the country’s membership of the OIC remains unconstitutional and a smokescreen for something sinister. The apex Igbo socio–cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, joined in the criticisms, as it alleged a plot by Buhari to drag the country into religious crisis. It warned that Nigeria would not survive the dire consequences of such a crisis.
In a statement by CAN President, His Eminence, Rev. Dr. Samson Ayokunle, signed by his Special Assistant (Media and Communications), Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the Christian body condemned what it called attempts to force-foot Nigeria, a constitutionally secular state, into a purely Islamic association. CAN asked if Buhari would also be attending the meetings of the World Council of Churches. It advised the Buhari government to listen to the wise counsel of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who had expressed concerns about an alleged Fulanisation and Islamisation agenda by the Buhari administration.
The Christian body also deplored the executive order issued by Buhari withdrawing gun licenses issued to eligible Nigerians, while armed Fulani herdsmen were yet to be disarmed, saying such made Buhari’s attendance of the OIC meeting suspect. It regretted that despite widespread opposition, Buhari saw nothing wrong skipping his own inaugural banquet to attend the OIC meeting immediately after being sworn in for his second term, as his first official assignment.
Regarding the OIC, CAN said: “This is an organisation, which states it is the collective voice of the Muslim world’ and works to ‘safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony. Are the government officials listening to those who voted them into power at all? Is the government not heating up the polity? We all remember how Nigeria was smuggled into OIC during the military. We wonder if the President is ready to attend the meeting of the World Council of Churches or be asking the Vice President to represent him whenever the members meet.”
On the tendency to attack Obasanjo over his position on the alleged Islamisation and Fulanisation of the country, CAN said it was not good for the government to always rain abuses or pour venoms on former leaders whenever their thoughts were critical of government’s actions or policies. It urged the federal government to pay attention to Obasanjo’s thought-provoking positions, rather than disparaging him.
“We appeal to the federal government to listen to Obasanjo on his counsel over the alleged West African Fulanisation and African Islamisation agenda instead of resorting to disrespecting him and misinterpreting his noble warnings to the nation,” CAN stated. CAN regretted that while the likes of Obasanjo were treated as honorable statesmen and institutions in developed nations, like the United States and the United Kingdom, they were antagonized and vilified at home by the Buhari government.
“This is not only unfortunate but exposes us as a people that have lost their moral values. Obasanjo sacrifices a lot for this nation in order to make it one and great! He deserves respect and his pronouncements should be treated with caution,” the apex Christian body said.
With respect to the recent presidential order to mop up legally held guns, CAN said the federal government must be wary of actions that tend to portray it as protecting or preserving a section of the country against others. It accused the security agencies of not doing enough to deal with killings and kidnappings by bandits and herdsmen, saying the whole thing smacks of bias and deliberate effort to defend and advocate for a group being accused of atrocities.
It cited as an example of ethno-religious injustice the case of Kaduna State, where the government claimed they had arrested 17 suspects in connection with the killings in Southern Kaduna and three years after, nothing had been heard about the matter. CAN also faulted the composition of the country’s security management system under the Buhari administration, insisting that such an important national structure must not be dominated by people who share the same faith and ethnicity.
“This is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria,” it stated, adding, “The preponderance of the Fulani people at the corridors of power is what Chief Obasanjo refers to as Fulanisation agenda. As President Buhari begins another term, we appeal to him to have a blueprint for the security challenges facing the country. He should see the whole country as his and avoid lopsided appointments in every facet of the government, especially, the appointment of chief security officers.”
In alleging Buhari’s plot to provoke religious upheaval, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, urged the National Assembly to quickly wade into the matter, adding that what was playing out lends credence to Obasanjo’s Islamisation and Fulanisation theory. Deputy national publicity secretary Chuks Ibegbu said: “It is condemnable that Buhari abandoned Nigerians immediately after he took his oath of office to travel to Saudi Arabia for the OIC meeting. Let it be known that Nigeria is not a member of the OIC. Former military leader, Ibrahim Babangida dragged Nigeria illegally into the OIC and the people protested vehemently against it. They rejected it on the ground that Nigeria is a secular country. Now Buhari is plotting to return the country into that organisation. Let it be known to him that he will not succeed.
“He should stop wasting his energy in travelling, but should sit down and face his responsibilities as a leader. Nigerians are facing hunger and starvation; there is insecurity everywhere; there is a big challenge on the economy and the masses, who are his primary responsibility, are feeling the heat. Instead of addressing the issues, he is busy attending meetings and trying to drag the country into an organisation that has no benefit to its wellbeing… I do not know what Buhari thinks he will benefit by creating problems for the people. The OIC has not cared about the economic crisis in Nigeria; OIC has not cared about the insecurity that is threatening the unity of the country among many others. Somebody should warn the President.”
The group said it was sad that the President accorded priority to attending a meeting in Saudi Arabia, when millions of persons were waiting on him to address the nation after he took his oath of office on Wednesday. “What kind of president will do that? It shows how intolerable he has become. It shows he only wanted the votes of the people and nothing more… That is a bad omen. Buhari cannot wake up overnight to do whatever pleases him. He should be called to order in the interest of peace and development of the country’, the group stated.
Meanwhile, President Buhari has passed a vote of confidence on intervention programmes of the various institutions under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the impact they are making on Nigeria and other African countries. While reading the collective statement of African countries at the summit commended the robust interventions of the Islamic Development Bank, IDB, in key sectors such as agriculture, trade and investment.
Buhari said: “The robust interventions of the various OIC Institutions and principally the Islamic Development Bank Group, have been effective in such key sectors as trade and investment, agriculture, rural development and food security, science, technology and innovation, poverty alleviation as well as women and youth empowerment. In the specific case of Nigeria, the President acknowledged the support of OIC Member States in countering the menace of terrorism and armed criminality in West Africa, the Lake Chad area and the Sahel Countries.
“In particular, Nigeria acknowledges the support of OIC Member States in countering the menace of terrorism and armed criminality in West Africa, the Lake Chad area and the Sahel countries. We appreciate their contributions in the alleviation of the humanitarian crisis arising from the insurgency but urge them to do more. We appreciate their contributions in the alleviation of the humanitarian crisis arising from the insurgency but urge them to do more,” said the President.
President Buhari also commended OIC institutions for supporting development projects aimed at achieving rapid socio-economic development in Nigeria. He highlighted the Inter-Water Basic transfer, aimed at recharging the Lake Chad, the National Food Security Programme, the Second Niger Bridge, various roads and school rehabilitation projects as some projects in Nigeria that have attracted the support of OIC institutions.
On issues of concurrent global significance, President Buhari said the African members of the OIC were pleased with renewed efforts by the organization for the restoration of the national rights of the Palestinians and other long-standing unresolved conflicts. The President, however, noted that many OIC member states were grappling with serious security problems, including terrorism, violent extremism and armed criminality. The Nigerian leader said some of these challenges have assumed grave dimensions in recent times and required serious and coordinated approach for lasting solutions.
