The All Progressives Congress (APC) has cautioned against the stoking of ethnic and religious tensions, urging Nigerians to focus on national development as President Bola Tinubu works to reposition the country.......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
Naija News reports that APC’s view comes in response to remarks by the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN), which expressed disappointment over the perceived lack of benefits for Muslims despite the Muslim-Muslim ticket that brought Tinubu to power.
Speaking at a Pre-Ramadan Lecture in Kaduna on Tuesday, SCSN President, Sheikh Abdurrasheed Hadiyyatullah, lamented the political marginalization of Muslims and the deepening socio-economic hardship in the country.
“We have seen Nigerians vote for people of the same Islamic faith into the Presidency without turning the country into an unceasing battlefield, but we have not seen justice and equity done to all communities, irrespective of their faith.
“Millions of Muslims are politically marginalized in many parts of the country, despite their numbers and the constitutional demands for justice,” he said.
Sheikh Hadiyyatullah further criticized government policies, particularly the removal of fuel subsidies, which he said had worsened economic difficulties.
“Nigerians are experiencing severe economic hardship. The cost of food, transportation, and essential goods has skyrocketed due to fuel subsidy removal, naira depreciation, high inflation, and stagnant wages,” he stated.
He also raised concerns over new taxes and tariff hikes, listing recent government-imposed charges, including 50% increase in telecommunications tariffs, 4% FOB charges on imports, 15% increase in NPA tariffs, 100% rise in ATM charges and proposed hikes in electricity tariffs.
“The Council has consistently advised the administration on adopting policies to ease the suffering of Nigerians. However, the introduction of multiple new taxes and tariffs within a short period has made life more difficult for the poor,” he added.
Concerns Over Insecurity, Missing Weapons
The Shari’ah Council leader also expressed deep worry over insecurity and reports of government weapons falling into criminal hands.
“We are alarmed by revelations of 3,907 rifles missing from the police armoury with no consequences. These developments require urgent and decisive government action,” he stressed.
He noted that for over two decades, the Council had engaged security agencies in tackling ethno-religious crises and insecurity, and urged the government to take swift action.
APC Responds: “Religious, Ethnic Fixation Harmful To Nation-Building”
Reacting to SCSN’s claims, the Deputy National Organising Secretary of the APC, Nze Chidi Duru, in an interview with Punch, dismissed the idea that Muslims were being marginalized, warning against the use of religion and ethnicity as divisive tools.
He said, “I am the last person to speak in terms of faith, religion, language and tribal politics. At all times, I’m always of the view that we are one and the same person. Same people who come from the same source. I would never agitate on the account of religion that I should be placed at an advantage over another human being nor would I encourage an effort on the party that would like to use religion to advance their advantage over others.
“So to that extent, I think that the comment being made here does not reflect how to build a nation and how to encourage development and progress. What we should be talking about here is what will be in the overall interest of the people of Nigeria as citizens, as a country, and what will help us to come out of the economic quagmire that we have currently.
“There is also the need to help the government, as is currently being done, by bringing in ideas, thoughts and deeds that will help the government and the states to make progress than begin to again take recourse to matters that have to do with faith and religion and tribe and language in terms of Africa’s strength.”