A pressure group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has berated the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for “remaining silent” over the appointment of five Christians and two Muslims as service chiefs by a Muslim president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The group argued that the Nigerian media, as well as cyberspace, would have been awash with protests from CAN had it been the other way round.
MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, stated these in a press release on Friday, saying, “Five out of the seven service chiefs appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday, 20th June, 2023 are Christians and only two are Muslims. The same numbers were repeated last week when special advisers were appointed. The latest appointments brings the ratio to 10:4.
“It is now more than 72 hours after the appointments were announced and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has not made any comment. It is unusual for the umbrella body of all Christians in Nigeria to remain quiet for so long particularly after such a momentous development.”
Akintola added that the “usual cry of Islamisation has not rented the air.”
“A Muslim president has made appointments heavily tilted against Muslims and instead of CAN to commend him the Christian body, which is known for its gymnastic criticism and acrobatic intolerance towards Muslim leaders has maintained dead silence,” he said.
He noted, “Our deduction from this is that CAN is not really after fairness and equity. The Christian umbrella organisation is only interested in getting everything for Christians while Muslims get nothing. CAN just wants all and will employ any means, both fair and foul, but the latter more often than not.
“Islamisation, fulanisation, northern oligarchy and caliphate hegemony are mere tools of a well-crafted, false and malicious propaganda employed to armtwist Muslim leaders and Muslim politicians in general.
“But it is now clear that Islamisation is a sham. Fulanisation is a charade. Northern oligarchy is a phantom. Those who brandish them are articulated, demagogic and tramadolised blackmailers.”
MURIC called on CAN to speak up, pointing out that “several well-meaning groups have commended the latest steps taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, including the appointment of new service chiefs but we are yet to hear a word from CAN.”
It said: “It must also be put on record that a Muslim president that goes by the name Ahmed Tinubu has elected to appoint five Christians and only two Muslims as service chiefs even after picking another five Christians (Uwajumogu, Adedeji, Edun, Alake and Verheijen) and two Muslims (Darazo and Salma) as special advisers last week.
“We do not need mathematicians before arriving at ten Christians against four Muslims only in the present lineup. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu cannot be counted twice. Statisticians will call that duplication and they will be right. But we do know for certain that CAN will not protest over this.
“However, we reiterate the position taken by us two days ago, namely, that Nigerians, especially the Muslim Ummah, should wait until all appointments have been made before judging the Tinubu administration.
“Nonetheless, non-judgemental analysis like the one above is inevitable while we all wait to see the number of Muslim ministers that will emerge from the South West and if any Muslim minister will come from Taraba, Nasarawa and Adamawa States.”
