Confab members near blows over state religion

By Emeka Nze
Abuja

Tempers flared yesterday between some members of the Committee on Religion at the National Conference as they nearly threw punches at each other due to disagreement over the secular status of the nation.
The two major religions were again sharply divided, with majority of Christians in the committee believing that Article 10 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that Nigeria is a secular state, contradicts the provision which stipulates the establishment of Sharia courts in the states.

The crux of the matter was whether states should be involved in matters of religion or not, which saw the committee sharply divided as its Christian members favoured the entire withdrawal of goverment from religious matters while the Muslims insisted that government should be involved in religious affairs.

Notwithstanding the complaints of lopsidedness in favour of Islamic religion as raised by the Christian members, it had continued its deliberations on one of the thematic areas when Prof Is’haq Oloyede tried to explain the functions of  Sharia courts.
According to him, Sharia is only applicable in matrimonial issues concerning Muslims as matters concerning Christian marriages conducted in the churches find their way to the High Courts.

Oloyede was speaking when Bishop Joseph Bagobiri from Kaduna state, on the list of the Christian delegates, angrily interjected with the argument that the professor was misinforming the members.
The Christian cleric said that statutory marriage rites are not admitted in the High Courts, as they do not have the right to dissolve or adjudicate marriages that they did not conduct in the first place.
Bagobiri angrily called on states to expunge entirely their involvement in religious matters, advising Christians to establish, alongside with the Sharia courts, Ecclesiastical Courts to adjudicate on matters that affect Christians.
The co-Chairman of the committee, Pastor Emmanuel Bosun, called for caution among the members of the committee, saying he would not want them to derail from the national assignment.

He stated that even members of the same faith or different denominations can pick a quarrel on matters of a religion, reminding the members that he and the Bishop had had an altercation but later resolved it amicably.
Although he acknowledged that in matters of religion tempers were bound to flare up, he called for moderation so that it would not result into enmity in perpetuity among the members, noting that the committee has admitted that whatever treatment given to one religion should be given to the other.
Another member of the committee, Prof. Obini Ekpe, told members to be exemplary in their conduct. He discouraged them from exchanging hot words.

Ekpe urged them to choose from the three positions already outlined, namely whether the state should steer clear of religion, provide enabling environment for the adherents to practise their faith or support religion evenly among the different religions.
Another member, Barrister Godswill Iyioke, canvassed a middle ground of the three options but was not clear on what name it would be given and the manner it would operate.
Meanwhile, the co-Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Nurudeen Lemu, stated that his committee was waiting for official position from the secretariat of the conference that would correct the imbalance between Muslim and Christian membership of the committee.

He, however, noted that in the event of the conference’s inability to correct the imbalance the committee has resolved that in matters of voting the difference would step down to give way for a balanced side.