Kwara state chapter of Jama’at Nasril Islam (JNI) has responded to an open letter by the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over alleged lopsidedness in political appointments by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s administration.
A statement by the JNI state secretary, Professor Hamzat I. Abdulraheem, said it had never been the duty of the association to reply letters on behalf of government, “but because of the sensitivity of religious issue and the dangerous way CAN is taking it,” there was need “to clarify issues for peace to reign in our state.”
In a recent open letter to Governor Abdulrazaq, the Christian body claimed appointments made under the APC-led government were skewed in favour of Muslims, despite what it described as the plurality of the state.
“Our action is thus premised on the fact that we sense a hidden agenda in the rush of all appointments at a crucial stage when lives should be rescued and secured, knowing fully that appointees are not going to resume work during this stay –back- at -home period.
“We are sad that while churches and mosques are stopped from carrying out their operations,
Your Excellency’s preoccupation revolves around making controversial appointments and the last set of it was a shock at the expense of the emergence and presence of COVID-19 in your state,” the body wrote
In a reaction, however, the JNI said political appointments in the state had never been based on religious representation but rather on geo-political consideration.
The body stated that had government appointments been based on religious representation, Muslims in the state would “have cried out for not having fair share of political appointments for a very long time.”
“Is it fair to Muslims in Kwara state to have Muslim-Christian combination as governors and deputy governors respectively knowing full well that these deputy governors are picked from Muslim dominated areas like Ifelodun, Oyun and Offa?”
Professor Abdulraheem said the last administration was unfair to Muslims’ sensibility in the state, having picked a Christian deputy governor from Baruten local government where Christians were not up to two percent of the population.
He said CAN was unfair to accuse the governor of not having a Christian among the nine members of the National Assembly. The association said it is ridiculous, divisive and irresponsible because government has no hand in who is elected to elective positions, saying the allegation is a blatant blackmail to create religious disharmony in the state.
He said: “That Muslims in Kwara state have never been known to beat drums of war when it comes to religious agitation or openly kick against government policies does not mean that they don’t know their rights and responsibilities.”
“Hues and cries of marginalisation in Kwara state by Christian groups are not new and this is not the first time such accusing fingers will be pointed to government. We are not therefore surprised to see a similar thing in the present open letter to His Excellency.”
