President-General of the Nigerian
Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu
Sa’ad Abubakar III, has applauded the Vice President of Federal Republic of
Nigeria, Por. Yemi Osinbajo for his leadership, which he said was given to him
by God.
“We have the privilege of having
the Vice President here who is a pastor, and I am pleased that he is here to
listen to the comments we will make and to listen to him giving the keynote
speech, which I believe he will say a lot having known him for some time.
“He has leadership given to him
by the lord God Almighty, it is a trust and responsibility and he is here in
his capacity as VP and we invited him to give the keynote speech as VP of
Nigeria and he accepted to be here,” the Sultan said.
Abubakar made the comment at the
opening ceremony of the General Assembly of NSCIA on Friday, an event Prof.
Osinbajo was invited to give a keynote address.
Also, Professor Ishaq Oloyede,
Secretary General of NSCIA said Prof. Osinbajo had successfully combined his
religious commitments with public administration, something, he said, was worth
emulating.
“He is a model of a person
combining religious commitment with public administration. He has done that
creditably well. Mr. Vice President we want to thank you on behalf of the
Muslim community of this country. You are a pride to this nation, we thank you
and pray that God will continue to be with you,” he said.
Prof Salisu Shehu, Deputy
Secretary General of NSCIA praised the Vice President for gracing the event. “I
believe as you have graciously accepted to be here to honour this event by
coming personally, I believe that when resolutions are presented to you, we are
sure that you’d give the necessary executive support to those resolutions.”
In his keynote address, Osinbajo
commended the NSCIA for bridging the religious gap in Nigeria. “This Council is
of particular importance to us as a nation because it not only promotes
solidarity among Nigeria’s Muslims but also serves as an important intermediary
between the government and the Muslim community and between Muslims and persons
of other faiths.
“As the highest decision-making
body of the Council, I offer to you this morning, both a commendation and a
challenge.
“First, the commendation to you
for the great leadership you have shown in galvanizing the Muslim community in
Nigeria despite denominational differences. But also, for making the Council
available for the promotion of interfaith peace, and religious tolerance in
Nigeria.
“The challenge stems from the
theme of this meeting which is “Islam and National Development.” Permit me to
put the topic in context so that we do not miss the essence of the topic. So, I
recast the theme to read as follows quote, “The Role of Islam in the Development
of a Multi-religious and Multi-ethnic Nation.” This is the gravamen of the
matter and I believe my brother, Isa Pantami (Honourable Minister of
Communications and Digital Economy who delivered the keynote address) did an
excellent job.
“Decades ago in this same
country, it would not have been a major topic. Leaders in the first republic
did not consider religious intolerance as a major national issue, they were
more concerned about the issues that touched everyone regardless of religion or
ethnicity; they were concerned about providing food, shelter, education and
decent livelihoods. But today, no true leader can ignore the threat that
religious bigotry and intolerance poses for the development of our nation. That
is just the way it is.
“But it is my respectful view
that the burden of ensuring that faith promotes national development as opposed
to impeding it is on leaders. This is the challenge I pose to you today.
“A few months ago, at an
interfaith gathering, I told the story of an occurrence on the 20th of June
2018. Christians in their village Nshar Yelwa, Plateau State were attacked by a
horde of persons who were said to be Muslims, who had attacked other villages
and had killed several Berom farmers who were mainly Christians.
“As Imam Abdullahi was finishing
mid-day prayers, he and his congregation heard gunshots and went outside to see
members of the village’s Christian community running helter-skelter.
Instinctively, the Imam ushered 262 Christians into the mosque and some into
his home next to the mosque.
“The Imam then went outside to
confront the gunmen. He refused to allow them to enter, pleading with them to
spare the Christians inside the mosque and his home. When the assailants were
adamant, he told them that they would have to kill him first if they were going
to kill the Christians, he had given refuge. They eventually left without
killing any of the Christians in the mosque or in his home. Imam Abdullahi’s
selflessness and sacrifice saved the lives of hundreds of people of a faith different
from his own.
“Imam Abdullahi not only refused
to give up the Christians he had given refuge; he even offered his life in
exchange for theirs. His moral courage is rooted in a profound recognition of
our common humanity. His compassion, empathy and selflessness are an example to
us as people of faith.” Osinbajo concluded.
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