The Nigerian Christian Elders Forum, NCEF, has responded to an attack on it by the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC.
MURIC had on Friday described the claim by the NCEF about a purported move to islamize Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari as a “compendium of lies from the pit of Jahannam.”
Recall that NCEF under the leadership of former Defence Minister, Lt. Gen. T.Y Danjuma (retd); ex-Military Governor of Rivers State, General Zamani Lekwot (retd); and Chief Solomon Asemota, SAN, had dragged Buhari to the United Kingdom, UK, Parliament, over alleged move to Islamise Nigeria.
Reacting to the allegation, MURIC stressed that the Islamization claim was “frivolous, unfounded, imaginary, untenable and unacceptable.”
However, in a statement signed by the Forum’s Secretary, Pastor Bosun Emmanuel, NCEF described as unfortunate that Muslim groups would make such claims of “prank to score cheap political points” against Christian Elders as no member of NCEF is either a politician.
The statement added, “The claim is divisive, which rather than contribute to the efforts of the Christian Elders to find a peaceful and lasting solution to current national crisis, and ensure Nigeria can benefit from the gains of democracy, like other advanced democratic countries around the world, is trying to cause disaffection amongst the people”, the rejoinder said.
“It should be repeated here for emphasis that the root or main cause of the crisis in Nigeria, as stated by the NCEF, has nothing to do with Christianity or Islam, neither is it about North against the South, East against West, nor is it Farmers and Herders clash as some call it, and neither is it a clash of personalities or political parties. All these are symptoms.
“The Nigerian crisis is caused by the dual conflicting ideology of Sharia against Democracy as practiced in Nigeria, and is now enshrined in the 1999 Constitution and here it is being downplayed and simply called Islam against Christianity by these Muslim groups; no, it is not.
“This is nothing short of mischief which can actually create tension in the polity that can incite the public.
“The position of NCEF on this dual ideological conflict is not new and it is not different from the EU Report (Sharia, the Cairo Declaration and the European Convention on Human Rights that states categorically that Sharia and the Human Rights which is enshrined in Democracy are not compatible.
“Yet, some people think it can work in Nigeria and we can see the attendant consequences over the last 59 years of becoming an independent sovereign nation.”
