MURIC Blasts Christian Elders Group, ‘You’re Suffering From Intellectual Poverty’

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has described as baseless and ridiculous allegations by the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) against the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

The Islamic group in a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Director, described members NCEF as suffering from intellectual poverty and warped thinking.

MURIC was reacting to allegations of Islamization agenda levelled against the Buhari administration by the NCEF, under the chairmanship of Solomon Asemota on Friday.

The NCEF had at a news conference in Abuja accused the Federal Government of carrying out a Jihad against Christians and described the EFCC as the “prosecuting arm of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI).”

It claimed further that the recent award of national hounour to late MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe was part of plan to make Nigeria an Islamic country.

But dismissing the claims today, Akintola said Nigeria will not be tied to religious bigotry.

“We should let integrity supplant mediocrity as the criterion and accept credibility as the yardstick instead of ethnicity while antecedence replaces religion and all other primordial sentiments.

“We should liberalise our thinking, Nigerianise our orientation and stop seeing religious colouring in everything, the earlier it faces reality, the better.

“How can anyone just jump to the conclusion that the present administration which merely yielded to persistent agitations over the June 12 saga was engaging in jihad because all the June 12 awardees are Muslims.

“Christians have more cabinet positions in this regime. Christians and Muslims have 18 ministers each, but both the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as well as the Head of Service are Christians.

“This gives Christians 20 positions while Muslims remain 18. Yet Muslims have not started complaining.

“NCEF needs to check its mathematical expertise. 18 cannot be higher than 20. NCEF’s vituperation are portraying Nigerian Christians in bad light and that is to say the least.”

The director said that President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede and Hameed Ali have become reference points in integrity.

“Religion and other sentiments apart, Nigerians see them as models. These three men have set standards, not for religion or for Muslims alone, but for all Nigerians.

“Their successors will have a moral burden on their consciences if they perform below them particularly in the areas of probity and accountability.”

He further advised the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to call the group to order, adding that a failure to do purge the group off its ranks will be seen as open rebellion.

“In particular, CAN should fumigate its immediate environment in order to rid it of this notorious NCEF Islamisation virus.

“CAN should also beware of dissidence in the body of Christ in Nigeria as we suspect open rebellion in NCEF’s statement. CAN is therefore advised to call NCEF to order,” the statement reads in part.