You Have Sold Lagos To CAN, MURIC Hits Sanwo-Olu Over Fresh Cabinet List

An Islamic rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), on Wednesday, claimed that the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has sold the state to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

MURIC’s statement is in reaction to the new cabinet nominees list that the governor sent to the state’s House of Assembly early this week, for screening and confirmation.

According to MURIC, out of the 18 new nominees, only six of them are Muslims, adding that Sanwo-Olu’s fresh list is the “voice of Jacob”.

“A quick glance at the new list of 17 reveals that there are only 7 Muslim names that are glaring. Yet that does not make the ‘seven’ real Muslims because many Yoruba Muslims who converted to Christianity still retain their Muslim nomenclature for reasons best known to them.

“But their close friends, associates, colleagues at work and neighbours are the ones who will know the true faith they practice. Nonetheless, the governor is in a good position to know their faith because every nominee must have submitted his curriculum vitae which, ceteris paribus, should indicate his or her creed. Anything short of this should be seen as an attempt to hide true identities which will not be fair to the electorate.

“Again, some traditionalists still retain their original Muslim names and one of such is on the new list being presented to us as a Muslim. In reality, therefore, only six (6) Muslims are on the new list of 18,” the Executive Director of the Muslim right group, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said.

Akintola noted that the mantra of religious tolerance will remain sheer “propaganda and hypocrisy of the highest order” so long as the government itself cannot ensure balance in the dividends of democracy shared among different groups.

“A government that treats one group as slaves and the other as masters should not claim to be promoting religious tolerance. Sanwo-Olu should come clean on who vetted his lopsided list,” he said.

“Muslims were the ones who complained after the first list was released. Any upward review can only be palpable, tangible and reasonable if it gives the complainants a larger number in the second list so as to narrow the preposterously wide margin in the first list. But Sanwo-Olu is a dexterous juggler who will only see figures from CAN’s lense.

“The governor of Lagos cannot wash CAN’s hands off the lopsided list imbroglio. Or was it not CAN that came out in the trench for Sanwo-Olu after the Muslims complained? CAN came firing from all cylinders even though the Muslims did not direct their complaint to the Christian body,” Akintola added.

THE WHISTLER had reported that out of 39 nominees earlier sent by Sanwo-Olu for screening and confirmation, the House cleared 22, and rejected 17.

Following the rejection of the 17 nominees, the governor sent a fresh list of 18 cabinet nominees to the House for screening and confirmation.

Before the House’s rejection of the 17 nominees, MURIC as well as a coalition of over 30 Muslim groups, under the aegis of Joint Muslims Forum (JMF), had rejected the 39 cabinet nominees list by the governor, saying that it had less than 20 percent Muslim representation.

According to them, out of the 39 nominees, only eight were Muslims.