From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Supreme Council on Shari’a in Nigeria (SCSN), a Muslim group, said on Thursday that it has uncovered plot by some vested interest groups in Nigeria to promote divisive and sinister campaign aimed at creating rift and disharmony among Muslim ethnic groups in Nigeria, in pursuance of a destructive agenda.
This was contained in a communiqué released by the Council at end of its two-day national conference in Abuja, on the theme “Matters Arising from 2023 Elections & Associated Socio-economic Challenges” attended by eminent personalities, including Ulama, Imams, leaders of Islamic organisations, traditional leaders, members of the academia, Civil Society Organisations and others.
The Council said the national conference was necessitated by the outcome of the 2023 general elections, which had, undeniably, stirred significant controversies, in addition to the prevailing security challenges and the accompanying economic hardships being experienced by Nigerians.
This has, perhaps, strengthened the need to examine the challenges with the view to highlighting the role of religious leaders in mitigating the challenges, and also proffer solutions through advocacy to governments and other stakeholders.
The communique jointly signed by Sheikh AbdurRasheed Hadiyatullah and Malam Nafi’u Baba-Ahmed, President and Secretary General of the Council, respectively, challenged Muslim communities to be at alert and resist any temptation or provocation that could give oxygen to the intentions of the “enemies”.
The Council, thus urged the Federal Government to promote dialogue and reconciliation among the citizens of Nigeria with a view to enhancing effective communications between contending interest groups, towards ensuring sustainable peace and development.
It also noted the substantial pressure exerted on the Nigerian and African governments by Western powers to embrace the LGBTQ AI+ ideology, and expressed satisfaction that the Nigerian government and its citizens, representing diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds, have consistently rejected the deviance, as exemplified by the enactment of the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013 (SSMPA).
The conference also observed the rising cases of “fake” Islamic scholars who are increasingly misleading the people through their uniformed, and thus urged the Imams and the Ulamas to maintain their leading roles as guiding lamps to Muslims and promote knowledge sharing and consensus opinion on important issues.
It further urged them to lead their followers in praying for the leadership of Nigeria, to have the courage and ability to deal with the current insecurity situation, and indeed deal with the economic hardship the Nigerian citizens are facing.