From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has asked the federal government to provide more opportunities for trust building, extensive consultation, and genuine dialogue on the tax reform bills before the National Assembly.
The Council said that such path will assist in deflating the current unnecessary tension and unwarranted polarization of opinion and people’s position as regards the tax reform bills.
This was contained in a communique released at the end of the Council’s 10th Expanded General Purpose Committee (EGPC) meeting held in Abuja, which was presided over the President-General of NSCIA and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar; and was attended by Muslim leaders across the country including the Deputy President General, NSCIA (South), Alh. Rasaki Oladejo; the Etsu Nupe, HRH, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar; the Secretary General of NSCIA, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede; the Deputy Secretary General of NSCIA, Prof. Salisu Shehu; the Secretary-General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Prof. Khalid Abubakar; and the Executive Secretary of Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN), Prof. Muslih Yahaya.
Othee eminent Muslims that attended the meeting also included Ministers, representative of the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Samad Akosede, members of the National Assembly, heads of military and para-military agencies, senior government officials, captains of industries, business moguls, youth and women leaders, and other members of the Committee.
Deputy Secretary General, NSCIA, Prof. Salisu Shehu, who signed the communique, admonished Nigerians to be confident in a brighter future for the country, and be grateful to Allah, even though, the situation requires improvement, it is not peculiar to the country.
The Council noted that Nigerians are suffering due to the harsh economic climate, thus asking government at all levels to address the concerns of the citizens by making the environment more conducive to business in order to hasten the ease expected from the reforms;
It encouraged Muslims to get involved in harnessing economic opportunities that would boost their financial independence and explore innovative ways of empowering the youths across the country.
The Council also commended the Federal Government, traditional and religious leaders for the remarkable decrease in cases of communal clashes across the country which could not have been achieved without their critical roles at various levels.
It resolved to educate the Muslim Ummah on the need to standardise the informal sector of the Nigerian economy such that the huge contributions of the informal sector to the economy would be appreciated and acknowledged in planning.
It also highlighted the relationship between mining and the out-of-school children and urged Muslims to assist the government in curbing the activities of illegal miners in different parts of the country.
The Council urged governments across the three tiers to prioritise food security and education in order to safeguard the immediate and ultimate well-being of the citizens.