MURIC cautions Bauchi governor against Sayawa Chiefdom
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has cautioned Gov. Bala Muhammad of Bauchi State against his planned creation of Sayawa Chiefdom, saying it will be tantamount to injustice against the Muslims of Tafawa Balewa who are victims of extensive religious violence.
Prof. Ishaq Akintola, the Founder/ Executive Director, MURIC, stated this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
“Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala AbdulKadir Muhammad, recently declared that he would create the Sayawa Chiefdom with headquarters in Tafawa Balewa Township.
“MURIC frowns at this declaration as it implies that the governor has ignored the advice given by the Muslims on the issue. Good governance demands that the governor consults widely before making such a crucial pronouncement. It is therefore provocative, parochial and prebendal. It decision suffers from desertification of inclusivity.
“It is sheer manifestation of executive amnesia to ignore the massacre of more than 500 Muslims in the same city of Tafawa Balewa during the religious crisis of 1991, 1995, 2001 and 2011. It is also a betrayal of monumental proportion.
“Yet most alarming is the clause of religious apartheid inserted in the bill prepared for siting the chiefdom which contains the obnoxious proviso that only Christians can become a chief in the city. This is repugnant, abominable and preposterous. It is the most egregious, odious and insidious religious discrimination in any part of Nigeria in recent time,” Akintola said.
He added: “We wonder if the governor’s legal advisers and the state’s ministry of justice had any input in the drafting of this bill which, from all indications, stands in contradistinction with the letter and spirit of Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which says the Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State religion. It is needless to say that the proposed bill has the capacity to create a Christian chiefdom.
“We advise the governor to retrace his steps. Handing over Tafawa Balewa city to Christians in Bauchi State is a dangerous step to take. It will not only escalate tension in the region but it will also further aggravate inter-religious disharmony beyond the state.”
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