Muslim leaders from across the federation, under the aegis of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) told the federal government yesterday that Nigerians should not be hungry and insecure.
The council spoke as Defence Minister, Badaru Abubakar, Special Adviser to.the Vice-President, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, and other prominent Muslims in Nigeria converged on Kaduna to deliberate on the state of the nation.
The Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Jalal Ahmad Arabi, and son of late MKO Abiola, Alhaji Jamiu Abiola, were also at the meeting.
The Muslim leaders alleged that trillions of naira were spent on security and power in the country, but noted that there was no commensurate results over the years.
President of the council, Sheikh Abdurrasheed Hadiytullah, said: “ We should in unison, keep appealing to our governments to take concrete steps to address the issue of corruption, leakages and wasteful spending.
‘’Corruption is like a cancer, which destroys everything noble and undermines the principles of good governance.
“Here, it is perfectly justified to ask our leaders, why should the ordinary Nigerian be made to bear the brunt of insecurity, with trillions being spent on the security agencies without positive result or accountability?
‘’Why should the ordinary Nigerian suffer difficulties from power failure and its skyrocketing cost, with over $20billion wasted on power without positive results or accountability?
“There is no doubt that we cannot reasonably expect solutions to issues bedeviling our lives until our leaders summon the political will to address the issue of corruption, whenever, wherever and whoever is involved.
“We urge the federal government to re-examine the neo-liberal economic template guiding our policies and perish the thought of plans to totally abolish all subsidies and commercialize strategic public agencies, without any semblance of social safety net to mitigate the attendant, horrendous consequences on the population.
“In these challenging times, it is crucial that we uphold the principles of peace, unity, and understanding. We should preach against resorting to violent protests against the government and strive for dialogue and constructive engagement with governments to address our concerns.
‘’Islam encourages us to seek solutions to problems with our leaders through peaceful means only. Violence only begets more violence, and it is our duty as responsible citizens and followers of Islam to promote harmony and stability.
‘’Together, let us channel our grievances through peaceful avenues, fostering a culture of tolerance and cooperation for the betterment of our society.
“We call on the Ummah to fervently pray during this sacred month of Ramadan and beyond for peace in Nigeria, and divine intervention in tackling acts of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, ethno-religious crises, and other criminal activities.”
The Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, said in an interview with journalists that the federal government was making efforts to deploy technology towards combating the security challenges bedeviling the country.
“The technology would help troops of the Nigerian Army to monitor movement of bandits and other criminal elements, in order to face full action of the troops before targeting any place,” he said.
Badaru called on Islamic scholars to use this year’s Ramadan sermons to pray for the success of the government and development of Nigeria.
