The Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa\u2019ad Abubakar, has said there were no plans
\nto turn Nigeria into an Islamic nation.<\/p>\n
Abubakar, who is also the President-General, Jamatu Nasril Islam (JNI),
\nmade this known at the Golden Jubilee lecture of the JNI in Kaduna.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody can Islamise Nigeria, if Allah wanted he would have made everybody
\nMuslims, so also with Christianity. God would have made everybody
\nChristian if He wanted.<\/p>\n
He stressed the need for the people to set aside ethno-religious
\ndifferences and be committed toward peace and development of the nation.<\/p>\n
The Sultan said JNI criticism of certain policies of the present
\ngovernment was a wakeup call for government or those in leadership
\npositions \u201cto do what is right\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
He said that JNI\u2019s action was not aimed at fighting the government or any
\ngroup or religion.<\/p>\n
Abubakar, however, decried the insecurity that had pervaded many parts of
\nthe nation, especially the North-East by the Boko Haram insurgents.<\/p>\n
He said that the activities of the insurgents should not be seen as an
\nattempt by Muslims to prosecute Christians or turn Nigeria into an Islamic
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Abubakar, therefore, appealed to Christians and other faithful to join
\nhands with Muslims to tackle the present security challenges and other
\nproblems facing the country.<\/p>\n
He also urged them to see Islam as a peaceful religion.<\/p>\n
Vice President Namadi Sambo, in his goodwill message, said the present
\nadministration would continue to support JNI in its programmes.<\/p>\n
Sambo reiterated commitment of the Federal Government in tackling
\ninsecurity and illiteracy in the country.<\/p>\n
He also assured the Islamic body of the government\u2019s effort to address the
\nconstant clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in some states of the
\nfederation.<\/p>\n
Gov. Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna State urged JNI to play its role in defusing
\ntension based on interpretations of Allah\u2019s revelations.<\/p>\n
This, Yero said, the Islamic organisation could do by encouraging Islamic
\nscholars and preachers to dwell more on the five pillars of Islam.<\/p>\n
Yero said that the five pillars remained the core of the Islam and its
\nunifying factors.<\/p>\n
He also stressed the need for the body to collaborate with other
\ninter-faith dialogue organisations toward promoting peace and unity in the
\nnation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe objective of such interaction is to devise means of promoting
\npeaceful coexistence for the development of our great country.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know that without peace and stability there can be no meaningful
\ndevelopment because our country will economically stagnate, while majority
\nof the people, irrespective of faith, wallow in abject poverty.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is, therefore, a collective responsibility, especially on the part of
\nthe JNI and similar bodies in the country, to galvanise the people toward
\nachieving lasting peace and security,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
The Speaker House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, governors,
\ntraditional leaders, and Islamic scholars attended the occasion. (NAN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa\u2019ad Abubakar, has said there were no plans to turn Nigeria into an Islamic nation. Abubakar, who is also the President-General, Jamatu Nasril Islam (JNI),…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n