{"id":98629,"date":"2022-08-26T11:36:48","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T10:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=98629"},"modified":"2022-08-26T11:36:48","modified_gmt":"2022-08-26T10:36:48","slug":"do-tinubu-and-shettima-present-an-existential-threat-to-christians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/articles-opinions\/do-tinubu-and-shettima-present-an-existential-threat-to-christians\/","title":{"rendered":"DO TINUBU AND SHETTIMA PRESENT AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO CHRISTIANS?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">By: Femi Fani-Kayode<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cFor us Christians in the North, the Muslim-Muslim ticket is existential. It is designed to oppress, kill and eliminate us from the political and economic system&#8221;- Dr. Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">I am very fond of Dr. Babachir Lawal and I have great respect and affection for him but I beg to differ with him on this issue.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">What he has said is simply not true and those that espouse and share the views that he has expressed are playing a dangerous and divisive game.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Unlike him I do not see a Muslim\/Muslim ticket but rather a Tinubu\/Shettima ticket.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">They are both human beings and Nigerians before being Muslims. We should at least accord them that consideration and respect.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">I believe that one of the most mischevous, cruel, illogical and uncharitable things we can do is to measure a man&#8217;s worth by his religious faith alone and\u00a0 refuse to see anything in him other than that.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima, his running mate, may be Muslims but their faith does not define them.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">What defines them is their character, vision and ability to perform well in office and their commitment to a united, peaceful, fair, just, equitable and prosperous Nigeria.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another thing that defines them, though to a lesser extent, is their ethnic nationality and where they come from in the country.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this case one is a Yoruba (from the South Western zone) whilst the other is a Kanuri (from the North Eastern zone), both proud and noble ethnic groups with a rich, civilised and ancient cultural and historical heritage and empire which \u0123o back thousands of years and neither of which was EVER conquered, subjugated or occupied by any other African\u00a0 ethnic nationality or power in their entire history.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">These are the things that are relevant and that define each of these two men and not their faith.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">In any case how can conceeding the position of the Vice President which, with all due respect has limited powers, to a Muslim constitute a threat to our great and mighty Christian faith and how can it overwhelm the wishes and aspirations of the 110 million Christians in our country?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">This seems to me to be far-fetched and absurd.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is true that for many years the practice has been to balance the ticket and pair Christians and Muslims when it comes to leadership positions and governance in this country in order to make adherents of both faiths feel secure.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yet other than the comforting optics one wonders just how much security such an arrangement really afforded adherents of both faiths?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Did it stop Boko Haram and ISWAP from killing both Christians and Muslims respectively?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Did it stop Christian mobs and militias in the North killing Muslims over the years?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Did it stop Muslim mobs and militias slaughtering Christians in the North?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Did it stop Christian secessionist, in the guise of unknown gunmen, targetting and murdering both Christians and Muslims in the East?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Did it save the life of the young lady Deborah in Sokoto when she was hacked to pieces and burnt alive or that of the young man Gideon Akaluka when he was beheaded in Kano?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">We have tried this balancing formula for many years and it really does not seem to have provided the intended results or worked too well.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Consider the plight of Northern Christians over the last 22 years even though we have had two Christian Presidents over that period of time and a Christian Vice President who happens to be a Pastor over the last 7.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Again consider the plight of Muslims in the core North and the Middle Belt over the same period of time even though we have had two Muslim Presidents and two Muslim Vice Presidents.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">When barbaric acts and unspeakable atrocities are committed against defenceless civilian populations, including women and children and when people are targetted for their faith or ethnicity without consequence, surely it is a failure of leadership and nothing to do with the religious faith of the President or his Vice.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Given that, perhaps it is time to try something new and provide a more innovative approach. Perhaps it is time for us to start focusing on factors other than faith when it comes to electing our leaders.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides which, from an intellectual perspective, when it comes to matters of leadership and national issues and practises nothing is cast in iron and nothing is static: we are meant to evolve.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Leaders ought to be elected on the basis of their quality and competence coupled with their ability to attract and deliver as many votes as possible and not their faith.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Anything less than that is an emotional rather than a rational approach.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Today we have a Muslim\/Muslim ticket vying for power at the center and tomorrow, by God&#8217;s grace, we shall have a Christian\/Christian one.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">That is progress and let me remind the skeptics that this has just been achieved in Osun state, where a Christian\/Christian ticket won the Governorship election and it happened in Kaduna state a few years ago when a Muslim\/Muslim ticket did the same.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">In either case the Heavens did not fall.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thankfully there are Christians all over this country from both the North and the South who are in the APC and who do not share Lawal&#8217;s view.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are also millions of Christians who are not affiliated to any political party all over the country that disagree with him.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">The truth is that it would serve our interests better as Christians to negotiate for and insist on key positions in the incoming Government of Bola Tinubu for members of our faith in return for our votes rather than continuously whining and lamenting, threatening fire and thunder, labelling him as an anti-Christ, indulging in mass hysteria, delusion and fear-mongering and acting as if Christianity would face an existential threat under his watch.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Can a deal really be negotiated and cut? Is this doable?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">In my view it most certainly is and this is the time to start such talks and open such discussions and negotiations rather than playing to the public gallery and grandstanding.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Those that doubt that this can be achieved should consider the innovative and unique power-sharing arrangement between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon and read up on what is known as the &#8216;Lebanese formula&#8217;.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">After their prolonged and horrendous civil war which raged through the 1970&#8217;s, 1980&#8217;s and 1990&#8217;s this negotiated\u00a0 formula and settlement, which was enshrined in their constitution, brought relative peace to that hitherto beleaguered nation.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">For the record, no-one can undermine or eliminate Christianity in Nigeria even if they wanted to do so and neither is anyone trying.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Our faith teaches us that &#8220;the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church&#8221; so why panic?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">It teaches us that &#8220;God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and sound mind&#8221;, so why the fear?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">It teaches us that &#8220;Christ in us our hope in glory&#8221;, so why worry?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">It teaches us that &#8220;the battle belongs to the Lord&#8221; and that &#8220;all things work for good for thos who love Him&#8221;, so why the doubt?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">It teaches us that &#8220;the righteous shall live by faith&#8221;, so why the lack of faith?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">We are too big and too strong to harbour such fears and our God is too mighty.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bola Tinubu&#8217;s incoming Government will be one of the most liberal, rational, reasonable, compassionate, caring, progressive and Christian-friendly administrations in the history of our country and we have absolutely nothing to fear.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">I can vouch for that and I am prepared to stick my neck out for it.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">If it had been otherwise I would have been the one to lead the charge against him and neither would I hold anything back because my faith is everything to me.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">In addition to this consider the following.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">For the last 62 years the people of the South West more than any other have stood by those that are known as the Northern minorities which include the Northern Chritians.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">It seems strange that when it is time for them to reciprocate that support, gesture and affection and stand with a son of the South West for the presidential election some of these people are opposing him on the grounds that he has chosen a Muslim as his running mate.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">They have shouted about domination at the hands of the Fulani since time immemorial but today they are saying they would rather support yet another Fulani for President than a Yoruba.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Does this make sense? Is there not a contradiction there?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">For the first time in the history of our country the key players and ruling party in the core North, including the Fulani,\u00a0 has not only agreed\u00a0 but insisted on conceding power to the South and it is a few Northern Christians that are now opposing this on religious grounds?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Is it because Tinubu is a Muslim?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">When some advocated for power shift to the South they never said it must shift to a Southern Christian and neither would that have made sense.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">They said it must shift to the South, whether Christian or Muslim and that is the right and proper thing to do.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">We must rise above these petty differences and attempt to unite our people rather than divide them.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">A nation that has 20 Christian Governors and only 16 Muslim ones cannot be Islamised and neither will it allow for the oppression, killing and elimination of Northern Christians from the political and economic system.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">A country in which a Chirstian\/Christian ticket just won a Gov. election in Osun state which is 50 % Muslim cannot be Islamised and neither will it allow for the oppression, killing and elimination of Northern Christians from the political and economic system.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">A country in which every single Governor in the South, since the Osun election, is a Christian cannot be islamised and neither will it allow for the oppression, killing and elimination of Northern Christians from the political and economic system.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">A country led by a man like BAT who, though a Muslim, has as many Christians as he does Muslims in his family, including his wife who is a Pastor in a Pentecostal Church cannot be Islamised and neither will it allow for the oppression, killing and elimination of Northern Christians from the political and economic system.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">And as a matter of fact there is no historical record of Yoruba Muslims hiding in bushes and forests and killing Northern or Southern Christians, so why the fear and hate?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Why the attempt to generate panic and hysteria?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Why the suggestion that under BAT Christians are faced with an existential threat?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Why the misrepresentation of intention?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Why the demonisation?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Was it not BAT that gave Lagos state public schools back to the Christian Missions?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Was it not him that gave more land to some of the largest Pentecostal mega-Churches to build on than any other Governor in the history of Lagos?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Was it not him that ensured that the last two Governors of Lagos state were practising Pentecostal Christians?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Was it not him thet ensured that for the last two presidential elections a Pentecostal Christian Pastor from the South West that he nominated was elected as our Vice President?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">I could go on and on.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">We must rise above this faith-baiting and fear-mongering and instead seek to build bridges of unity, peace and harmony.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is not about having a Christian or a Muslim leader, it is about having a righteous leader that will protect the interests of every Nigerian regardless of their faith.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">A Tinubu\/Shettima Presidency would do precisely that.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Of this I have no doubt.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">God bless Nigeria.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By: Femi Fani-Kayode \u201cFor us Christians in the North, the Muslim-Muslim ticket is existential. It is designed to oppress, kill and eliminate us from the political and economic system&#8221;- Dr.&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98630,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>DO TINUBU AND SHETTIMA PRESENT AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO CHRISTIANS? - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/articles-opinions\/do-tinubu-and-shettima-present-an-existential-threat-to-christians\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DO TINUBU AND SHETTIMA PRESENT AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO CHRISTIANS? - Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By: Femi Fani-Kayode \u201cFor us Christians in the North, the Muslim-Muslim ticket is existential. 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