President of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN), Sheikh Abdurrasheed Hadiytullah, has submitted that the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration would not solve all the country’s issues.
He spoke on Tuesday at the annual Pre-Ramadan meeting of the SCSN holding in Kaduna.
Present with several Muslim leaders from across the federation, were Defence Minister, Badaru Abubakar, and Special Adviser to the Vice President, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed.
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.
Hadiytullah said: “The idea of a Muslim-Muslim ticket in our political life has been emphatically established.
“But of course, the idea of a Muslim-Muslim agenda, which we believe is the right of the Muslim majority in a democracy, is not, on its own, a solution to the myriad of challenges facing our country.
“We are indeed facing near existential challenges, the resolution of which will require more than halfhearted efforts from all of us.”
Speaking further, Hadiytullah lamented that Nigerians now lived in turbulent and unpredictable times characterized by fear, insecurity, excruciating poverty, mutual distrust, corruption, and despondency.
He said: “Millions of our frustrated youths face an uncertain future and diminishing possibilities.
“The paramount challenge before us is how best to confront these issues, instil hope, and, with the help of Allah, turn our situation around to success, security, and prosperity.
“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 bedevilling 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.
Speaking privately with journalists, the Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar said the Federal Government was making efforts to deploy technology towards combating the security challenges bedevilling 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.
