THE spate of ethno-religious and political tensions in the country will be effectively curbed if Nigerians imbibe right attitude and shun injustices in all forms.
This was the submission of discussants at the 11th annual symposium of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), B-Zone, held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Sunday.
Discussing the topic, ‘Ethno-Religious Agitation and Imperative of Inclusiveness’, a former chairman of the Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), Dr Muiz Banire, traced the state of the nation to poor attitude and lack of shared values among Nigerians and called for adoption of generally agreed minimum values for the citizens.
He stressed the need to scrap policies such as quota system and federal character, saying they portray injustices and inequities which are the basic fuel for incessant agitations all over the country.
He stated: “Unlike in the United States, our own reverse discrimination has no limit. There are agitations because there are inequality and injustice in the land. That is why the sense of patriotism has died in most Nigerians; that is why there has been persistent call for restructuring which has aggravated secession tendencies in our country. All these will continue until we address the various injustices and inequities.”
He therefore called for inclusiveness in all aspects of the nation’s polity.
A professor in the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan, Afis Oladosu, stated that for ethno-religious tensions to cease, Nigerians needed to act the religions they profess and select leaders who are firm, who would be able to institute justice in governance.
He, therefore, called on all Muslims to exercise their civic responsibility by voting persons of integrity into power in the 2023 general election.
He said: “We desire credible election, an election that would be trustworthy, dependable, conclusive and satisfactory. To achieve this, attention should be paid to regulations, court processes, sensitisation of voters against ignorance, sensitisation of security agencies, the media, the clergy and the civil society.”
Oladosu noted that the major concern of Nigerians should not be secession but “how to change our attitude towards imbibing right values and culture.”
He emphasised that the country had the potential to be among the leading nations of the world if the right people were in the right places.
The chairman on the occasion and one-time Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), Professor Rashid Aderinoye, said the time had come to sensitise, mobilise and reawaken the thinking of Nigerians on the knowledge of Islam which he said would guarantee a more secure nation.
He called on Nigerians citizens to unite to work to move the nation forward.
The zonal coordinator of the MSSN, Malam Qaasim Odedeji, stated that the theme of the 2022 symposium, ‘The Nation’s Destiny’, was apt, given the fact that the nation had just concluded the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states and is preparing for the 2023 general election.
He called on politicians and their supporters to play by the rule of the game by mounting issues-based campaigns.
The symposium witnessed a gathering of Muslim personalities and students from across the southern part of the country.
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