MORE Nigerians, on Saturday, criticised the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad, over his call for the amendment of the nation’s constitution to widen the scope of application of Shari’a law in the country, telling him to always speak indeed as CJN.
Some members of the Christian community advised a CJN to remember that he is not a grand khadi but CJN.
The CJN, while declaring open the 20th Annual Judges Conference at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria’s Faculty of Law Moot Court, on Thursday, called for the amendment of the country’s constitution to accommodate some of the peculiarities of the Shari’a laws.
The statement has continued to generate reactions among leaders in the country.
CJN’s call provocative, primitive –Afenifere
Pan-Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere, described the call by the CJN as provocative, primitive and unnecessary, warning him to stop doing that and be sensitive to the fact that Nigeria is a plural state.
National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, who spoke with Sunday Tribune by telephone, while condemning the call, said the CJN, given the level of the office he occupied, should have understood that a statement like that called for adequate consideration “in a pluralistic society like Nigeria.”
Odumakin said this was needed, notwithstanding the fact that the CJN had a background in Arabic studies and is purely a Shari’a lawyer, pointing out that the statement made by Muhammad indicated pure “clash of civilisation in Nigeria.”
“It’s a function of clash of civilisation in Nigeria. His background is Arabic studies. He is a Shari’a lawyer. But enlightenment should have told the CJN that for a man that can rise to that level in a system like ours, this plural society, he cannot be making such a call without adequate consideration,” he said.
Speaking further, Odumakin said; “you see, part of the problems we have is the way people rise to the top. Our system just throws people up anyhow; otherwise, the call ought not to have been made.”
“It’s primitive, it’s unnecessary, it’s red flag, it’s not what we need in this kind of society. It’s like you are singing a funeral dirge at a wedding ceremony,” he added.
Odumakin, while reminding Muhammad that he was, indeed, the CJN and not a grand khadi of some Shari’a state in the country, urged him to be careful of his utterances and be more sensitive and “be aware that we are a plural society. It’s not a Shari’a state.”
CJN’s suggestion, act of ignorance –YCE
The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), while rejecting the CJN’s suggestion for the amendment, said the jurist lacked necessary information about the workings of the country.
Secretary-General of YCE, Dr. Kunle Olajide, while speaking with Sunday Tribune in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, noted that the country belonged to everybody, regardless of religious background.
He added that any attempt to introduce Sharia into the constitution would truncate the peace and progress of the country.
He observed that the nation is currently divided along ethnic and religious lines, adding that efforts by government must be to unite all tendencies across the country.
“I totally disagree with that suggestion and I am equally amazed that it is coming from the Chief Justice of Nigeria. Nigeria is secular country, it neither belongs to Christians nor Muslims. It belongs to everybody from different cultures that we have in this country.
“Yes, we were a British colony and essentially, Britain was an Anglican Christian country. What our constitution has done is to allow everybody to worship in his own way. We believe that Muslims and Christians are in the majority. Nothing must be done to put either of the two religions ahead of the other.
“Introducing Sharia into our constitution is definitely inimical to peace, unity and stability of this country. We have existed as an independent country for over 60 years now; nothing of such has been done.
“Nigeria has never been so divided like it is now. Anybody trying to introduce something that will further polarise us, in my humble opinion, is either ignorant or does not know this country. That idea should be dropped into the dustbin immediately. Shari’a should remain in the states that want it and that matter should not arise at this time,” he said.
Nigeria needs restructuring, not constitution amendment –Ohanaeze
Chairman of the Anambra State chapter of apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndi’gbo, Chief Demian Ogene-Okeke, in his reaction, said what Nigeria needed at the moment is the restructuring of the country and not issues that may bring up another religious argument.
He said the Northern leadership should not impose Shari’a law on the people of Nigeria, calling on other socio-cultural organisations not to allow the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to impose any law that does not conform to the multiple religious existence of Nigeria.
According to him, Sharia law is only practised among the Muslims and so should not be forced on other religions.
“To be frank, I am highly disappointed with the CJN for making such call in a democratic country with multiple religious affiliations,” he added.
Statement capable of throwing Nigeria into turmoil –Middle Belt group
Speaking with Sunday Tribune, the national chairman of Association of Middle Belt Ethnic Nationalities (ASOMBEN), Mr Sule Kwasau, said it was a divisive statement capable of throwing the country into turmoil, adding that it also amounted to hate speech.
“This kind of statement is disgusting and capable of throwing the country into turmoil. It is unfortunate that what he is propagating was what propelled him into office. Some of us are not surprised. For me, if we are to give it expansive interpretation, it amounts to hate speech which is capable of pitching non-adherents of Islam against adherents. To me, it is a divisive statement that government needs to take seriously.
“And don’t forget President Buhari once said Muslims should vote for Muslims and some of them who are radical Islamists have taken over the reign of power in this country. So, it is either he resigns or government fires him. I know it is a tall order. The best thing is let us galvanise patriotic Nigerians across religious lines and condemn such unguarded utterances, if we want to make progress in this country.
“Some of his like have always held that Nigeria is not a secular country. If you look at the constitution of Nigeria, it is punctuated by either Shari’a and the rest. There is nowhere in the constitution where you see Christianity. To me, this is a military constitution, a fraudulent one for that matter.
“Until the constitution of ‘we the people’ is promulgated, we are going to continue in a circle. We cannot say ignore him, he is holding a very sensitive position. We have seen some of the outcomes of his position as CJN and we should expect worse as the days go by. But all patriotic Nigerians must put efforts together and begin to expose such unpatriotic Nigerians who are holding sensitive positions in this country,” he said.
It’s a warning that Nigeria is adrift –Middle Belt Forum
National chairman of Middle Belt Forum, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, said it was unfortunate that the CJN could make such a statement.
“It is an unfortunate development. Such a statement is not supposed to come from him, given the fact that constitution of Nigeria already has a lot of Shari’a promotions. They want to use the National Assembly to further promote it.
“However, it is a warning to all that Nigeria is drifting towards one direction.
“The appointments the president has been making are heavily in favour of the Northern Muslims. Nigeria should be balanced. The late former President Umaru Yar’Adua was a Muslim. He had a balanced government.
“Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is a Christian. He had a balanced government, likewise the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration. It is this government that has issue with nepotism,” he said.
Dr. Pogu implored President Buhari to change his style of administration and warned his appointees and other government officials to desist from divisive statements.
Refrain from unpatriotic utterances, CAN warns CJN
Also the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) organs across the country also reacted.
CAN, in a statement tagged “Chief Justice of Nigeria’s Call for Constitution Amendment: A threat to National Unity,” signed by its National Director, Legal and Public Affairs, Evangelist Kwamkur Samuel Vondip, berated the CJN for making such a statement.
CAN viewed the statement as “the most reprehensible, reckless and insensitive statement made by a public officer, a jurist, the very head of Nigeria’s judiciary at that.”
According to the statement, it is more glaring in recent times that public officers, rather than see themselves in privileged positions to discharge responsibilities that promote national cohesion, dialogue, and understanding, remove suspicion and project Nigeria’s leadership, have turned around to be local and humdrum in their dispositions toward other parts of the country.
“Justice Tanko Muhammad has ushered in a potentially volcanic debate. He and those supporting and prodding him on expect to receive a feedback. Here is one: it is dangerous; it is condemnable; it is impractical; it is unwise, it is highly divisive and unnecessary.
“Nigerians should rise with one voice and condemn it. They should tell their national and state legislatures to disregard it. We, instead, call for national unity based on the current constitutional provisions.”
Chairman, CAN in the North, Reverend Yakubu Pam, who also condemned the CJN over the statement, said those in leadership positions needed to be careful and refrain from unpatriotic utterances that could bring the nation to its knees.
‘You are not a grand khadi, but CJN’
A former secretary of the Kwara State branch of CAN, Reverend Cornelius Fawenu, said the strength of the country’s peaceful coexistence lay in the recognition that it is a multi-religious nation.
“…One would not understand what the CJN had in mind in his advocacy for further accommodation of Shari’a legal system in the Nigeria constitution. Should we say it is a clandestine call for a complete replacement of the constitution with Shari’a law as being speculated in some quarters as an agenda of the Buhari Presidency?
“He is not a grand khadi of an Islamic republic, but Chief Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is, therefore, expected of him to be more circumspect in his views and expressions. He should be seen and heard to be on the side of uniting Nigerians of all faiths, creeds and tongues and not saying or doing things that will heat up the polity.”
Also peaking in an interview on Saturday, Kaduna State chairman of CAN, Reverend, Josesph Hayab, said from what they read in the papers, the CJN sent a representative.
“Could he be speaking the mind of the CJN or the representative was telling Nigerians his own mind? To us this is very fundamental. So, the onus falls on the CJN to make clarification on this very sensitive issue. You know the issue of religion in the country is very sensitive and we should be careful what we say.”
CJN position timely, but… –Islamic scholar
However, an Ilorin, Kwara State-based Islamic scholar, Mallam Ali Mohammad Rabiu, said that the CJN’s position is timely.
“Based on the secular nature of the Nigerian society, the CJN’s position is timely. I believe that if the constitution is amended to accommodate the Islamic laws and other teachings, Muslims will have no hidden place when it comes to reward for hard work and punishment for those who go against the law.
“However, other interests too should be accommodated in the constitution amendment to make it holistic and ensure equity, fairness and justice in our mode of doing things,” he said.
“Islamic laws are clear and more encompassing on the issue of morality and how people should coordinate themselves. Going by the antecedents of the foundation laid for the country by colonial masters, most of the issues that affect the larger population of the country are not captured. I am of the view that if the constitution is amended, a large number of our societal problems would have been solved,” he said.
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