The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure equity, justice and fairness in his appointments and governance, expressing its support for the anti-corruption drive of the government and all its policies aimed at improving the welfare of the citizens.
These form parts of the communique issued at the end of the Council’s two-day national conference held in Abuja, with the theme, “Matters Arising from 2023 Elections & Associated Socio-economic Challenges”, dated January 18 and made available to Tribune Online.
The communique signed by SCSN president, Sheikh AbdurRasheed Hadiyatullah and secretary-general, Malam Nafi’u Baba Ahmed, respectively, urged the President to prove to doubting Nigerians that they have nothing to fear with the Muslim/Muslim leadership of the country.
According to the communique, “We urge Mr. President to continue to prove to the doubting Nigerians, especially those that wanted to truncate democracy in the country through their campaign of calumny that they have nothing to fear with Tinubu/Shettima combination.
“Your watchwords should be good governance through fair and equitable distribution of resources and ensuring that every citizen of Nigeria fears nothing about the two gentlemen coming from the same faith.”
The SCSN further urged the Federal Government to do everything possible to end the current spate of insecurity in the country, adding that the Nigeria Constitution should be reviewed to enable state governors to perform their statutory role as chief security officers of their respective states more.
It condemned the sustained killings, maiming and attacks on innocent Nigerians across the country and further called for investigation and prosecution of those involved in cases of killings in the country.
“We urge the Federal Government to do all it takes within the ambit of the law to bring an end to the prevailing insecurity situation, through improved and effective intelligence gathering, deployment of strong offensive against all flash points of security threats, the promotion of community-oriented policing and fostering genuine trust between security forces and local communities.
“Additionally, a constitutional review is recommended to enable State Governors to perform more effectively their statutory roles as Chief Security Officers of their States.
“The conference condemned absolutely the sustained killings, maiming and attacks on innocent souls across the country.
“Therefore, called on the Federal Government to launch a full-scale investigation and prosecution of those arrested on all cases leading to the killings around the country, especially those arrested for killing of General Alkali in Plateau State, the attack on worshippers in the Church in Jos, the killing of 11 Fulani herders arrested by the military in southern Kaduna and all others in different parts of the country,” it stated.
It added that the government should expedite action in implementing programmes that will empower communities economically and socially, addressing the underlying factors that contribute to insecurity.
“To this end, we advocate for the expansion and improvement of social safety nets, policies that stimulate and incentivize job creation, private sector growth and small business development,” it further stated.
The Islamic group also condemned the “heinous acts of child abduction and any form of violence against children, and particularly criminally relocating them and changing their religion and identity, which is a blatant violation of their rights”.
It then called upon relevant law enforcement agencies to collaborate effectively in investigating the cases of abductions, identifying and apprehending the perpetrators responsible for such criminal acts and ensuring that they face the full force of the law.
The SCSN called on Nigerian government to maintain a principled stand in condemning the ongoing Israeli genocide on Palestinians “and consider severing diplomatic ties with Israel”.
“By taking a strong stance against this violation of human rights, Nigeria has the opportunity to stand on the side of justice and promote a just and lasting solution to the conflict,” the group submitted.
. TheWitness
