Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has tackled a Plateau-based Islamic scholar, Sheik Yahaya Jingir after a video of the cleric saying that Muslims outnumber Christians in Nigeria made the rounds on social media on Sunday August 9.
The cleric who was speaking in Hausa at a religious gathering reportedly said Nigeria is a Muslim country and that people should accept the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Responding via his X handle this evening, Fani-Kayode said Nigeria is neither a Muslim nor a Christian state but rather a secular state. He said comments such as those made by the Islamic clerics are highly provocative and should be avoided.
‘’I have immense respect for Sheik Jingir but I am constrained to point out that the extremist rhetoric he has indulged in here is most unhelpful and neither is it true.
Worse of all is the fact that it is highly provocative.
Kindly take note that it is a very slippery and dangerous slope to take and is best avoided.
Nigeria is NOT a Muslim country and neither is she a Christian country.
She is a SECULAR and MULTI-RELIGIOUS state comprising of BOTH Christians and Muslims in equal numbers and that is our strength.
We are supporting a Muslim/Muslim ticket for 2027, as we did in 2023, only because of the calibre, ability, sincerity of purpose, character, utility and electoral strength of our Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates and their ability to deliver and not because they are Muslims.
One day we may have a Christian/Christian ticket too because with God all things are possible.
Let us leave religion out of politics and consider issues, policies and personalities instead.
The Christian community has fared very well in Nigeria in the last three years under this Government and far better than they did between 2015 and 2023 even though at that time we had a Muslim/Christian ticket.
We must not allow this issue to divide our ranks.
We are NIGERIANS before being Christian or Muslim and we must not only stand as ONE but also go to the polls as ONE.
We overcame religious intolerance in 2023 and won the presidential election and by God’s grace we will do the same again in 2027”