TRUMP’S COMMENT ON KILLINGS: PRESIDENCY SHOULD PUT ITS HOUSE IN ORDER

9^th May, 2018

PRESS RELEASE:

TRUMP’S COMMENT ON KILLINGS:

PRESIDENCY SHOULD PUT ITS HOUSE IN ORDER

The Nigerian media recently went agog with US President Donald Trump’s comment on the killing of Christians in Nigeria. Whereas Trump actually said the killing of Christians and Muslims were unacceptable to the United States, majority of the Nigerian media mentioned Christians alone and excluded Muslims from Trump’s speech.

This gave the impression that the American president welcomed the killing of Muslims or that he was probably unaware that Muslims too were being killed in Nigeria. The lopsided press report naturally provoked Muslim groups like the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) and the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), forcing them to lash out at the US president.

It has since been revealed that President Trump had (towards the end of his remarks) added the need for the Nigerian government to protect ‘innocent civilians of all faiths, including Muslims and Christians’ but Nigerian reporters left this out. The Nigerian Presidency later described the biased media report as unfair and condemned the Muslim groups for their reactions.  

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) rejects the presidency’s condemnation of the Muslim groups who reacted to the report. Rather it is the presidency who should put its house in order. The presidency should have corrected the biased Nigerian media’s report immediately it broke out.

He who must eat with the devil must possess a long spoon. Government’s information agencies must be faster than mainstream media outfits. Neither should the presidency expect Muslim groups to fold their arms while the Muslim population is exposed to ridicule, disdain, threats, blackmail and coercion. Gone are the days when Nigerian Muslims were sitting ducks.

The Federal Government (FG) should follow the example of the Kaduna State government. A journalist who authored a false publication was charged to court about two years ago by the state government. This is what FG should do. Freedom of the press must be guaranteed but unprofessional conduct must be sanctioned. Biased or false reportage is dangerous. It is capable of setting the country on fire. There must be scapegoats. People must be held accountable for their actions. The reason why things are not moving in this country is that Nigerians have a laissez faire mindset. This is not acceptable in journalism.

MURIC commends the American president for its quick condemnation of the killing of 71 Muslims in the twin bombing at Mubi in Borno State on Tuesday, 1^st May, 2018. We appreciate the support of the Trump administration for the Nigerian government in its war against terrorism, insurgency and brigandage.

We firmly express our solidarity with the American people who are known not only for their love for democracy, but for their humane disposition to people of all races. We condemn terrorism and all acts of violence against America in particular and the West in general. We reject all messages of hate, particularly those directing Muslims to kill citizens of the West and to target Western interests.

As we round up, we invite the Nigerian government to find a way of dealing with media outfits who engage in biased or false reportage. We charge the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to collectively enforce the ethics of the profession.  

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

STOP BUHARI’S IMPEACHMENT PROCESS OR …

6^th May, 2018

PRESS RELEASE:

STOP BUHARI’S IMPEACHMENT PROCESS OR …

The National Assembly (NASS) is currently plotting to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari. This followed a motion moved on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday 24^th April, 2018 by Senator Matthew Urhoghide. The senator asked his colleagues in the Red Chamber to invoke Section 143 of the Nigerian Constitution to remove the president because the latter approved the sum of $496 million for the purpose of purchasing 12 Super Tucano war planes without recourse to the NASS.

Urhogide, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) senator representing Edo South Senatorial District, insists that the president violated Section 80 of the Constitution with the approval.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is stupefied by the attitude of members of the NASS. It is bellicose and extremely hostile. The body language of Nigeria’s current legislators manifests an acute desertification of parliamentary acumen.

It would have been a different story if Buhari had approved such an amount to buy more jets for the presidential fleet or for members of his family. But this is to increase the combat readiness of our own military for crying out loud! Our legislators are standing logic on its head.

Boko Haram insurgents occupied seventeen local governments in Borno State and threatened two other states in the North East: Adamawa and Yobe because the Jonathan administration adopted a lackadaisical attitude to insecurity in the region. Money meant for the purchase of arms for the military to fight the insurgents was fraudulently shared among party faithfuls.

What did the NASS do for former President Goodluck Jonathan in 1914when Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s private jet which was stuffed with $9.3 million by Jonathan was smuggled out of Nigeria to South Africa for ‘procurement of arms’? Why was Jonathan’s unprincipled procedure overlooked while Buhari’s transparent, standard and conventional global process must be castigated? What manner of legislating is this? Who gave us these legislators? Who did this to Nigeria?

Who appropriated the $9.3 million for Jonathan for the procurement of arms in South Africa? Did he even write to the National Assembly to merely notify them about his intention to procure those arms? Can anyone compare that to Buhari’s transparent gesture? Is it not a mark of moral jaundice to demonise a noble deal while a crooked transaction is idolised? Or what did the NASS dominated by the  PDP at the time do after the Jonathan-Oritsejafor dollar smuggling scandal burst?

By the way, who appropriated the $2.1 billion arms funds that President Jonathan carted away and shared to his campaigners? Money meant for fighting insecurity converted to campaign fund for Jonathan’s second term and the NASS turned a blind eye.

This should have been the focus of those organizing or instigating demonstrations over the current general insecurity. This is where the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) got it wrong. They should have asked Jonathan certain pertinent questions. They should have reminded him of what he did to this country. The hard fact is that Jonathan paralysed Nigeria’s security apparatus.  

Which NASS appropriated for Jonathan all the billions of dollars he took from the Excess Crude Account with nothing to show for the billions? Did the PDP dominated NASS ever say anything about those illegalities? So why is the current NASS taking on Buhari for doing the needful?

Is it because they want Buhari to fail in his determination to fight insurgency? Is it because the war against corruption is succeeding? Are our legislators unhappy because the looting tap is now dry? Must they vent their spleen on a frugal president, a president who has refused to waste public funds? Is it because they are scared of a second term presidency for Buhari? Or is it because there is no under-the-table cut in the Super Tucano agreement for some interests in the NASS? Sorry but it is not in Buhari’s character. The party is over.

Are the British Commons and the Lords listening? Is the American Congress paying any attention to this bastardisation of parliamentary values and degradation of legislative norms in Nigeria? Insecurity has reached a scandalizing peak in Nigeria but our legislators want to remove the president for striking a neat deal to purchase arms in order to effectively combat terrorism.

Demonstrations are being staged around the country over insecurity but our legislators care less. We are already in the month of May but our legislators are yet to pass a budget submitted to them about eight months ago. NASS owes Nigerians an explanation. Is it because their palms have not been greased as usual? It is just a question. No wonder foreign governments refer to Nigeria as ‘fantastically corrupt’.

We assure members of the NASS that no matter what they do, Nigerians are proud of Buhari: this is a president who is still using his predecessor’s old cars three years after. Unlike most Nigerian politicians, although he has been a former military head of state, a former military governor, a garrison commander, chairman of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), he has no private jet, no foreign account, no fleet of cars and no hilltop palatial houses.

Unlike his predecessor, Buhari’s wife uses commercial planes when travelling outside Nigeria and his ministers are not even allowed to fly first class either within or outside the country. This is why Nigerians are passionate about Buhari.

Members of the NASS must tell Nigerians: are you with us or are you with the enemies of Nigeria? If you are with us you must leave Buhari alone. If you are with us you must drop that irrational, odious and insidious move to impeach the people’s president. It is preposterous and highly reprehensible for anyone to contemplate impeaching the most transparent president Nigeria ever had. It is a big shame that the NASS tolerated thieves for 16 years but find it difficult to tolerate a honest man for three years! We can understand. We know Buhari is a pain in the ass for looters.

In a nutshell, we warn the NASS to stop Buhari’s impeachment process or face the wrath of Nigerians and the anger of the civilized world. Many receive advice, but only the wise profit by it.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

TRUMP MISFIRED ON KILLINGS IN NIGERIA

1^st May, 2018

PRESS RELEASE:

TRUMP MISFIRED ON KILLINGS IN NIGERIA

President Donald Trump of the United States of America has said his country would not tolerate the killing of Christians in Nigeria. He made this statement yesterday, Monday, 30^th April, 2018 in a chat with his Nigerian counterpart, President Muhammadu Buhari, in the White House.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) takes Trump’s comment with a pinch of salt. As usual, Trump has misfired again. His statement leaves presidential norms in the dust. It is prejudiced, parochial and unpresidential. Trump’s statement makes a mockery of democracy. It is sheer interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation. Trump has a bully’s instinct.

Trumpism has steadily exhibited a pitiable lack of understanding of U.S. foreign policy. Trump’s reckless approach alienates the American public. It is repugnant to world leaders. Even US military analysts have admitted that Trump’s bellicose attitude is making Americans ‘less safe’.  

If this is the same Trump who called African countries ‘shithole’, the same American president who threatened to wipe out North Korea, the same US leader who banned Muslims from entering his country, the same Republican who said, “Torture works, ok folks?”, Nigerians must be wary of America’s involvement in their affairs.

We should remember that Nigeria did not get the required support from the moderate and cool-headed Barrack Obama in its war against terrorism. We should therefore not expect any from Trump who treats vulnerable nations with contempt and has no respect for African countries. Unless Nigerians unite, this country will become America’s ‘shithole’.

Trump’s comment on killings in Nigeria implies that he would prefer that it is Muslims alone who are being killed. We refuse to believe that a whole American president does not know the true situation on ground in this country. He who knows but pretends not to know has his own secret agenda. Nigerian Muslims are not intimidated by Trump’s comment. We only sympathise with those who will be gullible enough to become Trump’s ‘suckers’. Posterity will judge us.

Nigerian Christians should not allow themselves to be deceived by Trump’s comment. The advanced countries of today will not compromise the secret of their technological advancement. Western countries will not teach us what will benefit our people. They will only teach us what will divide us in order to further render us debilitated, impoverished and helpless.

Nay, they will give us fish but refuse to teach us how to fish. They will scatter us like wild oats and then give us weapons to kill ourselves. Then, under the guise of rendering humanitarian services, they will take over our land, our oil, our rich culture and force homosexualism and lesbianism down our throats but at that time, it will be too late to resist. Mark our words.

Trump is only using religion to turn Nigeria into another Iraq. Just as former US President Bush used Sunni-Shiite dichotomy to destroy Iraq just to lay his hands on Iraq’s oil field, Trump is also eyeing Nigeria’s oil. His plan is to use Christian-Muslim divide to set Nigeria ablaze. But Nigerians should remember that decades after the invasion of Iraq, that country is yet to experience stability. Years after the killing of Ghadaffi, Libya is yet to find its feet. The guns are still booming in Syria and the world holds its breadth each time North Korea sneezes.

It is our contention that Trump is luring Nigerian Christians into bolder confrontation with their Muslim neighbours. We warn that the West African sub-region will be shaken to its foundation if Nigerian Christians swallow Trump’s bait. The extension to Nigeria of America’s crusade which brought ruins to Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and Sudan will have dire consequences on the whole African continent.

What Nigeria has is security challenge but opening our doors to an international bully is not the panacea. We therefore charge the Federal Government (FG) not to rely on US support. What FG needs to do is to recruit more men into its security agencies. We warn against any military alliance with America. We should rather look towards Asia.  

Nonetheless, MURIC rounds up this intervention with a passionate appeal to Nigerians. Let us regard Trump’s comment as the official position of the American ruling class and not necessarily that of the average American people. We plead that Nigerians should nurse no grudge against ordinary Americans who have been taken hostage by Donald Trump. We invite Christian and Muslim leaders to forge more cordial relations. We urge President Donald Trump to liberate himself from his bully’s instinct.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)