Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has raised the alarm over alleged plans by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to undermine the secular nature of Nigerian by encouraging, promoting with the intents of imposing Islamic Banking otherwise called Sukkuk on Nigerians.
CAN alleged that with sukkuk the federal government has violated both the spirit and the letters of Section 10 of the constitution.
In a statement by Rev. Musa Asake, the general secretary, CAN is compelled to raise a petition and protest against the unrelenting plan by the Federal Government to introduce Islamic financing into a secular state in violation of Nigeria’s constitution.
“CAN is protesting against this aberration since the Osun State government under Governor Rauf Aregbesola embarked on this violation of the secular nature of Nigeria.
“Rather than standing in defense of the constitution, the Federal government is pursuing what is outrightly a confirmation of an Islamization Agenda.
“The recent floating of Sukkuk Bond by the Federal Government is not only sectional but illegal and a violation of the Constitution. Sukkuk issuance is unconstitutional, it is selling Nigeria towards islamization agenda through the back door”, CAN stated.
The association also declared that every law that has been promulgated to back the Sukkuk issuance and promote an Islamic banking system in Nigeria is ultra vires, illegal, null and void.
According to it, Islamic finance amounts to financing which conforms to the doctrines of the Islamic law known as ‘Shari’a’.
The sources of Shari’a in hierarchical order are as follows; the Qur’an, Sunna, the teachings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad and Ijtihad and Fiqh which is Islamic jurisprudence. CAN also said that there has never been a time that Nigerians held a Referendum or convened a Constituent Assembly that passed a resolution that Nigeria has transmuted into an Islamic state.
CAN’s objections to the Sukkuk Bond and all forms of Islamic financing are as follows: Funds raised under Sukkuk MUST be used for Shariah compliant (halal) activities. Nigeria is not a Sharia compliant nation, it is a Democratic country and so Nigeria cannot operate two National Ideologies.
“Sukkuk shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as the Islamic Law of Mu’amalatmaliyyah, we insist that there cannot be two laws for one nation”.
.Source: nigerianewsflight.com
