By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Catholic bishops have criticised selective justice being practised by President Muhammadu which they say entrenches ethnicity, bad governance, and rubbishes the image of Nigeria on the world stage.
They said insecurity is rife in the land because the federal government fails to arrest, prosecute, and jail criminals to deter them from wreaking havoc.
Catholic Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province – comprising Ibadan Archdiocese, Ilorin, Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, and Osogbo Dioceses – made the point in a communiqué issued after meeting at the Domus Pacis Pastoral Institute in Igoba, Akure.
The communiqué was signed by Province Chairman Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin and Secretary Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin, as reported by Vanguard.
It was issued on July 22, about 10 weeks after the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) asked the National Assembly (NASS) to expunge from the Constitution all references to Sharia Islamic law.
The CBCN also urged the lawmakers to project Nigeria’s secular status as in Sections 10 and 38 of the Constitution, noting that no religion is recognised in the Constitution except Islam.
In the latest communique, the bishops lamented that Nigeria under Buhari’s watch has lost its soul and that insecurity, dwindling economy, corruption, and other ills are indices of a failed country needing urgent revival.
They knocked Buhari for insulting the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Matthew Kukah, for giving testimony to the United States Congress about Nigeria.
Kukah made patriotic and commendable points with verifiable data on the persecution of Nigerians, the bishops insisted.
The communiqué reads:
“Nigeria, our country, seems to have lost its very soul because it is no longer a healthy entity. The good health of any nation consists in its capacity to offer its citizens a territory where they can feel at home, feel secure and enjoy the necessities of life.
“This, unfortunately, is no longer the case in our dear country, Nigeria, where, armed conflicts, armed robbery, kidnapping for ransom, insurgency, banditry and extrajudicial killing persist as the order of the day.
“When a nation loses its soul, its people lose the cohesive elements of human relationships.
“A nation that has lost its soul is characterised by inept, uncaring leadership which functions by selective allocation of posts, privileges and resources and by selective application of justice.
“It is characterised by leaders who, rather than care for the citizens of the country, simply exploit and denigrate them ….
“Kukah, in his patriotic and frank presentation, called attention to some verifiable data and statistics about the Nigerian situation on that privileged international platform.
“He spoke for authentic Christians and Muslims who are under persecution. No doubt, he intended to solicit the support of that forum which many Nigerians believe holds the promise of some assistance and relief from our current national crises.
“The Federal Government, however, has characteristically gone up in arms against the person of … Kukah and his purpose. It is commonly said that when there is a problem in a democracy, more democracy is needed to solve it. Sadly enough, our current federal government does not seem to subscribe to this.
“For the sake of our democracy, that right, exercised with responsibility, must be protected.
“We support … Kukah in his effort to unveil the truth about the Nigerian situation to ameliorate things. We call on the Federal Government to learn not to see criticism as an attack or a crime.”
Catholic bishops want Sharia removed from the Constitution
The CBCN on June 10 presented its memorandum to the Senate Committee on Constitution Review in Abuja, which argues that except the status given to Islam in the Constitution is removed there cannot be lasting peace and unity, per Vanguard.
The memorandum was signed by CBCN President Archbishop Augustine Akubeze and Secretary Bishop Camillus Umoh.
It argues that the Constitution was imposed by the military to put Christians and adherents of other religions at a disadvantage where there is a Muslim majority.
The memorandum reads in part:
“Regarding the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we state in the first place that there was no time Nigerians convened as individual stakeholders or as represented citizens to decide on or give it to them as a binding law or constitution.
“The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a product of and an imposition of the military.
“Bearing this in mind, therefore, the particular aspect we want to address for this Review of the 1999 Constitution has to do with the place Islam as a religion has assumed in our Constitution vis-à-vis our national life, to the extent that the 1999 Constitution has put Christians and adherents of other religions at a disadvantage in any place with a Muslim majority.
“Complaints abound about the lack of adequate compliance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria against the establishment of any state religion, respect for the freedom of religion, including the right to freely change one’s religion, and equality of all religions before the law.
“In particular, there have been complaints about the special bias, recognition and prominence accorded to Islam in the Constitution of this nation, Nigeria.
“The framers of the 1999 Constitution created Sharia Courts for Muslims. This explains why a Christian cannot be appointed as Kadi under the laws of the States or Grand Kadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal.
“Thus, we conclude that while Muslims exclusively have a Court that regulates their affairs and to which they can exclusively be appointed as Judges, the same cannot be said for the Christians, or people of other religions.
“This shows a constitutionally backed gap of inequality and under-representation in the Nigerian judiciary.
“The establishment of Sharia Courts of Appeal in our Constitution is therefore inconsistent with Sections 10 and 38 of the 1999 Constitution. It amounts to the adoption of a State religion which Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution forbids and prohibits.
“It translates to the adoption of Islam as a State religion. Of course, the enforcement of Sharia laws with public funds amounts to those States adopting Islam as a religion.
“We submit that adopting Sharia law(s) as State law(s) amounts to adopting the religion founding those laws as State religion; and this violates Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution.
“To ensure peace and unity of the nation, there must be an end to the practically established status that Islam enjoys in our Constitution.
“We note in this regard that while Islam is mentioned very many times in the Constitution, there is not a single mention of Christianity or any other religion in the Constitution. This should be redressed.
“For the sustenance of unity and fairness in this country, the Senate has to take seriously this stand of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria in response to its call for memoranda on the Review of the 1999 Constitution; and has to see this Constitution review exercise as an opportunity to give sincere listening ear to Nigerians to whom the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended) later referred to as ‘The 1999 Constitution’ remains an imposition.
“Consequently, we, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, speaking in the name of the Catholic community in Nigeria, hereby submit that Nigerians do not have one law as one people in one nation.
“To correct this, all references to Sharia and any other discriminatory or divisive law(s) should be expunged from the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended).”