By Ummi Ismaeel
Minna
Senator David Umaru, representing Niger East senatorial district in the National Assembly, has criticized the Niger State Governor, Abubarkar Sani Bello-led administration, saying the composition and appointments is not only lopsided “but lacked in all sense of reasoning the heterogeneity of the state as a miniature Nigeria.”
Umaru said that he was not happy that Niger State under Sani Bello instead of improvement in building bridges of understanding among the diverse tribes and religious inclinations has on assumption of office not only caused fragmentations along religious, tribal and political bodies.
Umaru, who seemed determined to settle scores with perceived political detractors, accused the Sani Bello-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government of violating the nation’s constitution by denying equal opportunities to all ethnic nationalities and religions in the state.
At the maiden Niger State government sponsored Christmas Carol on Wednesday evening in Minna, Umaru specifically faulted Governor Bello for having all the four major positions in government – Deputy Governor, Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff and Head of Service – occupied Muslims contrary to the provisions of the Nigeria constitution.
According to Umaru, “I hope somebody is listening to take this message to the governor. The composition of your government with no representation of Christians; we must make it known that as a government, you should be fair to all. We cannot continue to pretend about this”.
The Sani Bello government is also not encouraging Christian children to learn the basic of their religion and for the right morals by refusing to allow Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) to be thought in public schools in the state, he said.
His words: “Niger State is heterogeneous, composed of Christians and Moslems in the majority with fraction of others, it is wrong that Christians are being denied access to justice since the Area Courts were replaced with the Sharia Courts by the Engineer Abdulkadir Kure administration about 14 years ago.”
He therefore asked the Governor Bello administration to be fair to members of all religions and ethnic nationalities in Niger State, adding that, “As a government of change we must address these and other issues now bothering the people”.
The Emir of Minna, Dr. Umar Farouq Bahago in message to the event, commended the Christian community in Niger State for living in peace with members of other religions, saying, “We want Minna emirate to continue to remain peaceful”.
Meanwhile, the state government in a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Jonathan Tsado Vatsa, has denied claims that the administration is religiously, tribally and politically biased.
“Bello is not being religious bias. This, he has demonstrated by the donation of a new bus to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger state chapter,” assuring that by January 2017, the government will also engage the services of CRK teachers to teach in public schools.