The Christian Association of Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to opt out of all International Religious Organizations, especially the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), saying Nigeria is a secular Nation.
In a statement signed by the Special Assistant to CAN President on Media and Communication, Adebayo Oladeji, CAN’s President, Samson Ayokunle requested the National Assembly to compile the list of all International Organizations Nigeria belongs to and the treaties signed with a view to dropping all the religious ones.
The body also explained that the Nigerian Inter-religious Council which was embraced by past Governments and allowed the Muslim and Christian leaders in the Nation to meet and interact, towards fostering inter-religious peace, has not taken place since the present administration came on board.
Ayokunle stated that the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council gave the excuse of lack of funds for the provision of logistics for the meeting. He pointed out that it is a dangerous decision by the body, as making room for peace through the meeting is cheaper than prosecuting wars.
He called on the Government to provide logistics for the inter-religious meeting to hold so that peace might prevail among the different religious groups in the Nation.
Ayokunle explained that the Government’s decision to lead Nigeria into being members of Islamic Coalition Against Terrorism through executive fiat, the International Islamic Sports Federation, the International Islamic Financial Institution, of which the Governor of the Central Bank is the Chairman, violates the constitution.
He stated that the fact that the United States of America, United Kingdom, France and South Africa had adopted Sukuk or any other Islamic financial system does not change the body’s position, that Nigeria does not have the right to do so, because its constitution does not permit them to do so in a society with plural religion.
“Much more, the Western Societies above, that had adopted Islamic Financial System in question, were the same that adopted homosexuality. Does it mean that it was because homosexuality was the right thing that they adopted it?”.
CAN’s President frowned at those who accuse CAN of raising false alarm over the Islamization agenda quoting part of the communiqué of ‘Islam in Africa Organisation’ (IAO) of 1989 called ‘Abuja Declaration’.
“Part of the communiqué include:
- To ensure only Muslims are elected to all political posts of member Nations
- To eradicate in all its forms and ramifications all non-Muslim religions in member Nations. Such religions shall include Christianity, Ahmadiyya and other tribal modes of worship unacceptable to Muslims (the word Christianity is underlined in the declaration)
- To ensure the ultimate replacement of all western forms of legal and judicial systems with the sharia in all member Nations before the next ‘Islam in Africa Conference’
- To ensure the appointment of only Muslims into strategic national and international posts of member Nations”.
Ayokunle maintained that those in Government who are either Christians or Muslims or those outside it are either ignorant of the truth or are being mischievous when they say there is no plan to Islamize Nigeria.
“Almost all the steps to be taken to Islamize Nigeria have been completed through the subtle actions of our rulers who were and are Muslims. Our government has donated billions of naira into this Islamization Agenda”.
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Other Religious Bodies
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation which was later changed to Organization of Islamic Conference aims at preserving Islamic social and economic values.
It also seeks to promote solidarity amongst member States, increase cooperation in social, economic, cultural, scientific, and political areas, as well as uphold international peace and security, advance education, particularly in the fields of science and technology.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has 57 members and five observer States, 56 of which are also member States of the United Nations. Some, especially in West Africa, though with large Muslim populations, are not necessarily Muslim majority countries.
Nigeria joined the OIC in the year 1986. Other member States include Cameroon, Cote d’ Ivoire, Benin, Mozambique, Uganda, to mention a few. All these Countries have substantial Christian populations.
Knights of Saint Mulumba was founded in 1953, thereafter Nigeria joined the International Alliance of Catholic Knights (IACK) in 1986. IACK was formed for the purpose of working together for the mutual advantage of individual Member Orders and the extension of Catholic Knighthood throughout the World.
The Baptist World Alliance is a worldwide alliance of Baptist churches and organizations, formed in 1905 at Exeter Hall in London during the first Baptist World Congress. Nigeria is a member of the BWA and it has 10,261 churches and 3,526,184 members in the Country.
In June, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) approved Morocco’s membership application despite the country being in North Africa, but ECOWAS leader’s meeting in Liberia said the implications of its membership still needed to be considered before Morocco could formally join.
