The Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, has accused the scribe of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Musa Asake, of heating up the polity with “venom, hatred, calumny and unimaginable malice that smacks of intolerance and political brigandage.”
The foremost Islamic body in Nigeria led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Sa’ad, made the accusation on Tuesday while reacting to a statement last week in which Mr. Asake condemned the remarks of the Sultan over the attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen in parts of the country.
In the statement, Mr. Asake had accused Mr. Sa’ad and prominent Muslims in Nigeria of sponsoring the herdsmen and encouraging their attacks.
Reacting to Mr. Asake’s accusation through a statement signed by Salisu Shehu, a professor, the NSCIA described the CAN leader as a “beneficiary of the old order of institutionalised corruption” in the immediate past leadership of CAN, saying he “is still there making hate speeches, heating the polity and diminishing himself and his Association”.
According to the NSCIA, “it would ordinarily refrain from joining issues with CAN, but the silence of the Council seems to give the impression that only CAN has the licence and reason to complain and impugn motives.
“Like other right-thinking Nigerians who hoped that the ignoble past of this erstwhile respectable Association would be confined to history especially with the change of leadership, it is disappointing that Rev. Asake, a beneficiary of the old order of institutionalised corruption, is still there making hate speeches, heating the polity and diminishing himself and his Association.
“Little wonder that the new President of CAN publicly cut him to size when he said Rev. Asake’s formal endorsement of Governor Ayo Fayose’s alleged presidential ambition was personal as ‘there was no time CAN or the president of CAN authorized such a letter.’
“It is now clear that Rev. Asake’s political leaning is not personal, as claimed, but a smoke-screen to deceive the public.
“Rev. Musa Asake’s CAN derisively and uncouthly referred to President Muhammadu Buhari as ‘a bad product’. He made further outlandish statements characteristic of egocentric, relevance-seeking and loquacious politicians associated with discredited political parties and called out “the President of Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs” (sic) in his attempt to react to two Nigerians he disagreed with. Was President Jonathan declared a bad product at any time by CAN despite the earth-shaking atrocities of his government?
”It is no longer an open secret that CAN has since its last Administration descended to the abyss of infamy. The role the leadership of CAN played during the dark days of the past corruption-riddled Administration is well recorded.
“CAN did not call for heaven to fall when private planes were being used to support money-laundering and failed gun-running enterprise which involved its leadership.
“The tactical support that CAN gave to churches and Christian organizations that resisted the implementation of the Code of Corporate Governance issued by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (a body established by law), which led to the removal of the Executive Secretary of FRC simply because the Code would require the Churches/Mosques to declare their sources of income and also render financial accounts to the public, is still fresh in our minds.
“The victim, a Christian, had to be sacrificed to satisfy the insatiable material appetite of the clergy man.
