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| From left: Chairman, Oyo State Muslim Community, Alhaji Kunle Sanni; Alhaji Abdullateef Bello; Dr Dawood Amoo; Alhaji Ganiyu Oladimeji; at a Press brief on state of the Nation at Islamic Centre Bodija Ibadan; on Thursday Photo: Olayinka Bode-Are/NAN |
The Chairman of Oyo State Muslim Community, Alhaji Ishaq Kunle Sanni has criticised of Afenifere and Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) over the religious composition of the groups.
Speaking during a press conference in Ibadan on Thursday, Sanni in his speech titled “YORUBA CHRISTIAN LEADERS STOP PARADING YOURSELVES AS YORUBA LEADERS” wondered why leaders of the two groups failed to admit any notable Muslim in Yorubaland into their folds if they do not have anti-Muslim agenda.
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| From left: Members of Oyo State Muslim community, Alhaji Abdulwahab Bolaji; Alhaji Lasisi Adepoju; Alhaji Jamiu Olabode; Chairman, Oyo State Muslim Community, Alhaji Kunle Sanni; at a Press brief on state of the Nation at Islamic Centre Bodija Ibadan; on Thursday. Photo: Olayinka Bode-Are/NAN |
“Statistics will unveil to you their hypocrisy, when you look at their membership you hardly find a Muslim in their midst. You now wonder if there is paucity of elders among Yoruba Muslims which militated against bringing them on board Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) or Afenifere,” he said.
The full text of the statement runs thus:
BEING THE TEXT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE STATE OF THE NATION DELIVERED BY THE CHAIRMAN MUSLIM COMMUNITY OF OYO STATE ALHAJ ISHAQ KUNLE SANNI TITLED “YORUBA CHRISTIAN LEADERS STOP PARADING YOURSELVES AS YORUBA ELDERS” DATED THURSDAY 5TH JULY 2018 (21ST SHAWWAL 1439) AT THE ISLAMIC CENTER BODIJA, IBADAN
Islam preaches fairness, equity and love, even in a hostile situation against Muslim, Islam still preaches fair treatment and justice. Quran 5:8 states O you who believe, stand up as witnesses for Allah in all fairness and do not let the hatred of people deviate you from justice. Be just. This is closer to piety, and fear Allah. Surely Allah is aware of all you do .
Islam is against hate speech, hostility and all forms of iniquity. It promotes love, unity and peaceful co existence.
The Afenifere or Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) have always pretended to be the vanguard of Yoruba interest, to confront their enemies and fight against their marginalization from the so called Hausa-Fulani Oligarchy. It is however crystal clear that this amalgam of Christian predator’s modus operandi in its absolutism is furtherance of Christian political domination in the southwest and ostracization of the Muslims who constitute the majority in four out of the six states in the region. What an absurdity!!
Statistics will unveil to you their hypocrisy when you look at their membership, you hardly find a Muslim in their midst.
You now wonder if there is a paucity of elders among the Yoruba Muslims which militated against bringing them on board Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) or Afenifere. Is Retired Justice Abdul Jabbar Bolasodun Ajibola, a former attorney general and Minister for Justice and former Judge in the world court in a Hague, and octogenarian is not qualified to be a Yoruba elder?!
Baba Habib Fasinro is 99years old, a retired and accomplished civil servant, still active. What disqualified him from being among Yoruba elders? Chief Sakariyau Babalola, a business mogul an octogenarian active and vibrant. Is he unworthy of being among the Yoruba elders?!
What of the first African professor of Geology, professor emeritus Muhammed Oyawoye, a London trained university of Ibadan professor. What denies him from being considered among Yoruba elders?! Or offa people are not Yorubas?!
Distinguished legal luminary, Alh Abdullateef Femi Okunnu, is an octogenarian too. Why was he not invited to the Yoruba council of Elders?! Is it because he spots a beard?!
What about Professor DOS Noibi, who is so much recognized internationally as a scholar that the queen of England awarded him the prestigious honour of Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.). He was disqualified by this tribal Christian jingoist as Yoruba Elders. We can continue ad infinitium to mention qualified Yoruba Muslims who are qualified to be among the Yoruba Council of Elders.
What disqualifies them is the agenda of the group for Christian prostelytisation hiding under the canopy of Yoruba irredentism. Therefore a Muslim in their midst is like a mole in their eyes. The only time those Christian pundits; masquerading as Yoruba Elders, seemingly supported a Muslims interest was during the June 12 saga. Eventually it was discovered to be fluke hypocrisy of the highest pedestal.
It was the greatest treachery of our political history as they were collecting money from the government when they gave impression that they were great supporter of democracy and June 12 struggle.
Recently, El Mustapha, the erstwhile chief security officer of the late Sanni Abacha exposed their abandoning the struggle after collecting dollars from the late dictator Sanni Abacha.
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So they were charlatans. They did not believe in a Muslim presiding over the affairs of the Nation. It was an abberation to see this Yoruba Elders holding meeting with Obasanjo. It is a known fact that they were not on the same page with this crude man with diabolical inclination. They believed he deliberately aborted the political ambition of their godfather Chief Obafemi Awolowo and enthroned Sheu Sagari. Now that Obasanjo is in a political quagmire and was being asked to pay for the misdemeanors he committed when in power, the Afenifere are now trying to parley with him as if they are suffering from collective amnesia. Tokunbo Awolowo, the daughter of the sage, was at the meeting meant to plot against Buhari and save Obasanjo from eternal damnation.
It is strange that Chief Ayo Adebanjo an incurable believer in restructuring of the polity is now on the same page with Obasanjo whose hatred for restructuring has reached a legendary crescendo. We are not oblivious of sensational and unprecedented jailing of Bode George which was instigated by Obasanjo for allegedly pocketing the resources of Nigeria Port Authority NPA while he was chairman. This was the beginning of hot enmity between Obasanjo and Bode George.
The popular aphorism says “a drowning man will hold on to anything, even if it is as dangerous as a serpent”. With the desperation of Obasanjo to look for allies to save him from a second incarceration at old age, he found a good alibi to visit Bode George, a belated visit to commiserate with him over the death of his son. One of the greatest enemies of Obasanjo who one could have thought like a plague would have nothing to do with Obasnjo is Pastor Tunde Bakare. He prophesied that God told him that Obasanjo would die before being sworn in as president in 1999. He hates Obasanjo with passion and that must have culminated in Buhari making him his running mate in 2011. The Christian agenda which is in the front burner of overzealous elements in Christiandom made Tunde Bakare to consume his vomit by attending the Save my soul meeting called by Obasanjo at the house of chief Adebanjo.
It is intriguing that the Afenifere generalissimos who were political allies of Bola Ige who was murdered in what look like a political assassination during the despotic regime of Obasanjo are now rallying to support him. This becomes irresponsible and illogical when Buhari has put on high gear the process to unveil those who committed the dastardly act that seemed to have been thrown into the dustbin of history. It is a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend’.
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All the cacophony of the Christian propaganda using their pre-eminent domination of the Nigerian press is apparently geared towards a Christian propelled president in 2019.
We, Yoruba Muslims are no fools. We can read in between the lines. We cannot be stampeded to supporting a well orchestrated agenda that refuse all the noble things Buhari has done to move the nation forward in the last three years. He had done much with less. He had plugged all the conduit pipes through which our commonwealth used to be siphoned by the corrupt politicians. Customs, Jamb, Federal Inland Revenue Services are clear indicators of these facts. He had been commended for his tremendous achievements locally and globally.
Buhari had been fair to the Yorubas and the Christians. Minister of Finance, Minister of Petroleum, Minister of Transportation, Head of Service, The Chief Judge, CBN Governor, Secretary to the Government of Federation are all Christians. We have no presidential candidate but we believe honestly and passionately that Buharis performance is the best in recent times.
The Yoruba irredentists who trade the race for personal pecuniary interest are blinded by opportunistic sentiment not to appreciate this good work Buhari is doing. It is amazing that some political clowns and demagogues expect Buhari to turn Nigeria into an Eldorado of a sort in four years after sixteen years of unprecedented primitive looting of the treasury and siphoning of our commonwealth to the foreign countries by shameless politicians. The churches are no more making stupendous wealth that produced jet flying billionaire pastors whose followers are wallowing in abject poverty like the proverbial church rat.
Not a few Nigerians are conscious of the ganging up of the robbers to suspend this government and see the back of their traducer president Buhari whose puritanical life and zero tolerance for corruption legendary. We are elated that this Buhari they are criminalizing out of mischief was applauded at the last African union as the most incorruptible president in the continent. It is worthy of note that the president of Mauritania said in an unmistakable terms that if Africa were to have a president it should be Buhari because of his transparency and zero tolerance for corruption.
We are aware that corruption is fighting back and those corrupt, shameless pen robbers should not put a deceptive wool over our face. Obasanjo should go and face the music for years of corruption and tyranny that is the worst in the history of this country. Those who habitate glass houses, should be told that throwing stones could be catastrophic.
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We therefore admonished “the acclaimed Yoruba Leaders” to stop criminalizing us for being Muslims. They should not castigate Buhari for being a Fulani. The regime of Obasanjo, a Yoruba Christian President of eight years and that of Jonathan another Christian President for six years cannot by any standard be compared to the Fulani-Muslim rule of three years based on incontrovertible facts and figures.
If Afeniferes problem is that the money they made during Jonathan corrupt regime is no more coming, they should manage what they have made during the period of looting expedition. In shaha Allah it would not be business as usual.
Conclusively, we appeal to the media, the conscience of the nation, not to encourage violence by giving undue publicity to those making hate speeches and drumming war drums. You can know the beginning of the war, nobody can know the end. Those leaders who fuelled the genocide in Rwanda between Hutsi and Tutsi that culminated in the death of 800,000 people are regretting it till today and forever will remain on the negative side of history.
Gentlemen of the press, we thank you for your patience
Study @ Achievers University
