9™ March, 2014
MUSLIMS, BECALM!
PRESS STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF MUSLIM YOUTH ORGNISATIONS (NACOMYO) ON THE COMPOSITION OF DELEGATES TO THE 2014 NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) wishes to thank all concerned Islamic groups and individuals who have contacted the Council and other Muslim leaders to express their displeasure on the religious Agenda which are becoming apparent from a manipulated ‘nominations’ to the proposed National Conference. The Council is not unaware of the fact that the whole idea of the Conference was that of a Christian mafia to which the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA was only drafted as it was obvious from the dramatic change of mind by principal Christian actors in Government.
NACOMYO however appeals to all Muslims who are understandably aggrieved by the composition of the delegates to the National Conference to be calm. The Council is making strenuous efforts in collaboration with the National leadership of the Ummah to protect their just interest and meet their genuine aspirations.
The NACOMYO is aware of the efforts of NSCIA in calling for fair and equitable distribution of delegates in such a way that all stakeholders in the Nigerian project would have a sense of belonging. The leadership of the Ummah had also cautioned on the danger of using the conference to aggravate the on going manipulation of religious sentiments for personal, selfish and sectional interests to the eventual detriment of all.
We had been assured that religious and regional diversity would be given due consideration. This assurance was reaffirmed by the guidelines released by the Government itself.
For example the Released Guidelines stipulated: “15 per geo political zone. Nominations should REFLECT ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS DIVERSITIES”. However, among other glaring instances of injustice, unfairness and gross violation of the released guidelines are that the South West with its huge Muslim population is to be represented by 15 delegates among whom there is only one Muslim. The North Central zone including Kwara, Kogi, Niger and Nassarawa where Muslims are in large numbers will be represented by only four Muslims out of 15! It is unbelievable! The President’s nominees were not only Christian religious activists but also 14 out of 20. Even the blind can see the undisguised religious manipulation apparent in quality and quantity of all nominations directly and indirectly made by the Federal Government and some self-appointed ethnic leaders of Yorubaland. We must at this juncture also put on record the sense of justice and fairness of the leadership of the South-South Zone where 2 of the 15 nominees were not merely Muslims but also practicing Muslims. The same sense of justice is also apparent in the nominations of the North-East and North-West Zones of 4 and 1 Christian respectively.
We deem it fit to assure the Muslim Ummah that appropriate steps are being taken towards immediate redress of the injustice. We have already lodged our complaints with the NSCIA and we are optimistic that the obvious manipulations in the delegates list will be identified and issues amicably resolved.
Let Muslims remain calm and resist the temptation to be provoked. They should have trust in the leadership of the NSCIA to defend and promote our interest. We have no reason to disbelieve our leaders.
We enjoin the Muslim Ummah to take to the instruction of Allah (SWT) in the Glorious Qu’ran thus: “O you who have attained faith! Be patient in adversity and vie in patience with one another, and be ever ready (to do what is right) and remain conscious of Allah, so that you might attain a happy state!” (Q3:200)
Alh. Kamal’ddin Akintunde National President, NACOMYO
