Mr. Daniel Kadzai, a former National President of the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, YOWICAN, has criticised Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a well-known Islamic cleric, and other Northerners for opposing Nyesom Wike’s appointment as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, or FCT.
According to reports, Wike was one of the 45 ministers that President Bola Tinubu swore in at the presidential palace in Abuja.
Following his inauguration, the Islamic preacher Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi referred to Wike as an infidel and someone who hated Northern Nigeria in a widely shared video.
In response, Kadzai stated that Nigerians must defend the notion that the nation belongs to all of its residents, regardless of their allegiance with a particular religion, ethnic group, or political party.
He insisted that the success and development of the country depended on there being harmony and collaboration among all the areas.
The nomination of the Tiv, a minority tribe from Benue State, as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, he told DAILY POST, “is a great gain for the current government of President Bola Tinubu.
“Another major advantage is the election or appointment of Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who also happens to be from the South South.
It demonstrates that the South South is still remembered. I was shocked to learn that some people attributed political problems to religious emotion while this individual was running for office.
“In my opinion, Nigerians in the twenty-first century want to see our country advance. Disaster, if it happened, won’t spare an Igbo man, Hausa man, or Yoruba man, thus we should be able to unite.
“It affects us all. Some individuals are criticising Mr. President for choosing a Rivers State native to be the FCT minister. He is from Nigeria. I remember when a fire broke out in Sokoto.
“He went to the state and handed them N500,000,000 without regard to whether they were Christians or Muslims. The fact that this same individual is being criticised and labelled an infidel because he has been named the FCT minister is disastrous for Nigeria and Nigerians. God forbid we still think this way in the twenty-first century.
“Are we discussing religion or how to save the country? Nigerians should be the ministers’ priority. They are not there to profit themselves, represent their states, local governments, or tribes; they are there to serve Nigerians.
We haven’t had a Christian serve as the FCT minister since Jeremiah Useni. It is inflammatory and inciting to call out Wike and claim that Bola Tinubu surrendered Abuja to an unbeliever. It represents the height of conceit. In reality, who are the majority in Abuja?
“Are the Gbagyis, who are the genuine proprietors of Abuja, Christians or Muslims? The Igbos own two thirds of the investments in Abuja.
“So, who is this demonic force attempting to cause trouble? When I saw the news, I was furious. We cannot carry on in this manner.
“As a leader, you never stand up to talk. How can someone publicly state that giving an Igbo guy Wike Abuja is equivalent to handing Abuja to a non-Muslim?