Way Out Of Debacle, By Christian Council
TEMPERS have continued to flare and egos bruised over the controversial Islamic banking and Boko Haram menace.
The altercation remains largely between the leaders of the dominant religions: Christianity and Islam.
After the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of Jamatul Nasril Islam (JNI), Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubukar, blew hot on the twin issues on Thursday, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor yesterday fired back, declaring the statements credited to the Islamic leader as shocking.
But voices of moderation has come from leaders of the Christian Council of Nigeria (CNN). They canvassed more time and enlightenment of Nigerians before the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN's) introduces the Islamic model of non-profit banking in the country.
In his speech at a meeting to assess the level of compliance with the Tafsir guidelines in Kaduna on Thursday, the Sultan, who is the co-chairman of the National Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), was quoted as saying that Islamic banking had "come to stay in Nigeria and there is no need to quarrel over the issue because we shall realise what we want. I want to assure you."
In an interview last night with The Guardian, Oritsejafor, who also co-chairs NIREC, thanked the Sultan, whom he described as a personal friend, for endeavouring to speak out at last on the vexed issues.
He said: "I respect the Sultan a great deal because he is a man who means well for the country just like some of us. We will continue to be friends because the only way this country can make appreciable progress is by stretching a hand of fellowship across the Niger and building blocks of unity for future generations."
Oritsejafor, who had just ended a NEC meeting of CAN in Abuja, however, expressed surprise at the ruler's action.
"I dare say that I was a bit surprised that the Sultan, who is respected across the country, failed to address the two cardinal issues involved in the controversial Islamic banking before he concluded that it has come to stay."
For the avoidance of doubt, Oritsejafor said, "Christians in Nigeria are not against the Muslims as people have made the generality of Nigerians to believe. In fact, it is the Christians that have always been at the receiving end of everyviolence that has taken place in parts of the North.
"Let it also be known that we are not against Islamic banking per se. What we have said thus far, is that there are two issues that the CBN governor must address properly before the introduction of non-interest banking as against Islamic banking.
"One, we have continued to frown at the way the CBN governor, who is being paid from tax payers' money is championing the course of Islamic banking in isolation of other non-interest banking. We are against Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi using state funds to promote Islamic banking as though that is the only form of non-interest banking. It is against the spirit of the Nigerian Constitution.
"He should allow people who are interested in Islamic banking to use their money to sell their manifesto to Nigerians with a view to wooing them to accept that form of banking which is different from what they used to know," he explained.
CCN leaders, who converged in Lagos on Thursday to brainstorm on various issues affecting their faith and the country, asked the Federal Government to take drastic steps to address current issues that are overheating the polity.
Their President, Rev. Emmanuel Udofia, who addressed a press conference after the parley at the Methodist Church, Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos, listed such burning national issues as the Boko Haram menace, Islamic banking, the economy, poverty among most Nigerians, and the general insecurity.
Udofia said CCN would soon meet the CBN Sanusi on the controversial aspects of the proposed Islamic banking as it affects non-Moslems. He also said the body would take the matter to the next meeting of NAREC, an umbrella body for both Christians and Moslems so that the problem could be resolved through dialogue and education of all parties.
According to Oritsejafor "the other issue that my very good friend failed to address has to do with the guidelines the CBN governor had put in place for the issuance of licence for non-interest banking in the country which is different from that for Islamic banking. In every sector of the nation's economy including the education sector, there are uniform guidelines for the registration or operating licence. For instance, any Nigerian applying to the National Universities Commission (NUC) for licence to establish a university, irrespective of his leanings, is required to adhere to a uniform set of guidelines before registration. There are no rules for Islamic university and another for a Christian university.
"But the CBN governor has failed, thus far, to explain to the nation why he is putting up a different guideline for Islamic banking and another one for other forms of non-interest banking. This is in addition to a proposed establishment of a Shari'a Council of Experts to be based at the CBN to monitor the operations of the Islamic banking and we have asked; is this what operates in all the countries in the world where Islamic banking operates?"
On the activities of Boko Haram, the CAN President also picked holes in the statement credited to the Sultan, who said the state of affairs in the North East should not be blamed on sect, rather that the government should fish out those behind the violence.
Oritsejafor said, "If the eminent citizen has superior information, he should avail the nation's security apparatus with them with a view to putting a stop to the daily massacre of innocent Nigerians in that part of the country."
In an interview with The Guardian yesterday, ICAN President, Prof. Francis Ojaide, asked for more sensitisation of the people and appropriate timing for the introduction of the non-interest banking model.
The institute's boss noted that the cashless economy policy of the apex bank was in order, as it would help to eliminate social problems from the system.
Among the CCN leaders, who attended the meeting, were Bishop Michael Akinwole of the Diocese of Agodi of the Methodist Church, Rev. Soja Bewaring, Vice President of the Church of Christ in Nigeria COCIN), Jos, Plateau State and Primate of the Church of God (Aladura) Worldwide, Dr. Rufus Ositelu.
Formed in 1929, CCN is an interdenominational group and a core bloc of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), which draws its membership from 14 major denominations in Nigeria.
Udofia, who expressed concern over Sanusi's intense move to introduce non-interest banking in Nigeria based on Islamic jurisprudence, appealed to the CBN chief to soft-pedal to allow more room and time for consultation and education of stakeholders before its take-off.
Similarly, Ositelu said Christians are not opposed to Islamic banking but are against Sanusi's efforts to tilt it in favour of Moslems and to use public funds to realise his objective.
He said the CBN ought to issue open-ended guidelines on non-interesting banking and allow those, who are interested to apply for licences and give their outfits whatever names they want.
According to Udofia, Sanusi's call on aggrieved persons to go to court "is an unnecessarily belligerent stance on a very sensitive national issues which is capable of heating up the polity at a time Nigerians are in dire need of peace and security."
The cleric described as confusing the guidelines set by Sanusi on non-interest banking, saying that the system should have unified guidelines for its operation instead of the CBN making different provisions for Islamic banking and other forms of non-interesting banking. This approach, he argued, gives room to discrimination, as some citizens would be compelled to subscribe to the teachings, principles, and tenets of a particular religion under the guise of the banking model.
The group also canvassed the removal of Arabic symbols or words from all Nigerian currency denominations for local and English languages. The group, which condemned the violence in some northern states, appealed to the Boko Haram members and their supporters to give peace a chance in Nigeria.
Ojaide said non-interest banking, of which Islamic banking is a part, was gaining ground globally, including developed economies.
The professor of accounting and finance noted that most Nigerians were troubled by the introduction of the policy because of the CBN's decision to associate the word "Islamic" with the approach.
The ICAN boss called on the CBN to sensitise Nigerians on the policy before introducing it as a form of alternative banking in the country.
The Guardian