โ๐๐๐ฅ๐, ๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ง๐ข ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฆ. ๐๐๐ง ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ช ๐ง๐๐ ๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ก๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ฆ. ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ช ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง. ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ก๐ง๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐ข๐กโ๐ง ๐ช๐๐ก๐ง ๐ง๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ง ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ -๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ง, ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข ๐จ๐ฆ. ๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ -๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ง, ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐๐ก ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก ๐จ๐ฆ. ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐ช๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ -๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ก๐ง๐๐ก๐จ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ข ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐๐”- ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ.
I received over 100 frantic calls and messages of deep concern from both Christians and Muslims over the weekend after Sheik Yahaya Jingir’s comments at a Kano event were made public.
There is only one thing worse and that saddened me more than what he said and that is to have seen my friend and brother the Governor of Kano state, cheering him on and celebrating it.
We will not keep quiet and watch our faith being dragged all over the floor because of politics.
Matters of faith and salvation are far more important than anything we see or get in this world.
Politics and earthly power come and go but faith and the after life is eternal.
This divisive rhetoric has to stop and we should stop playing with fire.
You do not talk like that in a country with over 120 million Christians and over 120 Muslims all living in the same space and if you insist on doing so you are looking for trouble and stoking a cataclysmic crisis which nobody wants, which will consumme us all and which we must avoid at all costs.
This is especially so when we are already being falsely accused of Christian genocide and of harbouring an agenda to Islamise the country and do away with all Christians by some of our American friends.
Jingir is not only feeding into that false narrative with his reckless words but he is also endangering the chances of our candidates in the 2027 presidential election because in order for us to win we need BOTH Muslim AND Christian votes.
What he has done is given the opposition something to hold on to and use against us and this is unfortunate.
There is no Christian that will support a party that regards members of his or her faith as infidels and I am glad that many Muslims across party lines have condemned his outrageous comments.
Jingir does not represent the feelings of the APC and neither does he speak for us. He only speaks for himself.
He must be called to order and if he insists on delving into politics he should do so with decency, restraint, respect to all and decorum and leave religion out of it.
You cannot hurt the feelings of others, denigrate their beliefs, insult their faith and treat their most sacred values and beliefs with such contempt and expect them to keep quiet, not protest and continue to stand by you.
A man’s faith, whether Christian or Muslim, must be respected and no religious faith is greater or more important than the other.
We are all one before God and we should live in peace with one another always showing each other love and respect which both the Koran and the Bible talks about.
Jingir should be invited by the DSS and formally cautioned before he sets this country in fire.
Permit me to add the following.
The extremist rhetoric that he is indulging in is not only unhelpful but is also unacceptable.
Worse of all is the fact that what he has said is NOT TRUE and is highly provocative.
He and those who share his views should take note of the following and be advised:
1) Christians are NOT infidels, we are Believers.
2) NOBODY is going anywhere because this is our country.
3) The slippery slope that the Sheik has chosen to take is a very dangerous one and it is best avoided.
4) Nigeria is NOT a Muslim country and neither is she a Christian country.
5) Nigeria is a SECULAR and MULTI-RELIGIOUS state comprising of BOTH Christians and Muslims in equal numbers and that is our strength.
6) We are supporting a Muslim/Muslim ticket for 2027, as we did in 2023, only because of the calibre, ability, sincerity of purpose, character, utility and electoral strength of our Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates and their ability to deliver and not because they are Muslims.
7) Just as we have a Muslim Muslim ticket today we will also have a Christian Christian ticket one day in the future because with God all things are possible.
9) We must leave religion out of politics and consider issues, policies and personalities instead.
10) Sheik Jingir does NOT represent or reflect the thinking of the majority of Nigerian Muslims but only a tiny minority of extremists.
11) Sheik Jingir has done immense damage to President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Imam by talking in this way and I suspect that he is secretly working against them.
12) I urge Sheik Jingir to apologise to the Church and the Christians in Nigeria, to be more circumspect and cautious when he speaks and to tread on the path of peace, civility and reconciliation for the sake of our beloved country.
(FFK)
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