The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has
accused the Minister of Interior retired General Abdulrahman Dambazau of a
breach of section 10 of the Nigerian Constitution (as amended) by taking
directives from a private religious leader, the Sultan of Sokoto, in adjusting
a national holiday from two to three days.
The group has also
carpeted the Federal Government for
creating a considerable degree of uncertainty and causing commotion to
businesses and the private sector by the unilateral and impromptu declaration
of the extension of the public holidays to mark the end of the fasting season
by adherents of the Moslem faith.
In a statement signed jointly by the National Coordinator,
Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media affairs Director, Miss Zainab
Yusuf HURIWA, said the Nigerian Constitution has clearly provided in section 10
that no particular religion should be elevated to a status of a state religion.
The rights group said
the wordings of the official press statement authorised by the Interior
Minister conveys the impression that this government has tacitly adopted one
of the two foreign religions as it's
administration’s official religion. This, the group said is absolutely
unconstitutional and must be denounced forthwith.
Besides, the rights group said it is economically suicidal
for a nation on the brinks of economic recession and comatose for the political
class in power at the centre to arbitrarily create more national holidays which
contribute next to nothing to the growth and advancement of the national
economy.
HURIWA stated that the business community in other parts of
the globe will see the country as economically unstable if the political
leaders are allowed to get away with the political vice and criminality of arbitrarily extending days of national
public holidays at the whims and caprices of certain persons with ulterior
religious sentiments.
HURIWA recalled that in what is interpreted by critical
thinkers as an unprecedented decision in recent years, the Federal Government
has extended the ongoing Eid-el fitr holiday to Thursday, July 7, making the
holiday lasting for three days.
The government had last week declared Tuesday July 5 and
Wednesday July 6, 2016 as public holidays. But the Minister of Interior,
Abdulrahman Dambazau, in a statement on Tuesday signed by the Permanent
Secretary of the ministry, Bassey Okon Akpanyung, added Thursday to the two
days.
HURIWA strongly faults the aspect of the official government
statement which clearly states that state institutions and officials now take
directives from private leaders of religious bodies when, according to the
statement, the decision followed the directive by the President-General of the
Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji
Sa’ad Abubakar III, to the effect that the Ramadan fast continues on Tuesday as
a result of the non-sighting of the moon.
The rights group has therefore demanded clear, concise and
with constitutional precision, a Presidential explanation to Nigerians on why a
private religious leader who is not part of the democratically elected
structures, recognised by the nation’s grand norm is now the person teleguiding
the Federal Government on when and how to declare or modify a national activity
such as the declaration of public holiday which is the statutory duty of the
elected and inaugurated government.
It said: “We are worried that at a time that President
Muhammadu Buhari is accused of appointing and allocating almost 80 percent of
all the strategic military and paramilitary positions to HAUSA/FULANI Moslems
from the North, and at a time the entire
maritime and crude oil sector are dominated by appointees by Buhari from his
Northern region, the minister of Interior who recently appointed an entirely
Moslem and Northern heads of agencies under the Interior Affairs ministry is conveying this sinister impression that
Islam is now the official religion. We condemn this total affront to
constitutionalism and we caution this government to thread softly and stop
creating an atmosphere of mutual disaffection and distrust which may snowball
into a national crisis of monumental proportions if unchecked. We call on
statesmen and women who love Nigeria to call President Muhammadu Buhari to
order so he does not lead Nigeria into perdition.”
- Newsexpress
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