The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, on Tuesday, expressed concern over the ongoing security challenges and poor power supply in the country.
The council’s President, Sheikh Abdurrasheed Hadiytullah, spoke at a pre-Ramadan meeting held at the JNI headquarters in Kaduna.
Hadiyatullah, while addressing Muslim ummah among them, the Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, Islamic clerics, and Islamic scholars, appealed to the Federal Government to tackle corruption headlong and stop leakages and wasteful spending of public funds.
The SCSN boss noted that ordinary Nigerians were the ones bearing the brunt of corruption, leakages and waste of resources in the land.
He also urged the Federal Government to rethink on proposed state police to avoid being abused by politicians.
“Government should critically reflect on the implications of the proposed state police to ensure a balance between tackling insecurity, our social cohesion and the probability of abuse for personal and political agenda,” he said.
Hadiyatullah added, “We should in unison, keep appealing to our governments to take concrete steps to address the issue of corruption, leakages and wasteful spending.
“Corruption is like a cancer, which destroys everything noble and undermines the principles of good governance. Here, it is perfectly justified to ask our leaders, why should the ordinary Nigerian be made to bear the brunt of insecurity with trillions being spent on the security agencies without positive result or accountability?
“Why should the ordinary Nigerian suffer difficulties from power failure and its skyrocketing cost with over $ 20 billion wasted on power, without positive results or accountability?
“There is no doubt that we cannot reasonably expect solutions to issues bedeviling our lives until our leaders summon the political will to address the issue of corruption, whenever, wherever and whoever is involved.
“We urge the Federal Gvernment to re-examine the neo-liberal economic template guiding our policies and perish the thought of plans to totally abolish all subsidies and commercialize strategic public agencies, without any semblance of social safety net to mitigate the attendant horrendous consequences on the population.”
He said, “In these challenging times, it is crucial that we uphold the principles of peace, unity, and understanding. We should preach against resorting to violent protests against the government and strive for dialogue and constructive engagement with governments to address our concerns.
“Islam encourages us to seek solutions to problems with our leaders through peaceful means only. Violence only begets more violence, and it is our duty as responsible citizens and followers of Islam to promote harmony and stability.
“Together, let us channel our grievances through peaceful avenues, fostering a culture of tolerance and cooperation for the betterment of our society.
“We call on the Ummah to fervently pray during this sacred month of Ramadan and beyond for peace in Nigeria, and divine intervention in tackling acts of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, ethno-religious crises, and other criminal activities.
“We should also call upon all stakeholders, including the government, civil society and the private sector to collaborate effectively in addressing the root causes of insecurity and implementing comprehensive strategies for its eradication.”
