Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike
The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, on Thursday lambasted the Rivers
State Governor, Nyesom Wike for declaring the state a Christian State.
Wike had during a crusade organized by the Lord’s Chosen
Charismatic Church in Port Harcourt, River State capital a few days ago
declared Rivers a Christain State.
Reacting to the declaration, the Islamic human rights organisation
called on stakeholders in the “Nigerian project” to call Wike to order.
In a press statement signed and forwarded to DAILY POST by its
Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the organisation described the
governor’s statement as audacious, unguarded and reckless.
The statement reads: “At a time when Nigeria is facing
religious and ethnic crises, a state governor still has the temerity to
declare his state a Christian state. Wike is short in intellect, long in
impunity. It is not his first time of making this pronouncement. We
ignored him the first time because we did not want to dignify him with a
response. But he has just exposed himself as an analogue governor with a
triangular approach to all problems: religion, violence and impunity.
Wike cannot think outside this triangular box.
“At a time when religious fanaticism is on the rise and the
authorities are cautioning Nigerians to be moderate, a state governor is
running loose with reckless statements like, ‘I repeat once again
without apologies, Rivers is a Christian state. That is why nobody can
touch us’.
“This is nothing but articulated demagoguery. It is audacious,
preposterous and myopic. It is also a dangerous precedent. Nonetheless,
Wike’s statement must also be seen as meaningless unless he can
establish Canon law for his ‘Christian State’. That is the challenge we
like to throw at Governor Wike. He should promulgate canon law without
any hesitation, otherwise, all his boasts amount to nothing. They are
empty.
“Is Rivers the only state with Christian majority? Wike should
learn from the moderate stance of the governors of Cross Rivers, Delta,
Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, etc on the issue of religion. Wike is
perpetuating a culture of acrobatic religiousity. He is playing on the
intelligence of the good people of Rivers State and lending credence to
Karl Marx’s view of religion as opium of the people. He is brandishing
state-sponsored religiousity to cover his gross ineptitude.
“The spate of crime in Rivers State is an indictment on Wike.
Cult-killing is on the rise. Kidnapping has become an obsession. Youth
restiveness is everywhere in the state. But all these are by-products of
mass unemployment. This is what Wike should face.
“He should be thinking of empowering the youth. Where are the
roads built by Wike? What is the state of Rivers’ schools? Are there
drugs in the hospitals? What are the rates of infant and maternal
mortality in Rivers State? Port Harcourt is one of the most expensive
places to live in Nigeria. How can Wike bring relief to the residents?
It is high time Wike focused on governance and stopped propagating
motor-park doctrine, manifesting ‘agbero’ faculty and exhibiting
‘bolekaja’ mentality.
“Nonetheless, Wike’s statement must also be seen as meaningless
unless he can establish Canon law for his ‘Christian State’. That is
the challenge we like to throw at Governor Wike. He should promulgate
canon law without any hesitation, otherwise, all his boasts amount to
nothing. They are empty. Wike’s Christian state is a red herring.
“Where is Wike’s constitutional backing? Section 10 of the 1999
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly prohibits state
religion. It says, ‘The Government of the Federation or of a State
shall not adopt any religion as a State Religion.’ Wike’s declaration
is, therefore, ultra vires. It is null, void and of no consequence
whatsoever.
“It is illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional for any governor
to declare his state a Christian or an Islamic state. For the avoidance
of doubt, a clear difference must be seen between Wike’s declaration and
the introduction of Shariah in parts of the North. The state
legislatures of states where Shariah was introduced followed due
process. The governors did not just wake up one day and make arbitrary
declarations.
“In any case, there is also a world of difference between
declaring a state an Islamic state and merely introducing Shariah to be
used by the Muslim population. That is why several parts of the United
Kingdom, the United States and some Western countries have introduced
Shariah for their minority Muslim populations without necessarily
declaring those countries Islamic nations.
“But where are the secularists? Where are those who claim that
Nigeria is a secular state? Why is it that only Muslims are taken up
when they make declarations bordering on religious particularism? Why
are they silent now? Is this not selective judgement? Must we always
behave a la Animal Farm? Our self-righteous public commentators and
human rights lawyers would have brought heaven down if any Muslim
governor made a similar statement. Why are we like this? Who placed a
curse on Nigeria? Well known critics who fail to speak on Wike’s recent
pronouncement should bury their heads in shame.
“Before we take a break, we remind Governor Nyesom Wike of
Rivers State that specialisation necessitates division of labour. He
should, therefore, concentrate on governance which is the job for which
he was elected and leave evangelization and fire-brand crusade to
Christian clerics. Wike should improve the security situation in order
to attract investors and tourists. We appeal to stakeholders in the
Nigerian project to call Wike to order.”