“And we reiterate our earlier call to the Federal Government to take pity of its citizens over the pain and suffering they are going through, to do all in its power to make available the new Naira notes; in the meantime to extend the life of the old notes to a reasonable period of time. These measures are without prejudice to whatever is the outcome of ongoing legal cases related thereunto.”
SYMPATHY WITH TURKEY AND SYRIA, CALL ON FG TO INVESTIGATE DRONE ATTACK ON FULANI IN NASARAWA STATE; EASE PAIN OF CITIZENS OVER CURRENCY
The Ummah Movement, with headquarters at the National Islamic Centre (NIC), Dogarawa, Zaria, joins fellow Muslims all over the world in commiserating with the victims of the horrendous earthquake in Turkey and Syria that has claimed more than 30,000 lives.
We share the pain of the bereaved families and call on Muslims to pray for Divine Succor and Mercy on the victims, the deceased and those still living. In the spirit of Islamic brotherhood, relief materials should be solicited from communities at the Mosques, then collected and moved to the state capitals’ central mosques.
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, as the umbrella Muslim organisation has since made a timely appeal to the Nigerian Muslims to extend assistance to the victims in cash and kind. The states’ branches of the Ummah Movement are directed to liaise with sister Islamic organisations to coordinate the collection, collation and conveyance of relief materials.
We urge the Federal Government to also package its own assistance and together with the community collection send all of it through the Government of Turkey.
Nearer at home, the Ummah Movement is shocked and saddened by the inexplicable killings of scores of Muslims within a span of weeks in Nasarawa State by a Nigeria Air force drone and in Katsina State by bandits, along with forced ejection of others from Taraba State.
We commiserate with their families and pray for Allah to have mercy on the souls of the deceased. We commend the Katsina State government for vowing to institute a Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances that led to the death of more than 80 local vigilante volunteers in Bakori and Kankara Local Government Areas of the State.
At the same time we join other well-meaning Nigerians in calling on the Federal Government to immediately also institute a similar inquiry into the circumstances that led to the reckless, heartless and unwarranted murder of over 40 Fulani pastoralists at Rukubi village in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, who had earlier gone to Makurdi to “retrieve their 1,250 livestock earlier impounded by the Benue State Livestock Guards, after paying a fine of N29million” as reported by the media.
This being the third such recent war crime incident makes it imperative that it must stop and those responsible must answer to the law. Punishing the guilty and making their families pay restitution to the victims will break the cycle of violence for peace to reign.
The Ummah Movement also calls on the Federal Government to stop playing the ostrich and immediately halt the genocide and expulsion of peaceful pastoralists in Gashaka, Bali and other Local Government Areas of Taraba State, along with attendant loss of their properties and cattle.
We must not create a new generation of pauperized orphans who would wreck vengeance on their attackers in decades to come. We must break the vicious cycle of violence for peace to reign.
We pray to Allah to touch the hearts of the relevant decision making makers to shift the dates of the planned National Census, so that it does not coincide with the coming Ramadan fast, If only to show that we truly live in a tolerant, multi-faith country, where Muslims are respected and their rights protected.
And we reiterate our earlier call to the Federal Government to take pity of its citizens over the pain and suffering they are going through, to do all in its power to make available the new Naira notes; in the meantime to extend the life of the old notes to a reasonable period of time. These measures are without prejudice to whatever is the outcome of ongoing legal cases related thereunto.
Prof. Muhammad Babangida
National Amir, NIC.
NATIONAL ISLAMIC CENTRE, ZARIA
PO Box 133, Dogarawa, Zaria, Nigeria.
25th Rajab, 1444 / 15th February, 2023