Nigeria Belongs To Christians And Muslims – Rev’d Dachomo Slams Jingir

The Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, has rejected the claim by Islamic cleric, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, that Nigeria is a Muslim country.

Dachomo, while reacting to Jingir’s recent comments, said Nigeria was a multi-religious nation and could not be regarded as belonging to one religion.

Naija News reports that Jingir, a prominent Islamic scholar based in Jos, Plateau State, had reportedly made the controversial remarks during a programme in Kano State over the weekend.

The cleric also expressed support for the continuation of the Muslim-Muslim political arrangement, arguing that Muslims form the majority in Nigeria and should therefore have the opportunity to lead the country.

‘Nigeria Is Not A Muslim Country’

Reacting in a statement on Tuesday, Dachomo strongly disagreed with the Islamic scholar and insisted that Nigeria was not and could never become a Muslim country.

He also cautioned Jingir and other religious leaders against making statements that could worsen existing religious tensions between Muslims and Christians.

Dachomo said political leadership should not be determined by religious numbers, stressing that competence, justice, good governance and the protection of citizens should be the major considerations in choosing Nigeria’s leaders.

“Nigeria is a multi-religious country in which Muslims and Christians have historically participated in the political process and contributed to the development of the nation,” he said.

According to him, neither Muslims nor Christians should give the impression that they have greater ownership of the country because of their religious population.

The COCIN chairman urged religious leaders to exercise restraint when speaking publicly, particularly on political matters and issues capable of affecting relationships between different religious groups.

“I urge religious leaders to be mindful of their public statements, particularly when discussing politics and issues capable of affecting relations between different religious communities,” Dachomo said.

He warned that presenting political leadership as a matter of religious entitlement could create division and make members of other faiths feel excluded from the country.

“Linking political leadership to religious majority could create a perception that one faith has greater ownership of the country than another,” he added.

Jingir had, during the Kano programme, defended the Muslim-Muslim political arrangement and argued that Muslims, being the majority, should be allowed to produce the country’s leaders.

The Islamic scholar also reportedly referred to Christians in Nigeria as infidels and suggested that those who were unhappy with the arrangement were free to leave the country.

The comments have continued to generate reactions, with Dachomo calling for greater responsibility from religious leaders in order to prevent statements on religion and politics from worsening relations between Nigerians of different faiths.

The COCIN leader maintained that Nigeria belongs to all its citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs, and that leadership should be based on the ability to serve the people rather than religious identity.