The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) under the leadership of Dr. Supo Ayokunle has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of projecting an Islamic agenda.
The body said the President has made three key appointments in the last few days, but that none is from the South or a Christian.
Buhari recently appointed Yusuf Magaji Bichi, a Muslim, from Kano State to replace Matthew Seiyefa, a Christian from Bayelsa who had been operating in an acting capacity since Lawal Daura was sacked.
Mr. Abbas Umar Masanawa was also named the Managing Director of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, just as Hajiya Zainab Ahmed was appointed the acting Finance Minister to replace Mrs. Kemi Adeosun who resigned.
CAN spokesman, Bayo Oladeji, in a statement on Monday alleged that the marginalisation of the Christians is deliberate to heighten the tension in the land for whatever reasons.
He said: “CAN notes with disappointments, shocks and surprises that despite our appeal to President Buhari to break the domination of the country’ security council by people of the same religion and language in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic groups that make up Nigeria, he still derives pleasure in turning a deaf ear to the Voice of Wisdom and Reason as manifested in the three appointments.
“The President, who at his inauguration three years ago promised to be fair to all, has been consistently and persistently discriminating against Christians and Southerners in all his appointments and policies.
“CAN is also disappointed with the justification of the illegalities being perpetrated by Buhari in the lopsided appointments by the Presidency including a handful Christians in his government who are doing so primarily to keep their jobs, at the expense of the majority.
“For anyone to be asking all well-meaning Nigerians, including some media houses, to stop complaining of the lopsided appointments in the security apparatus of the country is reprehensible, insensitive, and wicked.
“Perhaps, if there was no undeclared systematic ethnic cleansing and genocide in the predominantly Christian communities in the country, as rightly observed by the likes of Prof Wole Soyinka and General T. Y. Danjuma of recent, we would have turned a blind eye to the unlawful action of the President.
“The notorious Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has been threatening those who condemn their nefarious activities in the Middle belt where thousands of our members are being killed with impunity, yet the association that has a lot of things in common with terrorist organisations are not only being treated with kid gloves by the security agencies, but their aggressive attacks on the innocent people are being justified by the President, the Defence Minister, the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Information and the Inspector General of Police.
“The Boko Haram Islamic terrorist organisation has not ceased attacking and killing our people, they are abducting our members on a daily basis and despite all our hues and cries, the Federal Government and the security agencies have refused to liberate Leah Sharibu and others in the enclave of this blood-sucking terrorist group because of their faith.
“CAN is fully persuaded beyond any reasonable doubt that it is the lopsided appointments in the security agencies that is largely responsible why Christians have become endangered species in their Fatherland under the leadership of Buhari.
CAN also wishes to observe that the lopsided appointments are a hallmark of the Federal Government in other key ministries like Interior, Defence, Education and Information.
“We challenge the Federal Ministry of Information and the Presidency to contradict this fact with evidences by publishing names of all heads of the parastatals and agencies including their states of origins and religions.
“These are all parts of the gradual and subtle Islamisation agenda, but we are sad that those who are benefitting from the existing order, Christians inclusive, have been dismissing this alert with a wave of hands.”
