Buhari meets Catholic Bishops in Abuja, says he doesn't have any religious agenda
Buhari's speech below...
As
our nation approaches perhaps the most crucial election in our history,
all true patriots are called to deeper reflection of the basic
ingredients that bind the nation together- our common freedom, peace and
unity. This reflection is even more relevant in the face of the illegal
postponement of the general elections- a feat achieved through various
sinister ploys and with the sole aim of avoiding the will and verdict of
the people. In all of these, I feel the urgeto communicate some of my
personal vision and thoughts to the people of our great country,
especially on the question of religion, a sensitive matter for many
citizens that has become the most frequently used tool by the ruling
party. This affordsme an opportunity to give my response to the ruling
party’s false propaganda and lies against my person.
Needless
to say, we must at all times hold the unity, peace and progress of our
dear nation paramount and above all other considerations, especially
politics. Those who deliberately disseminate divisive disinformation and
attempt to stoke primordial sentiments using religion or ethnicity and
create fear in the minds of our people fail the standard of patriotism
this nation demands of them and deserves from them. The ruling
government and PDP have adopted this sad divisive and false narrative as
their strategy to prevent the inevitable change that our country and
people desire and require. And they have succeeded in making some of us
victims of the tales which they invent, propagate and sell as gospel
truth to gullible listeners, while it is all nothing but a tissue of
lies.
I
would like to solemnly declare that in spite of what our detractors
say, I am not a religious fanatic of any sort and I have never been. In
all my life, I have never supported extremism of any kind, and nowhere
in my record of service to this nation can this false toga, political
opponents have tried so hard to put on me, be substantiated. Indeed, it
is very unfortunate and I feel extremely sad that I have to give this
type of assurance.
My
background is in the army, and there is no doubt that the military is
the most integrated pan-Nigerian institution. And even today, the
military is one of the institutions that represents the pride of our
nation’s possibilities in unity. Compatriots from every corner of this
country come together, work and live together, entrust their lives to
each other and integrate their families. It is a military where many of
my dearest friends, from all faiths and parts of the country, lost their
lives defending the unity of our nation. That was the military I served
in, and in that military it was impossible to be a bigot.
For
me, the issue of religion was, and should always, be a matter of
personal conviction. This personal conviction approach to religion has
defined my work and interactions all my life, including my tenure in
office as military Head of State. The religion of all those I worked
with was never a factor in their progress or in what happened to them.
All that mattered then, and should still matter today, are competence,
integrity and readiness to be fair to all.
I was recently informed that we had a balanced cabinet with key positions such as Finance, Energy and Defence occupied by Christians. In addition, 11 of the 19 governors I appointed were Christians. My most memorable recollections of subordinate service was under Christian bosses, the finest our country had then, and among the most respected today. Indeed one of the best appraisals I received in the course of my military career was from General T.Y Danjuma.
Government
has no business preferring one religion to the other. The role of
government is to protect lives and properties of citizens and to respect
and protect their constitutional rights. One critical freedom that
every government must strive to protect is the liberty for citizens to
exercise their respective faiths, Christians and Muslims or others, in a
lawful manner without fear or hindrance and to prosecute those who use
religion as an excuse to destroy homes, schools and places of worship.
When governments fail in that duty, they must then assist in the
rebuilding of structures including destroyed places of worship and
giving full restitution for lost property. We, Nigerians, are a
religious people, and the burning of places of worship constitutes one
of the vilest forms of abomination to all those who believe in God. It
is the duty of governments to protect this important sensitivity.
Let
me state this categorically, that I, MuhammaduBuhari, as an individual,
and as president of this great country by the grace of God, given the
opportunity to serve, have no personal religious agenda. And I will not
entertain, consider or promote the religious agenda of anyone. I will
not condone any initiative that seeks to promote one religion over the
other. Neither I, nor my party, or any member of my team has any desire
or plan to Islamize or Christianize Nigeria or support anyone with such
intention.
Although
I am a practising Muslim, and I have been so all my life, I have never
belonged to, nor shared the views of, any extremist group. I am not even
a cleric. I believe that religion is personal and private. Many of the
people close to me are not of my religion. My cook and driver for 20
years are Christians, Most of my bodyguards are Christians. Some were
killed while protecting me in the terrorist attack on my convoy in
Kaduna. If I have not Islamized these people who serve under me, how
will I Islamize the likes of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Ogbonnaya Onu,
Governors RochasOkorocha, Kayode Fayemi, Rotimi Amaechi or Professor
Yemi Osinbajo who is a senior advocate of Nigeria and a pastor? Or how
will I Islamize Nigeria?
Our
constitution, which in many respects, is similar to the American
constitution does not permit a state religion. The Sharia identified in
the constitution is almost synonymous with customary law. It is only
applicable in matters of personal status such as marriage, divorce and
inheritance. This has been the case since the 1979 constitution. Just as
no one can make any customary or any other religious law the law of
Nigeria, so Sharia cannot therefore be the law of Nigeria.
My
record is evidence of this strongly held belief. Before my tenure, the
deadly and violent extremist radical sect, Maitasine carried out
terrorist activities in the north, especially Kano; When it erupted
again in Yola, during my tenure, I took direct command, and personally
led the successful effort to eradicate the threat to our country.
Similarly, when some Chadian insurgents attempted to occupy Nigerian
territory, I led the military confrontation that eliminated the threat.
For
all purposes, we must all learn to live together as brothers and
sisters, because the problems that bedevil our nation do not
discriminate based on religion or ethnicity. Poverty and hunger do not
know or respect religion or creed. When a bomb explodes in a market, it
kills and maims without regard for religion or ethnicity. The millions
of the unemployed youth of our country cut across all tribes and
religions.
Wicked
propagandists continue to spread vicious lies about me for political
gain, including claiming that I once asked Muslims not to vote for
Christians. This must be the height of absurdity. How could I ever say
that, when whoever voted for me would be voting for the Christian
running with me on the same ticket? And how could I ever say that of
Christians when my own holy book, the Qur’an, tells me that in the
entire world those that are nearest in love to me are those who believe
in Jesus Christ [AS]? I ask, who, intending to win any election, ever
does that? How can I choose southern Christian running mates [Chuba
Okadigbo of blessed memory, Pastor Tunde Bakare and Pastor YemiOsinbajo]
and with them by my side make such silly utterances?
Because they have no record, they must seek to destroy our own; and because they have no integrity, they feel they must impugn our own.
We
must reject those who propagate hatred, ethnicity, divisiveness,
sectionalism or seek to manipulate our religious differences in such
cynical fashion. On our part, we will remain undeterred: our commitment
is to bring about change in the way we live and think and work in this
nation; and our goal is to ensure a decent existence for all. And, by
the Grace of God, that is what we will do—we will remain true to our
commitment and we will achieve our goal.
May God bless Nigeria and its people for all time.
General Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR
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