Buhari’s IOC meeting: Group accuses HURIWA of promoting hate speech

The Coalition for Truth and Justice has warned the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) against promoting hate speeches and bigotry.

The group was reacting to the comment made by HURIWA over President Muhamadu Buhari’s attendance of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

HURIWA had faulted the president for going for the IOC summit a day after taking oath of office for his second term in office.

Timothy Charles, executive director of the group, in a statement warned HURIWA to to rather focus on deemphasizing religion in Nigeria as opposed to highlighting sectarian differences in a way that is hurting national cohesion.

The statement reads below”

Curiously, neither HURIWA nor its human representation – Emmanuel Onwubiko expressed such sentiments when former President Goodluck Jonathan, a self-professed Christian, travelled to Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday February 6, 2013 to attend the 12th OIC meeting. Jonathan’s participation at that time and Buhari’s participation now are consistent with Nigeria’s membership of the body and nothing to do with Islamizing Nigeria.

It is most unfortunate that the associates of this same Jonathan were the one that hired the disreputable United Kingdom firm, Cambridge Analytica to run the campaign of disinformation during the 2015 elections that President Buhari will Islamize Nigeria.

Interestingly, Onwubiko has made so much ruckus over this issue happen to travel on roads built with proceeds of Sukuk bonds without being allergic to Islamic component entailed. Some of them are even beneficiaries of interest free Islamic banking and yet come to the open to incite Nigerians against each other on the basis of religion.

Has it occurred to HURIWA, Onwubiko and other critics that this OIC meeting is a golden opportunity for Nigeria to engage with the Middle East countries towards finding solution to the export of extremism from the area to Nigeria? Have they also thought of it that beyond seeking partnership in addressing security challenges Nigeria is now compelled to explore new frontiers for trade relations?

It is remarkable that this same HURIWA had defended the right of a particular Islamic sect to torment other citizens without having to face consequences.

This raises the angle of ethnic sentiments upon which Onwubiko will attack anything that has to do with the government of President Buhari because he has been decisive in curtailing the excesses of separatists that are advocating the breakup of Nigeria. It is no surprise that Onwubiko has in the past defended such separatist elements against President Buhari, so the OIC criticism is apparently a continuation of the ethnic bitterness that has made him declare war on the President of the country simply because he is from a different ethnic extraction from the owner of HURIWA.