The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), north west zone, has condemned the non-inclusion of Christians in the governing board of the North West Development Commission (NWDC).
On September 28, President Bola Tinubu submitted the names of the members of the NWDC governing board to the senate for confirmation.
Sunday Oibe, north west zonal chairman of CAN, in a statement on Saturday, said the appointments did not reflect the religious diversity in the region.
“Christians in the north-west are deeply concerned about the recent appointments, stressing that it is unfortunate that appointments did not reflect the diversity in the region,” the statement reads.
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“There are indigenous Christians in all the states that make up the north-west; Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.
“It should not be assumed that the entire population in the north-west are Muslims.”
Oibe said the appointments mirror President Bola Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket for the 2023 presidential election.
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He called on the president to reconsider his decision, adding that leaving the appointments unchanged would have negative consequences on the commission’s success.
“Lopsided appointments, to say the least, is unbecoming of the Tinubu administration and we are disenchanted by this action,” Oibe said.
“Leaving these appointments unchanged will have negative consequences for the commission’s success and encourages religious divisions in the region and Nigeria as a whole.
“We call on Tinubu to prioritise unity and inclusivity in his decision-making, especially when it comes to issues of balancing the two religious bodies.”
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Those on the governing boards include Haruna Ginsau as chairman and Abdullahi Ma’ajid as managing director/chief executive officer.
Others are Yahaya Namahe (Sokoto), Aminu Suleiman (Kebbi ), Tijani Kaura (Zamfara), Abdulkadir Usman (Kaduna), Muhammad Wudil (Kano), Shamsu Sule (Katsina), and Nasidi Ali (Jigawa).
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