The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, on Tuesday, expressed concern about the current security challenges and inadequate power supply in the country.
The council’s President, Sheikh Abdurrasheed Hadiytullah, spoke at a pre-Ramadan meeting held at the JNI headquarters in Kaduna.
Hadiyatullah, while speaking to Muslim ummah including Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, Islamic clerics, and Islamic scholars, appealed to the Federal Government to address corruption decisively and stop leakage and wasteful spending of public funds.
The SCSN boss noted that regular Nigerians were the ones suffering from corruption, leakage, and wastage of resources in the country.
He also urged the Federal Government to reconsider the proposed state police to prevent misuse by politicians.
“The government should carefully consider the potential consequences of the proposed state police to ensure a balance between addressing insecurity, our social cohesion, and the likelihood of misuse for personal and political purposes,” he said.
Hadiyatullah added, “Together, we should continue to appeal to our governments to take concrete steps to tackle the issue of corruption, leakage, and wasteful spending.
“Corruption is like a disease that destroys everything honorable and undermines the principles of good governance. Here, it is completely justified to ask our leaders, why should the ordinary Nigerian bear the burdens of insecurity while trillions are spent on security agencies without positive results or accountability?
“Why should ordinary Nigerians endure hardships due to power outages and the soaring cost of power, with over $20 billion wasted on power without positive results or accountability?
“It is undeniable that we cannot expect solutions to the challenges affecting our lives until our leaders demonstrate the political determination to address the issue of corruption, regardless of when, where, and who is involved.
“We urge the Federal Government to review the neo-liberal economic framework guiding our policies and dismiss the idea of completely abolishing all subsidies and commercializing strategic public agencies, without any form of social safety net to alleviate the resulting terrible consequences on the population.”
He said, “During these difficult times, it is important that we uphold the principles of peace, unity, and understanding. We should discourage resorting to violent protests against the government and strive for dialogue and constructive engagement with governments to address our concerns.
“Islam encourages us to seek solutions to problems with our leaders through peaceful means only. Violence only leads to more violence, and it is our duty as responsible citizens and followers of Islam to promote harmony and stability.
“Together, let us express our grievances through peaceful channels, promoting a culture of tolerance and cooperation for the improvement of our society.
“We urge the Ummah to earnestly pray during this sacred month of Ramadan and beyond for peace in Nigeria, and divine intervention in addressing acts of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, ethno-religious crises, and other criminal activities.
“We should also ask everyone involved, including the government, civil society and the private sector to work together effectively in dealing with the main reasons for insecurity and carrying out complete plans to get rid of it.”
