Edo State Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has identified the teaching of religious knowledge as a compulsory subject in schools is a way to achieve peaceful coexistence in the country, explaining that religious knowledge would create a foundation for a fair and just society where everybody has a reason to remain loyal to the nation state.
He made the assertion while declaring open the annual general meeting of the National Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Benin City on Saturday,
Governor Adams Oshiomhole said, “I think the way to go is to of religion in our schools, whether Islam or Christianity, in our primary schools, in our secondary schools, and even in our universities. It should be a compulsory subject because if people are simply worthy in learning, but not worthy in character, society will not know peace, and we will continue to be detained by these sentiments that are extremely unhelpful to the unity of our great country. I believe one way to achieve peace whether between Muslims and Christians, or within Muslims and Muslim or within Christians and Christians is for us to create a foundation for a fair and just society where everybody has a reason to remain loyal to the nation state.”
The Governor said, “I believe gatherings of this nature are important in our efforts at building a peaceful nation, a just society and a nation whose citizens are guided by the fear of God in all that we do, a nation whose leaders will have their decisions by the fear of God, and the revelations in the two main holy documents, the holy Koran and the Bible. If we are guided by the fear of God, our policy choices will naturally be pro-people and we will measure our failures in terms of the extent to which our actions in government impact on the quality of life of the generality of our people. I believe no onpeople. I believe no one can practice what he doesn’t know. And therefore, a gathering such as this which enables us to be reminded about the injunctions of the almighty God, for me, will always be helpful.”
According to him, “People should be judged by their actions. It is because we have freedom to call ourselves whatever we want to call ourselves, including freedom of association and freedom of worship, without interrogating the quality of that worship and the content of what we do, all manner of people can wear all kinds of labels. But when they so misbehave, they should be so described as an individual. So, Pastor King has been confirmed a murderer, not Christians as murderers. I think by the same logic, when a man or a woman who as well claims to be a Muslim, whether as an individual or as a group, is found guilty of killing any other person, it is not Muslims that have killed. It is that individual that is a criminal and he should be so described as such.”
He continued, “I know based on my own life experience and based on the declaration of Philadelphia in 1919 under the United Nations that poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere. Those who are poor will never allow those who are rich to enjoy their wealth if we don’t find a way to keep the poor busy and give them a reason not to disturb the rich. And the foundation for that is to create opportunity for the children of the poor to have equal access to quality basic free and compulsory education, because without skills no two hands can feed one mouth. But when God created us, I believe he designed us in a way that for every one mouth he created, he created two hands, but if those hands are unskilled, they will be too weak to feed one mouth. If they are properly skilled, the quality of that skill and the opportunity that exists for him to apply those skills would determine the quality of life of each and every human being.”
He maintained, “So, what we have done in Edo State is to restore integrity to public schools so that you don’t have the kind of society where on the one hand, you have the dynasty of the poor, when a labourer gives birth to another labourer who in turn gives birth to another labourer to another labourer, and you have the dynasty of the poor. And then the rich give birth to rich children who then become a perpetuation of the elite. When you have such a divided society, you cannot have peace. But for me, these things are not happening out of ignorance nor are we going to expect change through sermonizing. I think democracy must compel rulers to behave responsibly, and the good news is that the poor are more in number, and therefore, they have the number to hire and fire political leaders if we allow the votes to count.”
The Governor said, “So, in Edo State, we have tried to deal with crisis of inequality by using the instrument of government to restore integrity to public schools, ensure that our teachers are paid as and when due. All the teachers in Edo State are paid before the last working day of the month because my belief is that if government defaults in every other aspect of its obligation to its citizens, it must never default in its obligation to impact knowledge on our young people. Somehow, we have challenges in balancing the teaching of religious knowledge in our schools. It is easy for most people to read the Bible because the Bible is written in English, even though increasingly, we have seen some pastors who choose to interpret the Bible upside down, depending on their political objective. But we have also agreed, having carried out some investigations that we do not have enough Islamic teachers in our primary schools and in our secondary schools.”
Therefore, he disclosed, “So, I have formally invited the Supreme Council on Islamic Affairs to give us a list of people who are qualified and knowledgeable, and not only knowledgeable in Islamic affairs, but capable of teaching, because it is not everybody that understands a subject that can teach it. Teaching is a profession. And I have assured his Eminence that this month, we want to have these people in our pay roll so that we will begin to pay them, so that in every school, we should have Islamic teachers, just like we have those who teach Bible knowledge. When we have this level of exposure of our children at primary and secondary school levels, I believe they will be well equipped to understand why God is one, and if we believe in him, and act according to his ways, we have a fair society.”
He concluded, “On the election, I believe it will be peaceful, your Eminence, because we launched one-man one-vote in this State, because somehow, in this state, like many other states, results were being awarded according to the power that be, and people celebrate electoral fraud the way they celebrate the birth of a new baby. We have fought them and returned power to the people such that in spite of the misuse of the armed forces in the last election, we still tried to fight back to ensure that substantially, one-man one-vote prevailed, although to a limited extent. In terms of electioneering, only a stammerer will run away from a debate. We are capable of presenting our scorecard. So, I believe the election will be peaceful because that is our strength. If they are not peaceful, our people cannot vote. I want to believe that the security agents, given that it is an isolated election, and Edo is not surrounded by creeks, I believe that the police and other security agencies will ensure there is a peaceful atmosphere so that one-man one-vote will prevail.”
Also speaking, the President General of the National Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs and Sultan of Sokoto, his Eminence Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III said, “If a state which is dominated by our people, our brothers and sisters, of Christian faith, can host such a meeting, then of course, we are getting nearer and nearer to the desired goal of unity in our country, of brotherhood in our country, of peaceful coexistence in our country, and of course of total development of our country, because without peace and stability, there will be no development.”
He said, “Your Excellency, please extend our gratitude to the government and people of Edo State for hosting us. That goes to show the peace and stability we have in Edo State. We are our brothers’ keepers and we feel so free, and I believe the serious meetings we have had also in Sokoto, in Kano and other Muslim dominated cities and states of our country by Christian groups also shows we can go anywhere and hold our meetings peacefully. That is the message we should continue to send to everybody. We must be allowed to go freely to anywhere we want to go in this country and do what we should do, either Muslims or Christians, or Yorubas or Ibos or Hausas and also as Fulanis.”
According to the Sultan, “As Muslims we want a very peaceful and stable Nigeria. As Muslims, we believe we must stay together as one big family, as so designed by almighty Allah who put Nigeria together. As Muslims, we want to be treated equally, fairly with equal justice for all of us. We are not asking for any special treatment. Government at all levels should treat Muslims very fairly. Whatever is due to Muslims must be given to Muslims, and when we are given what we should have, it is not a favour to us. It is our right, and we hold on to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that guarantees freedom of worship. And that is why we don’t disturb anybody that wants to go and worship the way he wants. Nigeria is a multi-religious state, not a secular state. And being a multi-religious state, we must allow the various religions to go on. But we must not trample on each other’s right.”
Finally, he said, “While we wish Edo State the best especially in these trying times, about their electioneering, they are having their election next month, September 10, to be exact, we wish them well. Like I told the Governor yesterday, the people should choose who they want, and their voices must be heard and their votes should count. And I think that is what we want in a democracy. We want to use this opportunity to offer our condolence on the passing away of the Oba of Benin and also look forward to the coronation of the new Oba of Benin. The Muslim community wishes you the best, and the incoming Oba all the best. We will continue to support the Oba, to support the government for them to have peace and stability in Edo State, because peace in Edo means peace in a part of Nigeria, and peace in
Nigeria means peace for all of us.”
At the beginning, the Chief Imam of Benin Central mosque, Mallam Abdulfatai Enabulele offered fervent prayers for the success of the event.
