We Have No Islamisation Agenda, Shettima Tells Nigerians

● Make Nigeria conducive for migrating Nigerians to return, Kukah charges Shettima

The Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima on Saturday has addressed concerns that he and his principal, Bola Tinubu, have an agenda to islamise Nigeria.

Channels Television reports that since Tinubu announced Shettima as his running mate last year, there have been divergent views by different groups and individuals with some alleging that the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) could be a ploy to Islamise Nigeria.

But speaking at a lecture in Abuja forming part of the events around Tinubu’s inauguration on May 29, the incoming Vice President allayed such fears, saying there was no agenda to Islamise Africa’s most populous nation.

He described his principal as a Muslim who is married to a Christian and pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

“I was a child of necessity, there is no Islamisation agenda. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a Muslim who is married to a Christian, not only a Christian but a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

“Someone who has not Islamised his family, people are alluding that he has the intention to Islamise the nation,” he added.

The Vice President-elect revealed that he deliberately picked an Igbo man of the Catholic faith to be his Chief Security Officer.

Also selected as his security aide is a Northerner to be his Aide De Camp (ADC), saying his decision was based on togetherness and inclusivity.

“Politics is about perception. As we begin the formation of a new administration, I deliberately picked an Igbo man, a Catholic, to be my Chief Security Officer,” he stated.

“For the purpose of inclusivity and togetherness, again I deliberately picked a Northern Christian to be my ADC. So the so-called founder of Boko Haram is going to be protected by…”

‘Remove Fuel Subsidy’

Also speaking at the lecture, the President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina has decried the fuel subsidy regime by the Federal Government, saying it only benefits the rich.

Lamenting that the continued payment to subsidise petroleum products was killing the Nigerian economy, Adesina said fuel subsidy gulped $10 billion in 2022 alone.

He explained that Nigeria keeps borrowing for what shouldn’t be borrowed for, advising that such money should be channelled to national development.

“The place to start therefore is to remove the inefficient fuel subsidy. Nigeria’s fuel subsidies benefit the rich, not the poor, fuelling theirs and the government’s endless fleet of cars at the expense of the poor,” he stated.

“Estimates show that the poorest 40 per cent of the population consume just three per cent of petrol.

“Fuel subsidies are killing the Nigerian economy, costing the economy of Nigeria $10 billion in 2022. That means that Nigeria is borrowing what it doesn’t have to borrow.”

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, says the mass exodus of youths from Nigeria seeking greener pastures in more developed nations should not be cause for concern.

Speaking at the 2023 presidential inauguration lecture held in Abuja on Saturday, Kukah said the brain drain otherwise referred to as the Japa syndrome should be welcome development.

The cleric shared his insight on the backdrop of the local and international discourse around a growing interest among Nigerian youths to pursue new economic opportunities in foreign lands.

He argued that Nigerian leaders should be more concerned about making the country more conducive for emigrants to return and develop the country.

“The young Nigerians who are leaving our country, I always say to them, ‘No, I’m not worried. Really, I’m not worried. Let them go, it’s for the good of the country. The challenge for us as Africans is to think the way the Asians have thought,” Kukah said.

“That is, you go to Europe, you go to America, with a purpose, but that purpose means coming back to develop your country. But it also means that that country must create an environment in which you can feel confident to come and present the gift that God has given you.”

Addressing the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, who represented President-elect Bola Tinubu at the event, the bishop advised the leaders of the incoming administration to ensure citizens can have a sense of belonging.

“I have two young men. They are in America; they just finished from a prestigious university. I said, ‘When are you coming home?’ They said, ‘Bishop, coming home to do what?’ I said, ‘No, coming home to….’

“He said, ‘We don’t have an uncle who is a senator; we don’t have anybody in government. What are we coming home to do?’

“So, Mr Vice President-elect, the challenge for you is to make this country believable, liveable, credible, so that all of us, together, can stand in one tent and build a great nation,” the bishop said.

In the struggle with the problems of Nigeria, the cleric held that he remained “exceptionally optimistic”.

Having travelled the world, Kukah noted that people would often ask where he finds the courage to declare that Nigeria is working.

“When I say, ‘Okay, it may not be working, but this is one of the most beautiful countries in the world,’ I’m not being flippant,” he said.

Recalling his time as a student in the United States of America, the bishop spoke about the moment he was offered permanent residence after preaching at a church.

“The parish priest called me and said, ‘Listen, you speak with such eloquence. I like you; we’ll get you a green card. You can settle here in America,’” Kukah told the audience amid applause.

“And I looked at him. I said, ‘You know, this God is a wonderful God. You’re giving me a green card. My passport is actually a green passport. So, what am I doing with a green card?’”

UK Restrictions

The UK government, last Tuesday, announced a package of measures aimed at international students, including a ban on some family members, as ministers come under growing pressure to cut immigration.

Under the new proposals, only students on postgraduate courses designated as research programmes would be able to bring dependants to the UK while they study.

Overseas students will be prevented from switching “out of the student route into work routes” before their studies have been completed.