By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) has kicked against the alleged “double standard” role of the Federal Government in handling the recent crises and aftermath of the crises in Numan, Adamawa State.
Speaking through its National Amir (President), Muhammad Jameel Muhammad at the opening ceremony of the 104th Islamic Vocation Course (IVC) of B zone of MSSN held at IVC Permanent Camp, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State lamented that it was unfortunate that many Nigerians lost their lives during the two unfortunate incidents in Numan.
He frowned that the way the Federal Government was handling the crises and its aftermath, was to say the least “a double standard”, saying, it was unfortunate that governments at both state and federal levels do not resolve contending issues amicably with relevant stakeholders.
The MSSN Amir maintained that the way and manner issues ranging from recurrent strikes by academic or non-academic staff of higher institutions o sudden radical frustration and dismissal of teachers at the secondary and primary levels are handled coupled with insensitivity with which the education sector in the country ” is handled is alarming, worrisome and demoralizing to the MSSN .
According to the Amir, the purpose of the IVC was to allow Muslims thinkers, intellectuals, scholars and indeed stakeholders from diverse walks of life to robustly and rigorously train the younger and up-coming members on the pristine Islam in the context of certain pertinent and burning national, regional and global issues, with a view to producing outstanding Muslim fortified with the wire withal to withstand the ever increasing, ubiquitous challenges of the present time.
“First, the way and manner in which the federal government is handling the crises and its aftermath in Numan, Adamawa state, is, to say the least, a double standard. Here is a place in which lives of Nigerians were gruesomely lost at two unfortunate incidents.But while the first set of victims were never recognised and may possibly never be at all, the second set of victims attracted the visit of the whole Vice President of the country and a series aids thereafter. This has painted a picture that some animals are more equal than others, as contained in George Owell’s fable, The Animal Farm” he said .
The Amir added that “one of the dangers of such double standard or favoritism is that it pitches Nigerians against themselves on the account that some are favoured while some are disfavoured.
“The danger here is that Nigerians are being pitched against fellow Nigerians on account of being favoured/disfavoured by the same government voted by and tasked with taking care of both. As students, our constituency resides within the educational sector. We are always worried that our governments at both state and federal levels do not resolve contending issues amicably with relevant stakeholders.”
The Amir stressed that “ranging from recurrent strikes by academic or non-academic staff of higher institutions to sudden radical frustration/dismissal of teachers at the secondary and primary levels, the insensitivity with which the education sector in our country is handled is alarming, worrisome and demoralizing to us as students ‘ and that ” in all such cases, the schools that are the only symbol of governmental presence in most localities become abandoned by teachers, making us, students, more vulnerable before the myriad of forces of evil that have pervaded the land.”
“We therefore call on all governments to handle the educational sector with the delicacy and seriousness it deserves. This programme, as is traditional, gathers our thinkers, intellectuals, scholars and indeed stakeholders from diverse walks of life to robustly and rigorously train our younger and up-coming members on the pristine Islam in the context of certain pertinent and burning national, regional and global issues, with a view to producing outstanding Muslim fortified with the wire withal to withstand the ever increasing, ubiquitous challenges of the present time”.
