Don’t Hold Census During Ramadan, Council Of Ulamas Begs FG

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*Demands sacking of bad eggs in security agencies

*Says old, new Naira notes should be allowed to circulate

By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON

While admitting that census is a very important activity in any country which  provides governments with  information and data necessary for development, the Council of Ulama of Nigeria  has appealed to the Federal Government not to hold the scheduled  2023 exercise during the month of Ramadan 

 The council made the appeal in a communique issued after its  Annual General Meeting (AGM,  held at the National Headquarters of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI)   on February 16 and 17,  2023, signed by its National Secretary, Professor Muhammad S. Abubakar.

“The Council is fully in support  of the exercise, but the timing is wrong as it will involve Ramadan period. 

“The  Council therefore, calls for little adjustment so that Muslims can fully participate without any hindrance,” the group said.

The meeting was attended by Muslim Scholars, Imams, and Academician across the states of the federation and Abuja. 

It explained that the participants  had exhaustive  deliberations on a number of issues at the end of which the following 

observations were made.

“The insecurity challenges pervading the country for over a decade now accounting for unquantifiable losses, human and material is a great concern to 

all Nigerians;

“The new policy of Naira redesignation is inherently not a bad idea.The Council 

however condemns the refusal of the CBN to release adequate quantity of the new notes, a phenomenon that has thrown most Nigerians into unmitigated 

hardship;.

“Nigeria’s’general elections are commencing from 25th February 2023 in sha Allah. Eighteen political parties have combed every nook and cranny of the 

country canvassing for votes;

“It is a matter for great concern that the prices of petroleum products especially  the PMS and the diesel are becoming prohibitive. Nigerians are torn between  subsidy removal, deregulation and refinery maintenance,” the communique said.

The Ulamas lamented that the perennial conflict between farmers and herders and by extensions the recent  unprovoked attack on innocent herders which  led to the death of about forty  persons and undisclosed number of cows at Rukubi village in Doma Local 

Government Area of Nasarawa State is unacceptable;

“So far tens of thousands of human lives and animals worth Trillions of Naira have  been lost in the ensuing conflict between herders and farmers;

“The unparallel courage and doggedness of His excellency Babagana Umara  Zulum of Borno State in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency and its  consequences, particularly the rehabilitation of the IDPs and empowering themis 

highly commendable,” the communique said.

The Council  therefore, called on the government to massively recruit security personnel,to  embark on pre-emptive attacks within the bandits hide out, to adequately equip and train them, to improve on their welfare and intelligence gathering, and to rid  the services of bad and rotten eggs among them;

They also called for the lifting of all  deadlines imposed on currency retrieval and that the old and new currencies should be allowed to run concurrently until the old currency is completely phased out;

“The Council calls on the CBN to make the new currencies available in large  quantity throughout the country and without any restrictions. 

“For instance,there is one senatorial zone with twelve local governments and  only two have banks.In such cases no amount of Naira swap can solve their problems,” they said.

On the general elections, the council equally called on INEC to remain an impartial umpire for the  exercise to be free, fair and credible.

“The security agents are also called upon to selflessly superintend the conduct of all the elections and to contain any  miscreant or trouble shooter whose conduct is inimical to the successful elections;

“We call on the contestants to be good winners and good losers. those defeated should follow the appropriate legal channels to channel their grievances. While  the winners should refrain from provocative and dishonorable behavior. 

“Nigerians are also strongly urged to come out in their multitudes and exercise  their franchise without succumbing to the highest bidder,” the Ulamas said.

The Council called for the urgent redress of fuel scarcity and the escalation of its  prices. 

“As a matter of urgency, constructed private refineries should be allowed  to commence operation to save our foreign reserves,” they added.

The Council backed the idea of ‘ranching’ (Ruga) which they said  is a global best  practice. 

“No matter what is spent along that line is not worth losing a single life,” the communique pointed out. 

They also called on the federal government to institute a high judicial panel of  enquiry to dig out the perpetrators of Rukubi crime and get them punished

accordingly.

The Council urged Muslims to pray for the defeat of Boko Haram insurgents and the success of Governor Zulum in tackling their menace and capacity to 

settle all the IDPs.

The Council of Ulama  commiserated with their brothers and sisters in Turkey and Syria over the devastating earthquake that shattered the two countries. 

“The Council requests Muslims all over the world to extend the hand of  brotherhood by conveying relief materials to the victims and praying for the  departed souls,” it concluded.

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