The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has
endorsed the ‘Islamic agenda’, saying that keying into it will be
beneficiary to Nigerians in general.
Osinbajo, made this disclosure while was
speaking in Lagos, during the Greater Nigeria Pastors Conference,
convened by Apostle Wale Adefarasin and Rev. Abayomi Kasali.
Osinbajo said: “Part of the problem is
the failure of Christian leadership to take its rightful place. We focus
our minds on something we call the Islamic agenda. We look for it
everywhere, as if we are looking for demons.
“But where is the Christian agenda. Are
we not entitled to one? We are too divided as Christians to have an
agenda. The key to the unity and progress of Nigeria is in the church.”
According to him, there were no plans to
Islamise Nigeria through the Sukuk bond or the country’s membership of
the Islamic Development Bank.
He said that apart
from Nigeria, many nations of the world including the United States of
America and the United Kingdom, had also embraced the system as a result
of its progressive nature.
His words: “The Sukuk is an Islamic
concept, which enables people to have access to credit. It is
essentially like a bond. The US, UK, China, South Africa have all used
the Sukuk. Once there is money in the market, let us not get
sentimental. The most important thing is for us to use those monies
well.
“Some people say there are some hidden
things in this arrangement, and that one day somebody is going to take
us over. Where? How will that happen? These are straightforward
financial systems used all over the world. I do not think it presents
any real problem. It is a very progressive financial system.
“Nigeria became a member of the Islamic
Development Bank in 2005 and the first person to sit as Director of the
Bank, was Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The second person to sit as a Director,
is the current Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, and both of them are
Christians. So, when people talk about Islamic agenda, sometimes I am
lost.
“The person who brought us into the Bank
is not a Fulani or Northerner, the person was a Christian, so why are
we complaining? Nigeria is the fourth largest shareholder in the Islamic
Bank. This was not Buhari’s making. We must have facts before saying
things. But above all, we must ask ourselves, if being a member of the
Bank profits us or not.
“For me, I have no problem with this. We can use what we get there to develop our society. This is the most important for me.
Osinbajo accused the country’s elite of working against the progress of the country.
While calling on citizens to support the
current administration in its fight against corruption, the Vice
President said that Nigeria was at the threshold of history, and would
soon fulfill its full potential.
He stated: “We must deal with corruption
decisively. It is created by leadership elite that includes not just
politicians, but also religious leaders and people in the private
sector. We must also deal with tribalism, religion, and other parochial
tendencies. It is difficult to find national leaders today. Many
Nigerians speak from a tribal perspective.
“There is no nation on the face of the
earth that would survive under the weight of corruption that our country
had gone through. Nigeria’s elite, regardless of political, religious,
or ethnic differences, think alike. They are driven largely by the same
motive.
“They are selfish, unprepared to make
the sacrifices either in service or self-restraint that leaders of
successive societies make. High-level corruption knows no religion,
ethnicity or other considerations.
“Corrupt elements in our society are
united; they fight for each other and are prepared to go down together.
They are actually one tribe, indivisible despite their diversity.
“We have to address the issue of
corruption pointedly. The system is corrupt. Corruption is generally the
rule in our society. This is a time to build. We can become Africa’s
most productive nation in the very near future.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment