Responding in a telephone interview last night, NIREC co-chairman, Pastor Oritsejafor thanked the Sultan, who he described as a personal friend, for endeavoring to speak out at last, saying that the whole nation had been awaiting his comments on the two vexed issues of Boko Haram and Islamic banking.

“You know I respect the Sultan a great deal because he is a man who means well for the country just like some of us. We will continue to be friends because the only way this country can make appreciable progress is by stretching a hand of fellowship across the Niger and building blocks of unity for future generations,” stated Oritsejafor who just finished a NEC meeting of CAN in Abuja.

“So, I thank him immensely for his eventual comments about the two controversial issues. However, I dare say that I was a bit surprised that the Sultan, who is respected across the country, failed to address the two cardinal issues involved in the controversial Islamic banking before he concluded that it has come to stay,”

For the avoidance of doubt, “Christians in Nigeria are not against the Muslims as people have made the generality of Nigerians to believe. We are not against Muslims. In fact, it the Christians that have always been at the receiving end of every violence that has taken place in parts of the North.

“Let it also be known that we are not against Islamic banking per se. What we have said thus far, is that there are two issues that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, governor must address properly before the introduction of non-interest banking as against Islamic banking.

“One, we have continued to frown at the way the CBN governor who is being paid by tax payers’ money is championing the course of Islamic banking in isolation of other non-interest banking. We are against Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi using state funds to promote Islamic banking as though that is the only form of non-interest banking. It is against the spirit of the Nigerian Constitution.

“He should allow people who are interested in Islamic banking to use their money to sell their manifesto to Nigerians with a view to wooing them to accept that form of banking which is different from what they used to know,” he explained.

According to Oritsejafor “the other issue that my very good friend failed to address has to do with the guidelines the CBN governor had put in place for the issuance of licence for non-interest banking in the country which is different from that for Islamic banking. In every sector of the nation’s economy including the education sector, there are uniform guidelines for the registration or operating license. For instance, any Nigerian applying to the National Universities Commission, NUC, for licence to establish a university, irrespective of its leanings, is required to adhere to a uniform set of guidelines before its registration. There are no rules for Islamic university and another for a Christian university.

“[b]But the CBN governor has failed, thus far, to explain to the nation why he is putting up a different guideline for Islamic banking and another one for other forms of non-interest banking. This is in addition to a proposed establishment of a Shari’a Council of Experts to be based at the CBN [/b]to monitor the operations of the Islamic banking and we have asked; is this what operates in all the countries in the world where Islamic banking operates?”

texazzpete:

At every turn, thiss man speaks from a position of ignorance. I'm deeply dissapointed in him for these words.
There are too many holes in his argument.Has he even taken time out to discuss with the CBN?

texazzpete:

At every turn, thiss man speaks from a position of ignorance. I'm deeply dissapointed in him for these words.
There are too many holes in his argument.Has he even taken time out to discuss with the CBN?

1025:

when ribadu and el rufai ran away from justice, we had a president who could stop all cases against them and closed all charges levelled against them. when yerima a senator married an under aged girl, where was our president? on this issue of boko haram and islamic banking, what is our president saying? when nigerians were shouting down pdp and their game plans, i remembered vividly that the CAN president did not hide his position in making sure that a christian rules.
selfishness is a natural thing so let us leave the muslims to their fate and practices while we face our own religion. we as christians cannot continue calling them(muslims) violent knowing too well that provocation in its own is not good.
i personally wanted the northerners to conclude their 8 yrs in the second term but obasanjo in his criminalities would never let nigerians be.
as good christians, we must not hide under our religion in our bids to cheat others. let jonathan come out with his own position on programmes that will ensure equality among the regions of this country. let there be a written agreement that will give pdp no chance to play their dirty games.
how in the name of God will a self-acclaimed christian support pdp in the face of all these sufferings in the country since 1999? what ever happens to change?
if obasanjo as a christian from the west could rule nigeria for 8 years, what stops the northerners or muslims from ruling for 8 yrs?
i am from imo state and i believe for us to have true peace in nigeria, we must drop any form of hypocrisy.

Akanbi_edu:

The sultan shouldn't reply that non-entity that calls himself CAN president abegi.

Igi imu jina s'ori. Egbe isu ko ni iyan.

proO1:

This response is too guarded. . .too politically correct. It is almost as if he is afraid of offending the Sultan. This is not good enough. That Sultan must be put in his place. Tepid and timid responses like this will only serve to reinforce the sultan's overbloated sense of importance. Who the hell does he think he is? CAN should prepare a more forceful response and rebuke the Sultan thoroughly for his nonsensical statements defending Boko Haram and Islamic banking. He is a big shame to the traditional istitution and he embodies all that is wrong with Islam.

texazzpete:

At every turn, thiss man speaks from a position of ignorance. I'm deeply dissapointed in him for these words.
There are too many holes in his argument.Has he even taken time out to discuss with the CBN?

0lumide:



More like you need to take your time to read his post and post the holes you found and why they are holes in the argument and not ones in your head!!!