The Sultan of Sokoto and President of Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’adu Abubakar III, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, have called on President Bola Tinubu to address protesters immediately to avert looming danger.
This was as the clerics called on Nigerians to put an end to the ongoing nationwide protests to enable the government to attend to the issues raised.
The religious leaders made the call on Friday in a statement they jointly signed with the Executive Secretary of NIREC, Prof. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua.
On Thursday, being the first day of the protests, they had appealed to Nigerians to shun the protests and dialogue with the government.
The statement on Thursday said, “With the ongoing protests in Nigeria and the information reaching His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, JNI, he once again appeals to the protest conveners, their covert and overt benefactors, as well as other critical stakeholders to sheath their swords and urgently come to the table for dialogue.
“We genuinely feared escalation to an uncontrollable scenario and the reports are tilting towards that.
“Therefore, we in the name of Allah, the Most High, call for an end to the snowballing rampaging, in the name of protest.”
The statement further read, “We should all understand that there must be a stable country called Nigeria, before we can proudly call ourselves Nigerians.
“With tomorrow being Friday, Jumu’ah mosque Imams and Muslim leaders are implored to calm nerves and call on the Ummah to appreciate peace rather than chaotic state of affairs, which may even deny us congregational prayers…..
“Nevertheless, the Sultan of Sokoto, implores the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria to address the nation, by assuring all Nigerians that peace, security, stability, relief to hardship and food security would be achieved under his stewardship, in-sha’Allah.
“Likewise, State Governors should also calm nerves, as silence is no longer golden at this moment of anxiety.”
“In this time of challenge, we pray for guidance, protection, good health, and peace for all leaders, and for tranquillity to prevail in Nigeria.
“May Allah, the Highest, also provide the quickest relief to all problems bedevilling the Nigerian state. Aamin,” the statement ended.
However, as more protests rocked the country, a statement on Friday said, “The NIREC observes with heavy heart the happenings in the country at the moment. The protest that commenced in a peaceful manner on Thursday, August 1, 2024 despite pleas from all quarters, took a turn for the worse and became violent later in the day.
“In just a few hours lives and property were lost due to this unfortunate scenario,” the statement read.
“NIREC hereby calls on fellow citizens of Nigeria to please call off this protest and give the government a chance to redeem itself.
“In just one day lives and enormous amounts of property have been destroyed. Imagine if this continues for a prolonged period of time, only God knows the extent of damage that would be incurred,” the council said.
It also urged the security agencies to be more professional in the discharge of their duties.
NIREC urged the government to expedite action towards meeting the yearnings and needs of the citizens.
“We need a peaceful and tranquil nation we can be proud to call our own,” NIREC said.
The protests have continued with violence and looting already recorded in Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kano, Abuja, and some parts of the country already.
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