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Reinstate Dariye, Northern Christians urge Aso Rock
• AD also demands his return
By Sukuji Bakoji
Bureau
Chief (Kaduna)
And Lekan Sanni
Correspondent
(Lagos)
Spiritual
Northern Christian elders teamed up with secular Alliance for Democracy (AD) at
the weekend and implored Aso Rock to re-instate suspended Plateau State
Governor Joshua Dariye and other democratic apparati in the state at the
expiration of the six-month emergency rule on November 18.
The
spiritual fervour to the call, already made by several personalities and other
groups, was added by the Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) after
a meeting in Kaduna.
Mounting
its own pressure from the political perspective in Lagos, the AD demanded that
Dariye and all the democratic fibre should be restored in accordance with the
Constitution and the wishes of the majority of Nigerians.
A
statement signed by AD National Publicity Secretary Dayo Adeyeye said the party
is against attempts by Abuja to prevent Dariye’s return “in the
name of fighting a corruption”, which is “a charade and an
instrument of blackmail”.
The
Christian elders, in a communique issued at the end of a conference in Kaduna,
both decried the imposition of the state of emergency on May 18 by President
Olusegun Obasanjo and insisted that there is no justification to extend it.
Those
who attended the conference included former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, former
Defence Minister Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, Chief Road Marshal Haladu Hananiya,
K. Adeyanju and Paul Tarfa.
They
condemned the high level of discrimination on religious basis in some Northern
states where Christians have been treated as second class citizens, claiming
that “it is easier for the proverbial camel to pass through the eye of
the needle than for Christians to secure a plot of land to build
churches”.
The
Christians canvassed quality of education in the country at large, urging the
Federal Government to ensure that 25 per cent of its annual budget is devoted
to the development of the sector as recommended by the United Nations.
Former
Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin and National University of Lesotho,
Southern Africa, Adamu Baikie, said at the occasion that education should
inspire its recipients with moral uprightness and dignity of labour.
He
recalled that missionary education in the North “in those days”
prepared its beneficiaries to be prudent and have respect for elders, noting
that the elite today do not believe in Nigeria but what they can garner for
themselves and their families.
Baikie
recommended the teaching of morality and patriotism in the universities and
that students should do part of their studies in the villages, to put into
practice what they have learnt theoretically.
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