Fani-Kayode to Sultan, Tinubu: Publicly caution Jingir before it’s too late

….Condemns cleric’s reported remarks, urges religious leaders to defend peaceful coexistence

Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has called on the Sultan of Sokoto and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to publicly caution Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir over comments attributed to the Islamic cleric concerning Christians and Christianity.

Fani-Kayode made the call in a lengthy statement titled “The Gospel According to Sheik Jingir,” in which he expressed concern over the potential consequences of what he described as inflammatory religious rhetoric.

The former minister said he was particularly disturbed by Jingir’s reported declaration that he had “no regrets” over statements he allegedly made at a recent public event.

Fani-Kayode said the remarks had generated strong reactions from both Christians and Muslims, adding that he had spoken with several Northern Muslim governors and a prominent Muslim cleric who, according to him, were also concerned about the comments.

He commended the Sultan of Sokoto for recently urging Christians and Muslims not to insult one another, describing the intervention as “fatherly counsel” that had helped calm tensions.

“I have immense respect and deep affection for the Sultan of Sokoto, the leader of the Muslim community in Nigeria, who urged Christians and Muslims not to insult one another a few days ago at a security conference in Abuja,” Fani-Kayode said.

He maintained that Nigerians should not allow religious differences to destroy the country’s unity, stressing that Christians and Muslims deserved equal respect.

“I am a Nigerian Christian and I deserve to be respected for who and what I am just as every Nigerian Muslim deserves to be respected for who and what he is as well,” he said.

Fani-Kayode said his position was not based on hostility towards Islam, stressing that he had consistently opposed attempts by adherents of either faith to demean the other.

“I have equal contempt for every Christian that seeks to demean, slander and disrespect Islam as I do for every Muslim that seeks to do same to Christianity,” he said.

Muslim-Muslim ticket

The former minister also addressed the 2023 Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, saying his support for the ticket did not mean that Christians had agreed to subordinate their faith to Islam.

He said he supported the ticket because he believed competence, rather than religious affiliation, should guide political choices.

According to him, Christians and Muslims should be regarded as equal citizens whose religious choices must be respected.

“Our belief is that these two great faiths are on an equal footing and that neither is superior to the other. We believe that religion is a matter of choice and that we have an obligation as Believers to respect one another and respect those choices,” he said.

Fani-Kayode argued that remarks suggesting Christians were inferior or should leave the country if they were uncomfortable with a Muslim-Muslim ticket were unacceptable.

He said such comments could also damage the political cause they were purportedly intended to support.

“Let me make this clear and I speak for millions: with those few words spoken at that public event which was televised before millions of Nigerians and members of the international community, Jingir has done more harm to the Muslim/Muslim ticket that he claims to support than anything and anyone else,” he said.

Maitatsine reference

Fani-Kayode also criticised a reported claim linking the Maitatsine sect with Christians.

He argued that violent extremist groups should not be associated with either Christianity or Islam, noting that victims of sectarian violence have included adherents of different faiths.

He said Nigerians, including religious and political leaders, should unite against violent extremism irrespective of the religion of those responsible.

Fani-Kayode further urged Nigerians to preserve what he described as the “delicate balance” of peaceful coexistence and respectful rhetoric between Christians and Muslims.

“We must maintain the delicate balance of love, peaceful co-existence and respectful rhetoric between us all,” he said.

He warned that religious extremism and intolerance could have devastating consequences for the country and urged political and religious leaders to act responsibly.

Call for intervention

Fani-Kayode subsequently made a direct appeal to the Sultan and the President to intervene.

“I call on His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto and the President of our beloved country, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to publicly caution him before it is too late,” he said.

He said the issue should not be viewed merely through the prism of party politics, stressing that the preservation of peace and national unity should take precedence.

“This is not about politics or party: it is about humanity and the preservation of the peace and unity of our beloved country,” he said.

Fani-Kayode also called on the authorities to respond to what he described as inciting rhetoric, arguing that religious leaders and political actors had a responsibility to prevent statements capable of provoking conflict.

He said Nigerians were already dealing with numerous economic and security challenges and should not be subjected to additional religious tension.

Jokolo’s intervention

The former minister also cited comments attributed to Alhaji Mustapha Jokolo, former Emir of Gwandu, who he said had criticised Jingir’s reported remarks.

According to Fani-Kayode, Jokolo argued that Islamic teachings support peaceful coexistence with Christians and people of other faiths.

Jokolo reportedly referred to historical accounts involving the Prophet Muhammad and Christians, stressing the need to respect Christian worship and property.

He was also quoted as saying that leaders who witnessed Jingir’s reported comments should have called him to order, while urging relevant authorities to take steps against statements capable of provoking violence.

Jokolo, according to the statement, also urged Islamic bodies to distance themselves from remarks that could create tension between Muslims and Christians.

Fani-Kayode said Jokolo’s intervention demonstrated that opposition to religious intolerance was not confined to Christians.

“Real Muslims, like their Christian counterparts, are filled with the light of courage, faith, love and knowledge and not the darkness of fear, despair, hate and ignorance,” he said.

‘We are one’

Fani-Kayode reiterated his long-standing message of national unity, saying Nigerians should focus on their common humanity rather than religious differences.

He said his motto over the past six years had been “We Are One”, arguing that Nigerians should be bound together by their shared pursuit of justice, decency and peaceful coexistence.

He urged both Christians and Muslims to reject individuals who seek to use religion to create division.

“We want peace and peaceful co-existence in Nigeria and we must do all we can to foster, encourage and preserve it,” he said.

Fani-Kayode said he would continue to defend his faith while also respecting the rights of Muslims to practise theirs.

He maintained that no political ambition or appointment should compel Nigerians to compromise their religious convictions.

The former minister concluded by urging President Tinubu, the Sultan and other national leaders to take steps to prevent religious rhetoric from escalating into a wider crisis.

He said Nigeria could not afford further division along religious or ethnic lines, stressing that the country’s future depended on tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.