NSCIA, CAN shun religion c’ttee, submit no memo

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) have not submitted memoranda to the National Conference Committee on Religion.

Findings by Daily Trust at the conference secretariat revealed that the two religious groups though have six delegates each to the conference, yet they have not submitted any memo to the committee.

Daily Trust gathered that the absence of any memo from the two major religious blocks have been a source of concern for the committee which led a co-chairman of the committee Nuruddeen Lemu raising the issue during a meeting between committee chairmen and the conference principal officers last Monday.

Lemu asked the secretariat management whether CAN and NSCIA have forwarded their memoranda to it, particularly as the committees round off their work tomorrow.

It was gathered also that most delegates representing the religious bodies at the conference have not selected the religion committee with some of them complaining when they were co-opted into it.

The Secretary General of the NSCIA Professor Ishaq Oloyede, who is leading the Muslim group to the conference, protested his inclusion as member of the religion committee.

A source said Oloyede wrote the secretariat complaining that he didn’t want religion committee instead he wanted to serve on committee on law, judiciary and human rights. But his request was rejected by the secretariat.

Both CAN and NSCIA have been engaged in war of words over chairmanship and even membership of religion committee they decided not to send memo to.

The conference was also embroiled in confusion after its inauguration, over religious-related issues that included composition of delegates, mode of prayer, places of worship, among others.

Also, other delegates with specific concerns have also refused to serve on committees that have direct bearing on their concerns.

It was gathered that the entire South East delegates at the conference shunned committee on environment even though their region is facing serious dangers of erosion, among others.

Instead, majority of the South East delegates selected committees on devolution of power and political restructuring and forms of government apparently to canvass for additional state for the region.