Jos, 16 August, 2023 / 8:45 pm (ACI Africa).
Members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Nigeria's Lagos State have faulted the Joint Muslim Forum (JMF) for rejecting the state governor's list of cabinet nominees citing underrepresentation.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State released a list of 39 cabinet nominees of which 31 were Christians and eight were Muslims. JMF, an umbrella of over 30 Muslim groups, rejected the list citing religious biases.
Responding to JMF’s claims, Rev. Stephen Adegbite, the Chairman of CAN, Lagos State said, “We would like to make it abundantly clear that JMF’s remarks are not only distasteful and way out of line but they are deeply condescending, and we refuse to accept any form of faith-based bullying behavior, nor would any semblance of such behavior under whatever guise.”
“For any group to turn such a list of political nominees into a religious conversation is uncharitable and should be condemned in its entirety,” Rev. Stephen Adegbite said in a Tuesday, August 15 report.
He added, “Lagos has enjoyed immense peace and prosperity over these years because the managers of its affairs, among many other key elements, have worked tirelessly to insulate the state from any form of religious intolerance or anything close to it.”