The Civic Conscience Global Initiative (CCGI) as described as very worrisome the state of Nigeria in the past few years, particularly the spate of insecurity and religious killings in the country that include the recent gruesome murder of one Miss Deborah Samuel, a 200 level economics student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, by some of her colleagues who are Islamic extremists.
Prof. Idowu Shobowale, a renowned newspaper columnist and scholar, in his speech at the recent press briefing on the state of the nation organized by the Civic Conscience Global Initiative (CCGI), in Lagos, said the events leading to the Nigeria civil war in 1966 seem a child play when compared with the present happenings in the country, remarking that insecurity had reached its highest level in the history of Nigeria as a nation.
Prof. Idowu Shobowale (m) flanked by Rev. Solomon Adegbolagun and Dr. Bolaji Akinyemi at the briefing
Prof. Shobowale pointed at the problem of forced unity in a nation being ruled by two constitutions as one as the bane of the country. He added that the smuggling of the Islamic Sharia law into the Nigerian Constitution was the cause of the divisions among Nigerians.
“Those who smuggled it in had a hidden intention and those who saw the evil or danger inherent in it, out of fear of losing out kept quiet. The same attitude goes on today and unless the fraud is arrested boldly and firmly, the recurring Stone Age jungle justice will continue in our beloved Nation Nigeria.” the Prof. warned.
Shobowale, the CCGI chairman and one-time prolific columnist in Vanguard newspaper, citing some cases of religious killings in the Nigeria in the past before the latest murder of Deborah Samuel by some Islamic fanatics, said the Civil Conscience Global Initiative (CCGI) is concerned with the deteriorating value for human life in Nigeria and traumatized by the unending cases of religious killings in the country, particularly of Christians by Islamic fanatics in the country.
The CCGI chairman therefore condemned the murder of Deborah Samuel by some student Islamic fanatics and also called the attention of the global community to the protest for the release of certain persons arrested in connection with the crime
“The killing of Deborah Samuel a 200 level student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, speaks volume for our constitution, rule of law and administration of justice. We therefore condemn the killing of Deborah Samuel. We also need to call the attention of the global community to the protest for the release of certain persons who were arrested in connection with the crime,” the veteran columnist appealed
While further seeking justice for the slain Deborah; a Christian, by some student Muslim fanatics, Shobowale said the practice of Islam in Nigeria is more political than religious and described as fallacy the pointing at religion as the reason for Deborah’s murder by her fellow students.
“That religion is the reason is a fallacy (because) well-meaning Muslims have come out to condemn the killing; notable among them are His Excellency, Aminu Tambuwal, the Executive Governor of Sokoto state and the Supreme Leader of Islam in Nigeria to whom all Muslims must defer in all matters of their religion. Diverse as the many faces in the video (of Deborah’s killing) are, are reasons for which the blue murder was committed. The question on many lips is that when will the next one happen? This lack of hope in us as a nation, we must rise to disappoint those who have the urge to continue to kill senselessly,” the retired university don stated.
The Civic Conscience Global Initiative (CCGI) then demanded the prosecution of the arrested initiators in Deborah’s class and their collaborators who took the law into their hands to kill her. “We can’t feign ignorance of separation that Islam expected between male and female, nor are we ready to be pretentious about the rights of every Christian, may we therefore recommend that Christian students be given exclusively their faith educational facility where the hope of ignorantly annoying the faith of Muslims would not exist. Give Nigerian one mutually agreed constitution where peace and justice truly reigns,” the CCGI finally demanded.
(L-R) Bishop Funsho Awe, Rev. Solomon Adegbolagun, Prof. Idowu Shobowale, Rev. Odofin and Dr. Bolaji Akinyemi at the briefing