The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the North West Zone, has kicked against non representation of Christians in the governing board of the North West Development Commission (NWDC).
President Bola Tinubu had on September 28, submitted names of members of the Governing Board of the Commission to the Senate for confirmation.
Those nominated by the President include Haruna Ginsau (Jigawa state) as Chairman and Prof. Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji (Kano state) as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer.
Other members include Dr. Yahaya Namahe (Sokoto ), Aminu Suleiman (Kebbi ), Tijani Kaura (Zamfara), Abdulkadir Usman (Kaduna), Muhammad Wudil (Kano), Shamsu Sule (Katsina), and Nasidi Ali (Jigawa).
However, in a statement on Saturday in Kaduna, Elder Sunday Oibe, North West Zonal Chairman of CAN, said the appointments did not reflect the diversity in the region.
Oibe condemned the non inclusion of a representative of the indigenous Hausa/Fulani Christians in the region. .
He said there are indigenous Hausa/Fulani Christians in all the states that made up the North West region.
Oibe maintained that by excluding Christians from the appointment, President Tinubu has started manifesting the Muslim- Muslim ticket he promoted during the 2023 presidential election.
According to him, Christians in the North West, “are deeply concerned about the recent appointments, stressing that it is unfortunate that appointments did not reflect the diversity in the region.”
The statement called on the President to take note of the fact that “there are indigenous Christians in all the states that make up the North West – Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.
“It should not be assumed that the entire population in the North West are muslims.
“Lopsided appointments, to say the least, is unbecoming of the Tinubu administration and we are disenchanted by this action.”
Oibe called for inclusivity and fair representation of Christians in the board of the NWDC.
The statement urged the President to review the appointments and make necessary adjustments to ensure balanced representation.
“Leaving these appointments unchanged will have negative consequences for the commission’s success and encourages religious divisions in the region and Nigeria as a whole.
“We call on Tinubu to prioritise unity and inclusivity in his decision-making, especially when it comes to issues of balancing the two religious bodies…”