Christian Leaders Want New Constitution, Probe Of Terrorism

The National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) has said the perennial amendment of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly should cease and that the lawmakers should instead commence work on a new grundnorm for the country.

NCEF insisted that after five alterations to the Constitution without any significant positive impact on the country, the National Assembly should commence work immediately on adopting the report of the 2014 National Conference which included a draft Constitution.

The forum, which stated this at a press conference on the state of the nation in Abuja on Thursday, bemoaned the heightened insecurity in the country, saying it was beyond religious and ethnic rivalry but a case of foreign invasion.

Addressing the press conference, the NCEF chairman, Dr Samuel Gani, said as part of measures to tackle insecurity, there should be an immediate ban on nomadic cattle rearing and that cattle owners should be compelled to set up ranches at their own expense as business entrepreneurs.

He insisted that it should not be the responsibility of the government to fund one enterprise at the expense of other businesses in the country , just as he urged that the RUGA project be abolished as the federal government has no statutory right to allocate land under the Land Use Act.

Gani called on President Bola Tinubu to set forth his agenda for Nigeria instead of following in the infamous footsteps of his predecessor whose tenure brought only grief and penury to Nigerians.

He reiterated the group’s earlier recommendation that Tinubu should appoint a Special Investigator to conduct a Commission of Inquiry into the causes, as well as expose the actors, in the various acts of terrorism and religious insurgency that had overwhelmed Nigeria since 2009.

The former Taraba State deputy governor also called on the ethnic nationalities to assert their right and ownership over their ancestral land and the dominion of their thrones in Nigeria.

“The ethnic socio-cultural groups such as Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Arewa Consultative Forum, Middle Belt Forum, and PANDEF should consider these issues in greater detail.

Nigerians have no problem with each other. It is external forces that are seeking to tear the country apart for hostile takeover of the land and its resources. The demand for devolution of power should be intensified by the ethnic nationalities,” Gani said.

According to him,  Nigeria is facing racial displacement invasion which is responsible for the insecurity in parts of the country,  adding that while every Nigerian is free, according to Section 38 (1) of the Constitution, to express their religious convictions, citizens must be careful not to jeopardise national security under misguided religious fervour.

Gani said the amount of blood that has been shed in Nigeria in violence nvolving indigenous Christians, Muslims, and traditionalists prove that the indigenous ethnic nationalities have the same enemy which is a foreign invader.

“The problem facing Nigeria is a complex one and it is evident that we are facing an organised invasion by foreign forces masquerading as religious extremists. Nigeria is facing a racial and cultural domination agenda disguised as religious intolerance.

“In addition to the wanton murder they announced that they had selected Nigeria as food hub for OIC member nations. This announcement was made without prior discussion with the ethnic nationalities that own the land, and without the consent of state governors who statutorily control allocation of land in the country.

“In Plateau and Kaduna states, data exist that hundreds of villages of the ethnic nationalities have been taken over by foreign Fulanis. The owners of the land have been driven into IDP camps while the names of the villages have been changed to Fulani names. In Plateau state, over 102 villages were reportedly taken over by Fulani invaders while in Kaduna state, over 109 villages have been dislodged. The owners of the land are in IDP camps.”

He pointed out that the recent visit of Hamas terrorists to Nigeria, bearing in mind that Hamas is not the government of Palestine, nor does it represent the Palestinian people in any legislative capacity, also raises concern about the government’s commitment to fighting terrorism.

“This is the time for the indigenous ethnic nationalities to carefully define their friends and foes.  The killings going on in Nigeria were not motivated by the indigenous ethnic nationalities. Unfortunately, some of the local actors were manipulated into thinking they were pursuing a religious agenda, but the puppet masters have no religious goal in view,” he added.