The Protest letter from the Christian Association of Nigeria( CAN) to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq is profoundly thoughtful. Though the Deputy chief of staff to the governor is a Christian( not a Muslim as wrongly indicated in the CAN letter), the tone of the letter is measured and the language is civil. Good communication.
Coming in the wake of the KWASU VC brouhaha that pitched Kwara North ( supported by Kwara South) against Kwara Central, it cannot be the best of times for the Abdulrazaq administration in terms of the emerging public perception.
But to be sure, this Governor is not a religious bigot. Nothing in his antecedents and current disposition suggest that.
The albatross of the administration, it would seem, it's communication difficulty which is not helped by the piecemeal nature of the release of appointments.
It is yet too early to accuse the administration of deliberate anti- Christian bias. From.a vantage knowledge, among appointments already decided but not yet announced are some strategic positions zoned to the South and with Christians as nomineees. But when the appointments are announced , it would look like a reaction to the CAN protest.
The CAN observations and complaints have raised some fundamental issues that, devoid of emotion, deserve serious conversation.
* Can the Governor be blamed for elective positions that exclude Muslims or Christians?
* Should an appointment be denied to someone who is deemed qualified and competent on religious ground?
Should that be our new norm?
* What do you do about the predominantly muslim-populated Asa, Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Baruten, Kiaima, Edu and Offa Local Governments where you are almost always likely to end up with Muslim nominees.? By the way, the Commissioner from Edu is Christian.
*Irepodun is equally divided between Muslims and Christians, yet the Christians have 5 of the 6 positions in the state under this Administration (Member, KWHOA, DCOS, Hon Commissioner, Member, Kwara State Civil service commission, Executive Chairman, Kwara State Revenue Service and
Member, Kwara Polytrchnic). That doesn't show anti- Christian bias, does it? But it is also not a calculated anti- Muslim move.
* Christians( from Kwara South) are handling the most sensitive portfolios in this govt- Ministry of Finance and KWRS.
* The most sensitive assignment of the monument, the Technical Committee on COVIC-19, is headed by HE, Deputy Governor, a Christian. Does that matter?
In a nutshell, while it is true that more Muslims than Christians are occupying public offices presently, it is simplistic to locate it just as a bias against Christians by the Governor or his Administration.
Let the conversation continue.
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