Barely a week before the presidential election, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has said Muslims expected the next government to hit the ground running to address economic and security issues.
NSCIA stated this in a statement issued by its deputy secretary-general, Prof. Salisu Shehu, and the director of administration, Arc. Zubairu Haruna Usman-Ugwu, on Friday in Abuja.
It lamented that Nigeria was still far from the expectations of its citizens and the global black community “which is still looking up to Nigeria for leadership.”
On what the Muslims expect from the next government, NSCIA said “Nigeria needs statesmen with a vision to strengthen institutions of governance, fight corruption tooth and nail and prioritise competence, ethics, and moral character.”
“We particularly need a leadership that will appreciate the future and plans for it. Here, it is pertinent to note that by UN projections, Nigeria’s population will rise to 300 million by 2030; and by 2050, we are expected to be well over 400 million, which will make us the third largest country in the world, after India and China.”
It added that, “We expect that the discussion around our political circle should be about how to provide food, health care, housing, education, and jobs for this population over the next 25 years; knowing very well that failure to do this is a recipe for another disaster.
“It is this context that the NSCIA wishes to convey to our presidential candidates, as well as Nigerian citizens who will be electing them in the coming general elections, our concerns and our expectations from the incoming President/Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The NSCIA believes that leadership is bestowed by God; it also believes that leadership is a trust, and this trust remains a burden on leaders until they discharge it by delivering on the promises they made to the electorate. As Shaykh Abdullahi bn Foduye said, ‘Verily, political power is a vicegerency from Allah and stewardship from God’s Apostle. How great then, its dignity and how heavy its burden.’
“It is our conviction that leaders should strive to deliver on their mandates and meet the expectations of the citizens, as much as possible and the extent to which our presidential candidates will receive the Nigerian Muslims’ support is proportional to their level of willingness to consider those issues important to the NSCIA. Below are some of the key issues:
“Security: For almost one and a half decade, Nigeria has been traumatized by an unprecedented level of carnage with losses of hundreds of thousands of human lives and millions of displaced peoples and a kidnapping industry that has caused havoc and pauperized both urban and rural communities.