Accusation of bias against Muslims in Taraba, a paradox

Accusation of bias against Muslims in Taraba, a paradox

Emmanuel Awari-Jalingo

The last media briefing by the Taraba State Muslim Council which accused Gov Darius Ishaku of discrimination and marginalization of Taraba Muslims in the area of political appointments may still remain a mirage to the public as most analysts view the allegations as incoherent and meaningless, owing  to the fact that Governor Ishaku must have borrowed a leaf from President Buhari who obviously cannot cannot be exonerated from glaring Marginalization and biassnes against the Christians in the areas  of appointments and other considerations since on assumption of office in 2015.

Mr Haruna Bako, Executive Director, Transparency and Accountability in Governance Initiative, a Taraba based Civil Society Organization once  said that the action by Gov. Ishaku was to balance the insensitivity and the imbalance in the selection and consideration of political appointments at the federal level.

" In the first place, all the ministerial nominations from Taraba since 2015 had been Muslims, Christian's had never complained, all governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress APC in Taraba State beginning from 2015 and 2019 were all Muslims and Christian's had never complained. 

"It  is also a pointer that the APC which is headed by President Buhari is also planning to impose a Muslim candidate on the people of Taraba state in the forthcoming 2023 governorship elections. 

"In addition, Out of 16 federal appointments into exstra ministerial agencies (boards and parastatals) only 4 are Christian's, with all these, no one sees these as a Marginalization against Christians. 

" Right at the top, President Buhari has appointed most ministers who are Muslims even from Christian dominated states,  the presidency is completely headed by Muslims eg. President who heads the executive arm of government, a Muslim, Senate president and speaker House of Representatives, Muslim, Chief Justice of the Federation, Muslim. 

" Similarly, heads of security and paramilitary agencies had been Muslims birth right under Buhari administration.  eg. National Security Adviser, Chief of Army Staff, Inspector General of Police, Director Generals of DSS and National Intelligence Agency, CG Civil Defense, Immigration, Prison Service, Fire Service, Customs Service to mention but a few.

" With the illustration above, the  question should be who is marginalising who?  

Should  the  recent complain from the Muslim council in Taraba not be viewed as a paradox.?

He caution Nigerian citizens to be weary of those divisive tendencies employ by political class to achieve their personal interest.

He  advised citizens not to fall spray to the cheap political gimic adopted by elites to confuse the citizenry.

" Nigeria is a secular state with two dominant religions. It behoves leaders to take this in to deep cognisance and sensitive to this fact, hence desist from marginalisation of one religious group against the other.

"We advise the Federal government to enhance fairness and Justice in allocation of resources and equity in distribution of appointments to reflect the character of the Nigerian society.

" This will serve as template for stabilising governance at all levels of administrative composition in Nigeria.

" Let's therefore, do away with some of these tendencies that can divide us and develop those ones that can hold us together" he said.