Kenneth Afor
Samson Ayokunle, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has advised members of the House of Representatives to drop the hijab bill and focus on pertinent issues facing the country at the moment.
Ayokunle stated this in a statement on Tuesday to Musa Saidu Abdullahi, the sponsor of the bill seeking to enforce the wearing of hijab by female Muslims in public places.
CAN expressed its reservations about the bill, stating that Nigeria already had laws that protect citizens from any form of discrimination, including religious inequality.
But Abdullahi, who is representing Bida/Gbako/Katcha Federal Constituency in Niger State, has sponsored the Religious Discrimination (Prohibition and Prevention) Bill 2021, which has passed first and second readings, saying the purpose of the bill was to address religious discrimination in the country.
“I see a problem that has become a big challenge and we have shied away from it over the years. It is the issue of religious discrimination. So, we came up with a proposal to address religious discrimination in this country,” he said.
While those in the corridors of power are bent on making sure the bill is passed, according to the Christian body, it stated that issues regarding the passage of the bill are less weightier than what is already going.
It, therefore, appealed to members to find a way to put an end to insecurity and address the alarming rate of unemployment in the country.
The statement read: “This bill is a small thing; let us make it a comprehensive thing that any right-thinking person will read and will say ‘this is moving the Nigeria nation forward.’ Please, Honourable, I am appealing to you and your colleagues to help us find a way to put an end to insecurity in this country.
“The body language does not suggest that we want to put an end to it. We are hearing from the corridors of power that the money voted for security is being diverted. If you see the investment we are losing because of insecurity. Even religious tourism is very difficult now because of insecurity.”
“We need to create employment opportunities. Unemployment is fuelling insecurity because the terrorist and bandits are able to recruit with easy, unengaged hands. They give them little money, they are satisfied. But the government is not doing that.”
