•As Assembly screens 20 nominees

By Olasunkanmi Akoni, Ebunoluwa Sessou & Olayinka Ajayi

THE Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in Lagos State, yesterday, insisted that religion should not be the basis for the confirmation of commissioner-nominees by the House of Assembly.

CAN urged the Assembly to peacefully continue the constitutional process of screening and confirming nominees by not giving ears to groups of people who set out to sway them.

 Fielding questions from newsmen, the Chairman of CAN, Rev. Stephen Adegbite, faulted the rejection of the Joint Muslim Forum, JMF, to the 39 cabinet nominees sent to the Lagos State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation.

Adegbite said their rejection was way out of line.

The JMF, an umbrella of over 30 Muslim groups, declare that the eight Muslims to 31 Christians on the list of 39 men and women show oppression, pathological hatred, callousness, insensitivity, and unfairness.

But reacting to JMF’s rejection of the list, the Lagos CAN chairman, said: “We would like to make it abundantly clear that JMF’s remarks are not only distasteful and way out of line but they are deeply condescending, and we refuse to accept any form of faith-based bullying behaviour, nor would any semblance of such behaviour under whatever guise.

“Lagos has enjoyed immense peace and prosperity over these years because the managers of its affairs, among many other key elements, have worked tirelessly to insulate the state from any form of religious intolerance or anything close to it. It is imperative to remind the purveyors of this unfortunate divisive rhetoric and toxic narratives that the success story of Lagos, which today is regarded as a model of a place where people have lived like family and still live as such despite belonging to different faiths, creeds, beliefs, and ethnic backgrounds, is a function of respect and commitment to the principles of peaceful coexistence and not for lack of divergent opinions or perspectives on issues that concern us all, including political views and others related to them.

“It is within the purview of Mr Governor, after relevant consultations and objective considerations, to put forward a list of cabinet nominees whose choice, as expected, should be based purely on merit, competence, capacity, and sufficient capabilities to deliver on the set goals and objectives of the government and not on their faith or religious affiliations.

“For any group to turn such a list of political nominees into a religious conversation is uncharitable and should be condemned in its entirety. It is on record that some members of the Christian community supported and worked for the victory of the much-attacked Muslim-Muslim ticket of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima. The three serving Senators representing the three Senatorial Districts of the state in the 10th Senate are Muslims. It is a fact that those who voted for them included members of the Christian community in their constituencies. Religion wasn’t the basis for their choice. Also, over 60 per cent of the 24 members elected into the 10th House of Representatives from Lagos are Muslims. The same can be said of the 40-member Lagos State House of Assembly. And during their swearing-in, there was no demand that, unless an equal number of members are Christians, they should not be sworn in as prescribed by law. One then wonders why the list of cabinet nominees should be subjected to issues of religion and faith when the Christian community has never and would never make such mundane demands.

 “We urge the Lagos State House of Assembly to peacefully continue the constitutional process of screening and confirmation of the nominees, which they started yesterday, Sunday, August 13, 2023, and not give ears to or be swayed in any way by the incongruous and unsavoury demands of this group of persons. We also plead with well-meaning citizens of the state to kindly disregard any call that is capable of igniting religious emotions and sentiments.”

 20 out of 39 nominees scale screening

Meanwhile, 20 out of the 39 commissioner-nominees sent to the Lagos State House of Assembly, weekend, got screened by a committee of the House.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on July 28, 2023, submitted a list of 39 Commissioners and Special Adviser nominees to the House of Assembly for screening and confirmation.

The nominees, who scaled through screening included Mrs Adetoke Benson-Awoyinka, Mrs Bola Lawal, Yakoob Alebiosu, Idris Aregbe, Abdul-Kabir Ogungbo, Dr Oreoluwa Finnih-Awokoya, Abiola Olowu, Dr Adekunle Olayinka, Mosopefolu George, and Aramide Adeyoye.

Earlier on Sunday, the committee led by the Chief Whip of the House, Mr Mojeed Fatai, screened Mobolaji Abubakre Ogunlende, Dr Olamide Babatunde, Lawal Pedro and Afolabi Ayantayo.

Others included Mr Jamiu Alli-Balogun, Olugbenga Olaniyi, Ogunwuyi Ekundayo, Ibrahim Layode, Adetokunbo Wahab and Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu.

The Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, had recently constituted the 12-man ad-hoc committee for the exercise.

The committee is to make a report to the House when it reconvenes.

At the commencement of the screening, Fatai said: “The House of Assembly has the mandate to screen and confirm the nominees for the position of commissioners and Special Advisers.”