As a result
of the secular nation of Nigeria, which has Christianity and Islam as the two
major religious group, along with other numerous religions, the National
Christian Elders’ Forum (NCEF), has expressed displeasure at the declarartion
of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III making September 12 a
national public holiday to commemorate the Eid-El-Kabir celebration.
The Sultan’s
statement has been described as being provocative as he has no such power
because he is not the Federal Government, rather a Muslim leader and cannot
impose such an holiday on all Nigerians.
NCEF while
speaking stated, “We unequivocally wish to state that it is very improper for
the head of the Islamic faith in Nigeria to announce, declare, or extend Public
Holidays.
“This is the
function of the Federal Government and need not be abdicated. This kind of
anomalous development has not been taking place in Nigeria until the advent of
the Buhari Administration which has gone to great lengths to deepen religious
divide and tension in Nigeria.
“Again, we
have no objection whatsoever to the Muslim Public Holiday but our concern is
that in a secular society as enshrined in Section 10 of the Constitution, the
responsibility of declaring or announcing a religious Public Holiday is vested
in the Federal Government and such responsibility is sacrosanct.”
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