BEVERLY HILLS, January 06, (THEWILL) – The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has called on faith-based organisations in the country to shun rumours that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was moving to Islamise Nigeria, asserting that the country “can’t be Islamised”.
He stated this to religious leaders on Thursday after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Student Christian Movement of Nigeria, SCM, in his office, urging them to dwell on facts.
Osinbajo maintained that the rumour making the rounds about plans to make Islam the official religion of Nigeria were unfounded, emphasizing that it was impossible to islamise the country given the 1999 Constitution that forbids state religion.
He urged religious bodies to channel their energies towards proffering solutions to the numerous challenges facing the country.
The Vice President used the event to challenge Nigerian youths to wake up from slumber and take advantage of abundant opportunities in ICT, agriculture and other sectors.
While noting that the opportunities were far much more now than they were in the past, he insisted that there was the need for young people to take responsibility for their future and be creative.
Osinbajo also emphasised the importance of using the internet to acquire knowledge as well as learning a second language to boost their global competitiveness.
While expressing appreciation to SCM for the honour, the Vice President solicited the support of the organisation in disseminating factual information about the Federal Government’s policies and programmes.
In an earlier remark, the SCM National President, Rev, Eric Ighalo, commended the government for its social interventions such as the N-Power initiative and the conditional transfer scheme.
He expressed the willingness of the body to partner with government in several areas including serving as government ambassadors in their constituencies.
Ighalo explained that the award was conferred on the Vice President in recognition of his integrity and outstanding leadership he had demonstrated over the years.
