Lagos Cabinet Nominees: Muslims hold more positions in Lagos, says CAN

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has called on the Lagos State Assembly to discountenance calls by some Muslim groups that the cabinet nominees sent by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for screening and confirmation have more Christians than Muslims.

Addressing journalists in Lagos on Monday, the Chairman of CAN, Lagos State Chapter, Rt. Rev. Stephen Adegbite said competence should supersede religious considerations in all appointments.

“As you are aware, consequent upon the list of 39 cabinet nominees of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu which was sent to the Lagos State House of Assembly on Friday, 28^th July, 2023 for screening and confirmation, a coalition of over 30 Muslim groups under the aegis of Joint Muslims Forum (JMF), rejected the proposed cabinet nominees list. They hinged their dissatisfaction on the fact that, out of the 39 cabinet nominees, only 8 are Muslims with the rest as Christians. This came about a week after another Muslim rights advocacy group, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), had condemned the cabinet nominees list describing it as illegal, adding that it failed to be fair to the Muslim population in the state.”

Bishop Adegbite said many Christian faithful, including himself, supported the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima based on competence without bordering itself with their religion, and the Muslim groups should learn from that gesture.

“It is on record that some members of the Christian community like myself and other good people of faith supported and worked for the victory of the much attacked  Muslim Muslim ticket of  President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON. This was not done for any personal gain but out of a conviction of what they could do to transform the fortunes of our country, a pathway that is slowly but firmly being charted. Religion or faith was not on the front burner while doing this, but a corporate interest that we are certain will be rewarded with good governance and dividends of democracy,” said the CAN Lagos Chairman.

Bishop Adegbite drew the attention of the Muslim groups to the various elective positions held by Muslims in Lagos State, which no Christian group had condemned or cried foul about because they believed in competence above religious considerations.

“Similarly, in electing the current Speaker of the State House of Assembly (leader of the Legislature) and the appointment of the present Chief Judge of the State (the head of the Judiciary), no member of the Christian community demanded that faith or religion should be a criterion rather, competence and their ranking was used.

“Today, the 3 serving Distinguished Senators representing the 3 Senatorial Districts of the State in the 10th Senate are Muslims. It is a fact that those who voted for them include members of the Christian community in their constituencies. Religion or faith wasn’t a basis for their choice. In addition to this, over 60 percent 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 must 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.”

Bishop Adegbite called on the Muslim groups to stop making a mountain out of a molehill over the appointment of cabinet members in Lagos State and allow the government to work to deliver dividends of democracy to the masses.