Tinubu Returned Lagos Mission Schools, Can’t Islamise Nigeria, Says Senator Adeyeye

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Former Senate Spokesperson who is the Coordinator of the South West Agenda for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for President, (SWAGA), Senator Dayo Adeyeye, has allayed the fears in some quarters that the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate would Islamise Nigeria if elected next year with his Muslim running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.

There have been criticisms among the Christian community and some associates of Tinubu since he picked a fellow Muslim from the North – East, Shettima, as his running mate.

However, Adeyeye, in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Saturday, dismissed such fears, describing it as unfounded.

He maintained that Tinubu who did not force his wife to become a Muslim would never initiate or support any policy that would make Nigeria an Islamic State.

Adeyeye also recalled that the former governor of Lagos State, despite stiff resistance from stakeholders, returned all the missionary schools in the state, mostly owned by the Christians, to their original owners for better management.

The SWAGA Coordinator, also went down memory lane to justify Tinubu’s choice of a fellow Muslim as running mate, claiming that great Nigerian leaders in the past did the same thing.

He said, “Most of the people that have been criticising the Muslim -Muslim ticket of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress are hammering on the issue of religion and not based on the competence, experience and educational qualifications of Senator Kashim Shettima.

“Some of the friends of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who have been working hard to make him next President of Nigeria also expressed disappointment that he chose a Muslim as his running mate. Some of them even went overboard in my view to say harsh words against the choice.

“Someone even described Asiwaju Tinubu’s decision as satanic. This is not correct because there is nothing satanic about it. I am a Christian and I want Nigerians to look at the matter from a very objective point of view. 

“The idea of having people of similar faith in a joint ticket is not new to Nigerian politics. 

“I recalled that in 1979, the Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a Christian picked Chief Phillip Umeadi, also a Christian from the South-East Nigeria as his running mate to contest the presidential election on the platform of the defunct  Action Congress. As of that time, nobody placed any serious emphasis on regionalism, ethnicity or religion.

” I also recollect that the running mate of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the flagbearer of the NPP then was Dr. Ishaya Audu, a  Christian from northern Nigeria, who was former vice chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University. 

“The two leading nationalists of the era, who fought for Nigeria’s independence, did not put too much emphasis on religion. They picked people of similar faith with them as running mates.

“After the second republic was truncated with a military coup led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who is our current president, he didn’t place too much emphasis on religion at that time when he appointed a fellow northern Muslim like him, the late General Tunde Idiagbon (retd.), as his Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters. Idiagbon was the defacto second in command to Buhari.

“Before the Buhari-Idiagbon’s military rule, there was the General Yakubu Gowon (retd.), who was head of state for nine years. He was a Christian from the North. His second in command was Vice Admiral. Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey, a Christian from Lagos State.

“Fast forward to the defunct third republic, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic party then, the late Chief Moshood Abiola, picked a fellow Muslim from the North, Mr. Babangana Kingibe as his running mate when he had the options of chosing either some northern christians who were part of his campaign including, Senator Jonathan Zwinginna, John Bala Takaya, Dan Suleiman, and the late Paschal Bafyau.

“However, Abiola, a Muslim from the South West, picked a Muslim from the North and he won the freest, fairest and most credible election in Nigeria’s history, in 1993.”

Adeyeye argued that the most important thing for the candidate of a political party is to win the election using the right running mate who would compliment his efforts by assisting him to achieve his aim.

Unlike in the other parts of the country, the Senator said, “religion and politics mix together in the northern part of Nigeria where there are large voter population, who believe that politics is part of their religion.”

He noted that “It will therefore be suicidal for any politician to disregard that obvious fact, and act based on sentiment.”

He said, “If any political party must win from the North, three must be Muslim from the area on the ballot either as number one or number two. That was the reality that dictated the choice of Kashim Shettima.

“Asiwaju Tinubu cannot Islamise Nigeria because he didn’t have such antecedents as governor of Lagos State for eight years.

“As a matter of fact, his administration returned the missionary schools to the original owners. He took the decision and stood by it despite the fact that there was stiff criticisms against his action.

“Tinubu is a Muslim but of the missionary schools he returned belonged to the Christians and he even released grants to them for their take off.

“His main concern was that with good financial support from the state to the missionaries, the schools, which had been ruined by the government take over, would be better managed. The schools today, are centre of excellence.

“Also, if Tinubu could not Islamise his wife, how will he Islamise the entire country? His wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is not only a Christian but a top official of the church she attends.

“Apart from this, it is generally believed that the wife would naturally have an influence over one’s second in command in the office”