Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola
| credits: File copy
| credits: File copy
Aides deny plans by Aregbesola to Islamise Osun
AIDES
of the Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola have denied the allegation
that the governor’s actions were aimed at turning the state into an
Islamic State.
The governor’s aides spoke at a meeting
with leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Obokun chapter.
They explained that their boss had been fair to all religions and their
followers in the state.
Osun State Commissioner for Environment,
Prof. Olubukola Oyawoye, said, “Mr. Rauf Aregbesola-led administration
is governed by high sense of fairness and equity to the citizenry
regardless of religion or political leaning. The governor is not
Islamising the state. He preaches and practises religious tolerance and
the state is the only one where Christianity, Islam and Traditional
religions are given equal opportunities.”
Assistant Director, Community Forum,
Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr.
Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, who is the facilitator of the programme, allayed
the fears of religious leaders, stressing that Aregbesola was tolerance
of other peoples’ faith without prejudice.
This, Oyintiloye said, informed the
state government gesture in the distribution of social amenities without
bias to religion or geographical location.
“Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has always lend
his voice to condemn in totality religious intolerance and terrorism and
has always sought peaceful resolution to the menace,” he said.
The CAN leaders, including the chairman,
Very Revd. Michael Ajayi; and the Vice-chairman, Pastor Aaron Ekundayo,
had earlier noted that they had been following the policies of the
administration which they described as people-oriented.
The CAN chairman however expressed a
misgiving in certain policies of the government, including, school
demolition and school mergers, saying he suspected an attempt to of
Islamise the state.
He also urged the state government to increase slots for Christians going for Holy Pilgrimage in Jerusalem from the state.
The CAN chairman said, “We have been
following the people-oriented policies of the Osun state government but
with a misgiving in certain areas, including school demolition, merger
and suspicion of Islamisation in the state.
“We applaud the Forum which provided the
platform for them to bare their apprehensions. It is a good one in
participatory democracy. We call on the Osun State government to do more
for Christian body during Christmas as well as increase quota for
Jerusalem pilgrimage.”
http://www.punchng.com/news/aides-deny-plans-by-aregbesola-to-islamise-osun/
September 12, 2013 by Femi Makinde and Sodiq Oyeleke
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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