Nigerians have been calling out the Steering Committee of Apo Juma’at Mosque, Abuja and all those concerned in the suspension of the Chief Imam, Sheikh Nuru Khalid, who, during the Friday sermon criticized President Muhammadu Buhari over Kaduna train bombing.
The Imam, in a moving sermon that alludes to the President’s let-down of the country, chided him for failure to visit Kaduna over the daring terrorist attack, saying condemnation wasn’t enough.
He argued that the president was in Kaduna for campaign but refused to visit the state after the bomb attack.
In video clips of the sermon which are trending on the social media, Khalid said Buhari has failed for not fulfilling his promise to end banditry and insurgency.
“You were given four years and an addition, yet people are dying like fowls. Killing is becoming the norm in Nigeria under your watch Mr. President”. He said.
Khalid also blamed himself, governors, politicians and community leaders for not playing their role to stop the killings in the country.
However, the chairman of the mosque steering committee, Sai’du Dansadau, while explaining the position of the Mosque said the Imam was sacked for inciting sermon on April 1.
He said the Imam had preached against exercising civic duty by advising voters to give conditions to political leaders before electing them, adding that the sermon was against Islamic tenets.
The sermon last Friday, a reaction to the Kaduna train attack, instantly earned him a suspension by the mosque’s steering committee.
But many Nigerians have condemned the suspension.
Senator Shehu Sani, leading the reactions, has condemned the sack as unconscionable.
“His criticisms of the Government reflects the views of most Nigerians. He spoke truth to power at the right time. I urge the committee to reverse the decision”. He tweeted on Sunday.
A.M. Saleem also tweeting condemned the suspension of the bold Imam.
“Sheikh Nuru Khalid fault was calling out this incompetent Govt for showing lackadaisical manner to commiserate with the victims of Abuja-Kaduna train attack.
“He was suspended off his duty for telling them the truth. I think this is why clerics are afraid to call Buhari out”. He wrote.
A tacit position of another commentator, Abdulazeez Abdulrahman is instructive. He said “Subhanallahi! What a country are we. If Imam cannot say the truth who else can say it?”
A more vociferous voice, though typical came from one of the President’s chief-critic, Farooq Kperogi, who described Sheikh Nuru Khalid a “conscientious, straight-talking Imam”
Writing on the incident, the Nigerian-American professor and media scholar said: “But when Muslim clerics all over the North used to routinely curse and preach against Goodluck Jonathan in mosques for his inability to contain the intensifying insecurity in the country at the time, which pales in comparison with what we’re seeing now on Buhari’s watch, it was neither “inciting” nor against “Islamic tenets.”
“In fact, there is a famous video clip of Sheikh Isa Ali Pantami crying like a baby during a sermon where he blamed Jonathan for being singularly responsible for the mass deaths of northern Muslims in the country.
“Now, his eyes are as dry as the Sahara desert even when more northern Muslims than ever before are being murdered daily as a result of Buhari’s dreadful ineptitude and unconcern.
“The hypocrisy is galling!
“When/if a southern Christian becomes president next year, I can bet you that criticizing a president would no longer be considered “incitement” or a violation of “Islamic tenets.”
“I don’t know how these people are able to live with this quantum of disgustingly reprehensible double standards” He concluded.
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