June 5th, 2012
Jos — National Chairman of Jama’atu Izalatul Bidi’ah wa ikamatu Sunnah (JIBWIS), Sheikh Muhammad Sani Yahaya Jingir, has called on the Federal Government to balance the security chiefs in Plateau State to reflect the two major faiths, stressing that the present arrangement where all security agencies in the state are headed by Christians is unacceptable.
Jingir, who made the call at the end of the 19th Annual National Seminar organized by JIBWIS in Jos at the weekend, explained that the recent posting of the military head of the Special Task Force, Major General Henry Ayoola, who is a Christian to replace a Muslim made it possible for all security heads in the state to be members of one faith.
He explained that appointing a Christian to head the General Officer Commanding the 3rd Armoured Division (GOC), State Commissioner of Police, State Director of the State Security Service, the Commandant of the Civil Defense Corps, the Commander Nigerian Air Force, Secretary to the State Government, as well as the Governor of the state and his deputy is suspicious and a major cause for concern, adding that such actions bring about apprehension amongst adherents of the two religions.
The religious cleric also frowned at the recent increase of electricity tariff by the Federal Government, describing it as untimely. According to him, “the government should rather weave the payment of the tariff for five years because of the deplorable situation of power in the country until the services improved.”
A communiqué issued by JIBWIS at the end of the seminar condemned the Boko Haram insurgency in the country, stating that it is un-Islamic and urged the general public to embrace peace and dialogue and shun violence. It added that the security situation in the country can only be addressed if culprits of bomb blasts are punished without fear or favour.