A coalition of 22 Christian groups in Nigeria led by
National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF), yesterday, said
the declaration of September 12 as public holiday in
commemoration of Eid-El-Kabir celebration by the
Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, was the
height of impunity.
Sultan of Sokoto
A similar incident took place in July 2016, when
Christian organisations criticised the extension of
public holiday by the Federal Government over the non-
sighting of the moon by the Sultan.
A statement issued by the chairman of NCEF, Mr.
Solomon Asemota (SAN), on behalf of the coalition and
obtained by journalists in Abuja, said it was “very
improper for the head of the Islamic faith in Nigeria to
announce, declare, or extend public holidays.”
The statement entitled: ‘Is the Federal Government
Abdicating Its Responsibility?’, reads: “We
unequivocally wish to state that it is very improper for
the head of the Islamic faith in Nigeria to announce,
declare, or extend Public Holidays.
“This is the function of the Federal Government and
need not be abdicated. This kind of anomalous
development has not been taking place in Nigeria until
the advent of the Buhari Administration which has gone
to great lengths to deepen religious divide and tension
in Nigeria.
“Again, we have no objection whatsoever to the Muslim
Public Holiday but our concern is that in a secular
society as enshrined in Section 10 of the Constitution,
the responsibility of declaring or announcing a religious
Public Holiday is vested in the Federal Government and
such responsibility is sacrosanct.
“We are not unaware of various manipulations and acts
of impunity to transform Nigeria from a Liberal
Democratic society to an Islamic Theocratic State. As
we stated in our previous paper, the full membership of
Nigeria in OIC, in 1986, by the Babangida Military
Administration is tantamount to making Nigeria an
Islamic state.
“The nation is yet to resolve this unilateral imposition
of one religion over the nation by an individual. We also
conclude that the present distress in the nation,
occasioned by religious intolerance and insurgency,
from the development of Boko Haram to the evolving of
fanatical Muslim assailants, like the Fulani herdsmen,
derive from this unilateral and improper decision of the
Babangida Administration.
“Even the sponsors and actors of the membership of
Nigeria in OIC in 1986 were aware of the illegality of
their action and as such, kept it out of public knowledge
for 10 years until 1996 when Sultan Dasuki confirmed
to the Pope that Nigeria was a full member of the OIC.
“We wish to remind the present Administration that
religion is a very sensitive and emotional aspect of
Nigerians. The wisdom of the founding fathers of this
nation to adopt Liberal Democracy as national ideology
to accommodate all the divergent groups in the nation
cannot be faulted.
“Any attempt to distort that delicate balance in the
Nigerian society shall produce nothing but destruction
and devastation as the nation is currently witnessing.
There is still time for religious extremists to desist
before they push Nigeria off the brink of the precipice.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/09/22-christian-groups-kick-say-sultan-cant-declare-public-holid
ay/

Totally in aggreement with CAN & others on this. Sultan does not have the power to declare or extend muslim holidays in this country, he is simply arrogating the powers that belong to the federal government on himself.

This administration is practising Islamic fundamentalism in governance that has made the economy to shrink and recess like their religion

All these muslim tradition that has no bearing on their followers life.


This sultan is as divisive as buhari.


I will call them Baal and Asherah

Very shallow thinking..How possible is it to islamatise Nigeria..The world is too civilized for such thing to happen..

Wetin consign me? Me wey i like holidays pass money.

Sultan can go ahead and declare a week for Sallah, i don't give a damn!!



"eating of ram meat mode activated".

Beremx:
Wetin consign me? Me wey i like holidays pass money.

Sultan can go ahead and declare a week for Sallah, i don't give a damn!!

Ur head dey there ... na to dey jolly the holiday sure pass

STFUand4kMeHARD:

Ur head dey there ... na to dey jolly the holiday sure pass

I swear to God!!

Just get religion out of Nigeria or at least out of political issues

They should provide an evidence on this, that is when the Sultan "declared an holiday for sallah"



The sultan declares the day for the sallah (Ramadhan and Eid el adha) based on sighting of the moon


This should not be deliberately mistaken for the Sultan declaring public holiday.

It is the duty of the Federal government to declare public holidays before or based on the Sultan's declaration of Eid day. This has always been the case.


NOTE:
only very few people are conversant with the hijri months which are not fixed like the Gregorian months.
The hijri months starts with sighting of the Moon's crescent and ends with same, since the sighting of a new crescent is not always easy to go by, weather, timing and locations are factors for sighting, then the need for the leader of Muslims in the country to declare it based on valid proofs of the Crescent being sighted.

Ignorance is a disease caused by a virus called hatred and intolerance

Mission in progress but God which the Christians serves works in a mysterious ways. Case study Abacha 102

educated illiterates every where or rather religious bigots blinded by hate..... sultan never declared public holiday but rather inform the Muslims of d date of any of the Eid celebration. .. After the sultan has made confirmation of d date, it's now depend on the FG to declare public holiday for d said celebration or not..

Where on earth Sultan declares Holiday. Tell us when and where. Bunch of fools and lairs. Sultan only declares Eid is on so so date, not public holiday. Its Left 4 the federal government to declare holiday base on the Eid day. Bunch of foolish and intolerant idiots.

Hmm

Fedayeen02:
All these muslim tradition that has no bearing on their followers life.


This sultan is as divisive as buhari.


I will call them Baal and Asherah

right..the country seems to be an emirate now....
How fa,i saw that 'person' accusing and reporting u for calling him zombie,were u banned? If u were banned,go to the general page and mail the supermods. If WAILERS,Igbos,UGADANS,are allowed,ZOMBIES is also allowed.

I am getting worried by the increasing number of uniformed 'agitations' religious leaders are executing these days.

The link below has this news item and the previous announcement by the Sultan:

http://pulse.ng/local/eid-el-kabir-fg-not-sultan-of-sokoto-should-declare-public-holiday-says-christian-groups-id5464554.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-2016-09-07&utm_source=newsletter

It's like people who one expects to have done a proper homework simply expose their ignorance in public glare. Nowhere in the reports was it stated that the Sultan declared a public holiday. In fact, as I write this, the FG is yet to declare public holiday for Eid-il-Kabir.

So much intolerance around.

We call on the federal government to rise to its task and cease abdicating its responsibilities to the head of a religion. We do not want what happened during the time of Abacha, when Sultan Dasuki was dethroned by Abacha to repeat itself.

IrradiatoR:
They should provide an evidence on this, that is when the Sultan "declared an holiday for sallah"



The sultan declares the day for the sallah (Ramadhan and Eid el adha) based on sighting of the moon


This should not be deliberately mistaken for the Sultan declaring public holiday.

It is the duty of the Federal government to declare public holidays before or based on the Sultan's declaration of Eid day. This has always been the case.


NOTE:
only very few people are conversant with the hijri months which are not fixed like the Gregorian months.
The hijri months starts with sighting of the Moon's crescent and ends with same, since the sighting of a new crescent is not always easy to go by, weather, timing and locations are factors for sighting, then the need for the leader of Muslims in the country to declare it based on valid proofs of the Crescent being sighted.

saintkash:
educated illiterates every where or rather religious bigots blinded by hate..... sultan never declared public holiday but rather inform the Muslims of d date of any of the Eid celebration. .. After the sultan has made confirmation of d date, it's now depend on the FG to declare public holiday for d said celebration or not..

raphew2014:
Ignorance is a disease caused by a virus called hatred and intolerance

FriendChoice:
Where on earth Sultan declares Holiday. Tell us when and where. Bunch of fools and lairs. Sultan only declares Eid is on so so date, not public holiday. Its Left 4 the federal government to declare holiday base on the Eid day. Bunch of foolish and intolerant idiots.

Mustay:
I am getting worried by the increasing number of uniformed 'agitations' religious leaders are executing these days.
The link below has this news item and the previous announcement by the Sultan:
http://pulse.ng/local/eid-el-kabir-fg-not-sultan-of-sokoto-should-declare-public-holiday-says-christian-groups-id5464554.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-2016-09-07&utm_source=newsletter
It's like people who one expects to have done a proper homework simply expose their ignorance in public glare. Nowhere in the reports was it stated that the Sultan declared a public holiday. In fact, as I write this, the FG is yet to declare public holiday for Eid-il-Kabir.
So much intolerance around.

Save your breath. All your explanations and remonstrations are like water off a duck's back to them. They will just ignore your comments completely and continue griping and lamenting. This is their life mission, not just a hobby. Leave them to go on feeling like they are making important contributions to the workings of the universe with their lamentations.