The Taraba State Inter-Faith Peace Coalition on Tuesday appealed to religious leaders and groups in the state not to fan the ember of disunity among the people.
Briefing journalists in Jalingo at the end of their emergency meeting in Jalingo, conveners of the group, Mallam Ayuba Abdullahi and Timothy Audu, said Governor Darius Ishaku’s administration had been fair in dealing with both Christians and Muslims.
The Muslim Council in the state had recently accused Ishaku’s administration of favouring Christians to the detriment of the Muslim faithful in the state.
The group stated, “We want to appeal to religious leaders and groups in the state not to fan the embers of disunity among the people.
“Let us, however, put it on record, that this administration has always visibly supported the Muslim faith at various times when the need arose.
“One of such is the recent appointment of a Federal Minister, Alhaji Sambo Jaji, who is a Muslim from Taraba and who openly commended the governor during his courtesy visit in Jalingo for being instrumental for his emergence as Minister,” it stated.
The group further recalled the issue raised about the recent appointment of Permanent Secretaries in the state, maintaining that no senior Muslim civil servant, due to be elevated to the position, was denied on the account of their faith.
“Appointment of civil servants as Permanent Secretaries under the current administration has always been based on merit and the records are available in the public domain,” the group stated.
“For instance in Sardauna Local Government, the last two Permanent Secretaries representing the local government, which were appointed by Ishaku, were Muslims while the newly appointed were the most senior and qualified from the area,” it stated.
The coalition, therefore, viewed the Muslim Council’s position as not representing the true happening of the peaceful coexistence between both faiths in Taraba State.
“We have enjoyed a largely religious peaceful atmosphere under this regime and we call on both sides of faith to stop what is gradually snowballing into a meaningless exchange of words.
The coalition, however, advised the governor to immediately convene an inter-religious dialogue where such allegations as raised by the Muslim Council can be genuinely discussed and addressed, while expressing readiness to offer support for the discourse for peace and development.
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