The recent statement credited to an Islamic scholar, Sheikh Gumi accusing non Moslem soldiers of launching attacks on communities in the troubled northern states should not be dismissed with the waving of hand but should rather engage the attention of the Federal Government, the Senate and the House of Representatives at the backdrop of the attendant negative consequences that such outburst can have on the efforts being made at confronting the myriads of insecurity challenges currently rocking our country. Causing unnecessary division among the nation’s military that is responsible for the security of the nation will not only cause dissafection in the military set-up but will act as catalyst in dampening the collectively enthusiasm needed by our soldiers to defend the country in case of an external aggression from outside Nigeria.
Gumi, as a foremost figure and a leader in the country’s religious circle should have weighed his utterances more so when such utterances only end up in further compounding the already heated polity arising from insecurity challenges rocking the country.
Without mincing words, hate speech has dangerously continued to polarise the country along ethnic and religious lines and the need for all hands to be on the deck at checking the dangerous trend cannot be overemphasized.
If indeed the saying that no one is greater than Nigeria as a country is true, calling Gumi to order will not be out of place by the Federal Government.
Odunayo Joseph