A coalition of civil society organisations, Secure Nation-Builders, has called on Nigerians to adopt the objectives of the political forum of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) headed by Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.
In a statement jointly signed by the group’s leaders, Ameh Allen Christopher, Halima Bukar, Mabel Abraham, Dr Agustine Michael, Comrade E.K. Gowin, and Prof H. B. Balarabe, they said the notion of establishment of a just system was not strange to countries, let alone Nigeria – a cosmopolitan state blessed with both human and natural resources.
“We believe that unity of the people is the foundation of every nation’s development as it fosters good governance, equality, selfless service and collaboration for the common good of all the people of Nigeria.
“At this point, we would like to acknowledge the recent development coming from the Islamic Movement in Nigeria with Shia majority adherents for creating a political forum.” With their solid structure, such a mass movement of millions of people have the capacity to change the equation of the Nigerian political activities as truthfulness, dedication, courage, are among their characteristics.
“There is the need for us to decide on a set of standard values that we will live by and nurture for many generations to come. Having weak governing institutions where people largely and inappropriately rely on sub-optimal indices such as ethnic affiliation, religious links and family ties in the creation, allocation and distribution of resources and values, a country is bound to face disastrous challenges,” they said.
“Based on our finding, the leader of the Islamic movement Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky stick to what he believes as true teachings of Islam, the Sheikh married a Yoruba lady Zeenat Ibraheem, he established an annual programme he named unity week, encourages his disciples to embark on selfless services to their immediate communities in a wide-spread recognition of the need for the unity of the Nigerian people and Africa at large,” the group added.
It said some of the links with some strong societies such as Red Cross Society informed the group that the Shia Muslims under the leadership of Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky were among the highest donors of blood in the country.
It added that some sources from the Christian Association of Nigeria informed the group on the level of sacrifices Sheikh Zakzaky made to ensure the safety of Nigerians irrespective of religious beliefs during crises.
