SCSN Expresses Mixed Sentiments on Bola Tinubu’s Leadership

Confidence UbaniJanuary 19, 20242 Mins read156

The Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria (SCSN) has reversed its stance after a closed-door meeting on Thursday with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja. Surprisingly, the organization offered commendations to the president and emphasized its solidarity with the current administration.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Dr. Bashir Umar, the Vice President of the Council, said: “We are here today on a courtesy call to the President and to show our solidarity and commendation for the hard decisions he is taking for the country.”

According to him, the SCSN urged Tinubu to address the impact of tough economic decisions on the population, emphasizing the need for national security. The organization also submitted a communiqué from its conference, which aimed to review the 2023 general elections and suggest a way forward for the country.

President Tinubu, in turn, responded with assurances and encouraging remarks, calling for intensified prayers for the success, peace, security, and development of the country.

This recent exchange is entirely different from what was obtainable on Tuesday. The SCSN initially criticized the Muslim-Muslim ticket led by President Bola Tinubu, saying that it has not yielded any positive change in the country. The President of SCSN, Sheikh AbdurRasheed Hadiyyatullah, pointedly stated that the administration has brought immense suffering to Nigerians.

“The Nigeria of today is too bad. What we are buying at N200 before is N2000 now. We have a scarcity of Naira and unemployment is escalating. Nigerians are not enjoying the new government at all. I don’t want to go personal but the Sharia Council helped the Muslim-Muslim ticket to be successful. We campaigned and supported this government until it came to power, but we are suffering.

“Some of the Ministers are siphoning and looting the treasury. I don’t want to mention any name but we have all seen and read it. Nigerians have been suffering since the last seven months when this government came to power.

“We are not making any progress. The reason for the Muslim-Muslim ticket was to progress, triumph, succeed, and to have a good government but we didn’t have anything”, he said.

Hadiyyatullah gave this verdict to journalists just two days, during a conference at Abuja targeted at discussing the 2023 General Elections. Except continued depreciation of the Naira and increasing insecurity situations, not so much has changed in the nation’s political and economic landscape. The SCSN’s sudden reversal from condemnation to commendation is quite surprising. The shift in the Council’s stance adds complexity to the ongoing discourse surrounding Tinubu’s leadership and the expectations of the Nigerian people.