Nigeria Belongs To Christians & Muslims – Rev. Dachomo Fires Back At Jingir

Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, the Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, has rejected the claim by Islamic cleric Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir that Nigeria is a Muslim country.

According to Ireporter Online, Dachomo described Nigeria as a multi-religious nation where Christians and Muslims have historically contributed to the country’s political, social and economic development.

His reaction followed recent comments attributed to Jingir, a prominent Islamic scholar based in Jos, who reportedly defended the Muslim-Muslim political arrangement and argued that Muslims, as the majority religious group, should have the opportunity to lead Nigeria.

Dachomo, in a statement issued on Tuesday, maintained that Nigeria could not be regarded as belonging to any particular religion and cautioned religious leaders against making statements capable of worsening existing tensions between Christians and Muslims.

The COCIN chairman argued that religious population should not determine who leads Nigeria, stressing that competence, justice, good governance and the protection of citizens should remain the key considerations in choosing political leaders.

He said Christians and Muslims had both played significant roles in the development of Nigeria and should therefore see the country as a shared home rather than one belonging to a particular faith.

Dachomo also urged religious leaders to exercise greater caution when commenting on political issues, particularly matters capable of affecting relations between different religious communities.

He warned that presenting political leadership as a matter of religious entitlement could create a sense of exclusion among citizens belonging to other faiths and deepen existing divisions.

The cleric further rejected the suggestion that either Christians or Muslims should claim greater ownership of Nigeria because of their religious population, insisting that citizenship should remain the basis of belonging to the country.

Jingir had reportedly made his controversial remarks during a programme in Kano State, where he also defended his support for a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.

The Islamic scholar argued that Muslims constitute the majority in Nigeria and should therefore be able to produce the country’s leaders. His comments, including remarks about Christians, have continued to attract reactions from religious and political figures.

Dachomo maintained that Nigeria belongs to all its citizens regardless of their religious beliefs, adding that political leadership should be determined by a person’s ability to serve the people rather than religious identity.