BY AMEH IDUJAGI, JALINGO – The Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Alhaji Hassan Ardo has accused former president Olusegun Obasanjo of being the architect of Islamization and fulanization of Nigeria.
Ardo, who spoke to our correspondent on phone from the Caribbean Island, said that all the foundation for a possible Islamization of the country as alleged by the former president were laid during his time as president.
He said that it is preposterous that the same Obasanjo came out to accuse someone else of the foundation he laid.
Ardo, who was reacting to recent comments made by Obasanjo accusing president Muhammadu Buhari of carrying out a fulanization and Islamization agenda, noted that it was during Obasanjo’s administration that Nigeria joined the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) adding that it was also during his time that some states in the country started implementing the Sharia law which he allowed.
Ardo further said; “I read the statements by former president Olusegun Obasanjo to the effect that President Muhammadu Buhari has a fulanization and Islamization agenda and I laughed.
“Have we forgotten so soon that it was during his time as the president of this country that we joined the OIC? Was it not during his time as the president that some states such as Zamfara and others started implementing Sharia laws?
“So, if he is talking about Islamization and fulanization, then he is the founding father. He laid the foundation for it and so he does not have the moral standing to accuse someone else of it.
“The truth is that, Obasanjo will forever remain an elder statesman, who has ruled this country longer than anyone else and has earned global respect and recognition. As such, one would expect him to be careful with his utterances.
“The polity is clearly over heated and one would expect the former president to be among those that would be championing moves to calm the troubled waters rather than fanning the ambers of apprehension and discord,” Ardo said.
The envoy, who described the recent suspension of the RUGA scheme as very unfortunate, said that the country stands to gain so much from the implementation of the scheme and urged stakeholders to look at the scheme with a more open and unbiased mindset to see the enormous potentials it has.
