OIC: Nigeria remains a secular state, says Minister.

By Yusuf Alli.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ashiru

•Asks citizens to shun moves to cause fresh religious crisis

THE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, yesterday said Nigeria remains a secular state regardless of its membership of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC).
Its membership of OIC, he maintained, does not amount to the Islamisation of the country.
Ashiru, spoke exclusively to The Nation on Sunday in Abuja against the backdrop of the fresh controversy sparked by the recent OIC session.
He asked Nigerians to shun attempt by some people to stoke the fire of religious crisis in the country.
He said there is no move to Islamise the country as OIC has already   condemned the activities of Boko Haram as being out of tune with the tenets of Islam.
A statement credited to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohammed Nurudeen, has been generating reactions from the Christian community.
The minister was quoted as saying, “Nigeria is one of the most Christian-populated Islamic nations in the world.”
But the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ashiru said there is no cause for alarm because Nigeria is a secular state as expressly stated in the 1999 Constitution.
He said he suspected that the Minister of State might have been misquoted.
Ashiru said: “The position is very clear, Nigeria is a secular state with the population of Christians and Muslims evenly divided at approximately 50-50. So, the statement credited to the Minister of State might have been quoted out of context.
“Our constitution is very clear that we are a secular nation and our Foreign Policy derives from that constitution. We will remain a secular state.
“We are members of OIC since the military regime of ex-President Ibrahim Babangida to satisfy the yearnings and aspirations of our Muslim brethren.  “In any case, we have been in OIC for many years we should not raise any issue about that. In fact,  a Nigerian, Amb. Hammed Opeloyeru is the Assistant Secretary-General of OIC.
“Our membership of OIC does not tantamount to the Islamisation of Nigeria. In any case, we have worked well with OIC to our own advantage.
“I assure all Nigerians that our policy as a secular state, which is enshrined in the constitution has not changed.
“On the issue of Boko Haram, OIC is one of the organisations that spoke against attacks by the group. It is an association that has been mutually beneficial.”
He appealed to Nigerians “not to allow the nation to be divided along religious lines.”