Nigeria’s Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima has dismissed claims that he and his principal, Bola Tinubu, have an agenda to islamize Nigeria.
Bola Tinubu announced former Borno governor, Shettima as his running mate in 2022. Since then, there have been allegations that the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) could be a ploy to Islamize Nigeria given that both Tinubu and Shettima are both Muslims and Nigeria is a multi-religious society.
However, speaking at a lecture in Abuja on Saturday, May 27, ahead of Tinubu’s inauguration on May 29, the incoming Vice President said there was no agenda to Islamise Africa’s most populous nation. Shettima described Tinubu as a Muslim who is married to a Christian and pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
“I was a child of necessity, there is no Islamisation agenda. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a Muslim who is married to a Christian, not only a Christian but a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
“Someone who has not Islamised his family, people are alluding that he has the intention to Islamise the nation,” he added.
Shettima revealed that he picked an Igbo man of the Catholic faith to be his Chief Security Officer.
“Politics is about perception. As we begin the formation of a new administration, I deliberately picked an Igbo man, a Catholic, to be my Chief Security Officer,” he stated.
“For the purpose of inclusivity and togetherness, again I deliberately picked a Northern Christian to be my ADC. So the so-called founder of Boko Haram is going to be protected by…”
Shettima had earlier said the APC nominated Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, and a Christian Southerner for Senate President to avoid a situation where all the top officials of the incoming administration would be of the same faith.
