The Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi Lamido
has clarified the misconceptions surrounding the introduction of Islamic
Banking in Nigeria.
It will be recalled that the Emir,
the the Central Bank, CBN,Governor issued license for the operation of
non interest bank under the Islamic commercial jurisprudence.
The
move was widely condemned by a cross section of Nigerians. In fact the
International College of Penticostal Bishops of Nigeria and Overseas
called for the immediate removal of the monarch for allegedly using his
position to create a policy that is threatening the unity of the
country.
On June, 2012, a Federal High Court in Abuja held
that Sanusi lacked the constitutional powers to issue the license.
Delivering judgement in the suit filed by a lawyer, Mr Godwin Sunday,
the court presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole maintained that the
action was in flarant violation of section 10 of the Constitution as
amended.
Taking to his official Instagram page, the Emir said it was done for the promotion and guidance in financial
inclusion. He wrote:
“When Jaiz bank came up with
the idea of getting a license for the operation of the bank, they
proposed the funding of the bank’s capital with interest and I said no,
you can’t fund a non-interest bank with interest.
The required amount to
be issued license was N5 billion at that time and they had only N1
billion. I took my phone and called one of the richest men in Africa
who is a Nigerian and a Muslim. I told him that N5 billion is needed for
an Islamic bank to start operation and the founders have N1 billion,
and he instantly agreed and issued a cheque of 4 billion. That is how
the license was issued.
Some Nigerians thought the introduction of
Islamic banking in the country was a move to Islamize Nigeria. No at
all, everything that is normal in the world is not normal in Nigeria.
There is Islamic banking in London, India and in South Africa but the
citizens there never thought it as a way of Islamizing their countries
but it became an issue in Nigeria.
Today, Godwin Emefiele, governor
of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is the chairman of the governing
board and head of the general assembly of the International Islamic
Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM). Is that an agenda of Islamizing
Nigeria? No, It was done for the promotion and guidance in financial
inclusion. That is how we are. However, the tradition of early
marriage and the problem of girl child education in the North, calling
on stakeholders to invest more on girl child education than building
mosques.
75% of 18-15 married women in the country today are not
educated, that is why the society is producing illiterate mothers and
children. I am tired of building mosques daily. We keep building mosque
while our children are not educated, our foundations and NGO’s should
give much focus and priority to girl child education, the mosques are OK
enough.
I am currently drafting a bill that will be sent to the
State Assembly for legislation against early marriage. We need to ban
it, all this issues of maternal health and Almajiri are courtesy of
early marriage as a result of lack of education for our girl children,
this is bringing us back.
360L
0 comments:
Post a Comment