Regina Askia Williams and President Buhari
Former Nollywood actress-turned American-nurse, Regina
Askia-Williams, has taken to her Facebook page this afternoon and
blasted President Muhammadu Buhari over his deafening silence, saying
religious murders is looking like a tactic approval.
Below is what the healthcare and educational activist wrote;
"Dear Mr President, Yet another open letter on murders. Why are
you so silent, Mr President Sir? Your deafening silence is looking like
tacit approval. This author "Ata Ikiddeh" suggests a committee on
Religious tolerance. Echoes of Rwandan genocide looming? We are very
worried Mr President Sir."
Below is the open letter to President Buhari whom Regina Askia is refering to above by Ata Ikiddeh;
OPEN LETTER TO MR PRESIDENT
"Let your moslem brothers know that the people they are killing and calling "infidels" also voted for you!"
Dear Mr President,
Over one thousand Christian farmers have died in the hands of
muslim fulani herdsmen. Two months ago Mrs Bridget Agbaheme, a Christian
was stoned to death, her head decapitated in a busy market in Kano. Her
offence she told a muslim not to wash his feet in front of her shop.
Last week a member of my church, sister Eunice Elisha was
exterminated and broken in part under 6 inch cement blocks, silenced by
practitioners of religious fascism in Kubwa, Abuja.
Her transgression, proselytising with a megaphone, it didn't
matter, that at the time her assailants were snuffing her life out, a
megaphone strapped to the minaret of a mosque, was thundering across the
Kubwa valley, drowning out her cries for help. Two religions using
megaphones, and one religion murders the other.
Last Friday a Catholic church, was besieged and attacked in Niger
State because it's doors were opened on a "muslim Friday". What is
happening to Nigeria?
The unvarnished truth is hard to swallow but death now prowls in
once temperate communes camouflaged in placid hate, with ready hands
lusting to annihilate those labeled infidels. A morbid savage rage has
suddenly found its vent, extinguishing anything zealously different. How
many have fallen, we've lost count. Sister Eunice fell a martyr , not
bomb strapped but professing what she was immersed in, holding nothing
but a megaphone the same way the mosque behind her house blared its
morning call for prayer at 5am.
Shouldn't we start appropriating blame and stop pretending? Where
do we start? Should we accuse the Imam with his army of almajaris who
extinguished our sister's life!? Or should we rather blame Christians,
who knowing ignorant zealotry lurks, still brave their faith under the
cursing of infidel.
It's now typical to hear moslems call 'others' infidel on social
media ( I have had my own fair share ) and on the streets of Abuja.
Nigerian Christians are being condemned by some moslems and called
infidels or Kaffir for their faith, they claim the Qur'an has declared
certain aspects of Christianity polytheistic.
Mr President, what has encouraged the recent religious impudence and effrontery, many are saying it's your aloof indifference?
Mr President your land is bleeding, with believers on one side and
"infidels" on the other. How can you remain silent over these murders?
This cannot be your vision for "One Nigeria!!??"Let your moslem brothers
know that the people they are killing and calling "infidels" also voted
for you! I am afraid to say, but your indifference and detachment about
reports of Christian deaths and persecutions is washing away your
neutrality in this affair.
Before you became President you were accused of being a closet
extremist and an Islamic bigot, your passivity and indifference is
slowly soldering this tag on you; it doesn't matter if these accusations
are true or false, if you remain passive, think of what history will
say about you.
Eunice was not felled by the rocks of rabid fanatics but by a
certain change in Executive attitude, prove us wrong, I dare you to
attend her funeral and send a strong message to her assailants.
From Kaduna, Abuja, Benue, Anambra, Enugu, Delta State, from the
violent insurrection of moslem herdsmen, to violence against Christians
in suburbs; we have lost over a thousand Christians since you took over
the reins of power from your Christian predecessor and you have said
NOTHING on the growing intolerance - nothing, Mr President!!!
This perceived Executive ambivalence is pollinating extremism and
breeding more corpses; your executive silence is lighting embers of hate
across the land, are you waiting for dry figs to ignite! You need to
urgently address the nation on this matter, your body language maybe
emboldening extremist attitudes and sending the wrong signal.
In my reckoning, you are innocent, but innocence and truth are
strange bedfellows - you must communicate your position clearly and
publicly to the Moslem and Christian communities.
Perhaps a good time to establish, " A Presidential Committee on
Religious Tolerance", made up of Pastors, Reverends, Imams &
Mullahs, presided over by you!
Thank you for taking out time from your busy schedule to read this letter.
A concerned Patriotic Nigerian.
Yours Truly
Ata Ikiddeh
