President North Central Muslim Peace Initiative (NCMPI), Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, has warned the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) to desist from making utterances that would cause dissafection in the country as well division between ethno-religious groups/bodies.

Zazzaga who spoke yesterday in Jos the Plateau State capital at the stakeholders meeting of NCMPI was responding to the statement credited to the Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, who last Friday accused the Director General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Jos, Sir Joseph Ari, of being bias against Muslims.

The acussation which was contained in a press statement last week tagged ‘Investigate Mother of all Nepotism in ITF, Jos’ MURIC exactly accused Ari of nepotism, wrongful appointments and marginalisation of Muslims in the running of the agency.

But Zazzaga said such acussation which has religious inclination should be carefully weighed before it is voiced out because the country is deeply polarized and daily divided along religious lines, upon which any inflammatory remarks will easily aggravate the already deteriorated situation.

The President said religious groups should at all times be more concerned with building bridges of unity/ national cohesion, avoid hate speeches and ‘unsubstantiated’ allegations as well as raising false alarms because it would cause violence and set the nation backwards.

According to him, even the manner in which the heading of the press release was coined was already indicting, harsh and as well inciting, and that such claims could be presented in suggestive way without making any authoritative claim since it was still an allegation.

He also advised MURIC to always make wide consultations on any controversial issue before coming out with any claim.

Meanwhile, he stressed that Muslim individuals and groups close to Joe Ari right from his journalism days, and as the General Manager of Plateau Radio and Television (PRTV) Jos, till date have worked splendidly with him, have never being discriminated against and he was a detribalized Nigerian. He added that MURIC could as well try and make their findings on that.

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ITF: North Central muslim group warns MURIC against divisive utterances