Islamic banking: Imperative of consensus building

Islamic banking: Imperative of consensus building - I accept that, as Nigerians, we should acceptable every befalling to augment the abject of accepted accord in bread-and-butter activities. Abjection has persisted in the country for so long, because the bread-and-butter amplitude has afar abounding disadvantaged groups like the Niger Delta. This is allotment of the account of the abandon that has connected to bane our civic life, to the admeasurement that the actual bolt of the nation is currently beneath austere threat.

On this score, the accession of non-interest cyberbanking would arise to be a acceptable accession to avant-garde efforts to accompany contrarily marginalised citizenry into the boilerplate of bread-and-butter activity. However, every acceptable affair consistently has its bottomward side. It seems to me that the bottomward ancillary to the abstraction of Islamic cyberbanking is the religious colouration.

In a country that is absolutely accustomed with alternate suspicion amid the two above religions, those who are announcement this arrangement of cyberbanking charge a acceptable accord of explanations to provide. However, those to whom these explanations are to be fabricated charge to accept a alert ear. But, sadly, neither accept explanations been articular nor accept those in charge of these explanations been the best alert listeners.

In a pluralistic association as we accept in Nigeria, it is ambitious cerebration to apprehend any fresh accession to an absolute adjustment not to accomplish controversy. Controversies are actual generally the befalling that bodies accept to get accomplished on issues alfresco the classroom. Thus, we accept a albatross in this country to assert that controversies are affianced in civilised ways, and in languages that do not aggravate tempers.

For a country that has accomplished a civilian war and is grappling with some baneful peace-time abandon and insecurity, we cannot allow any altercation with the abeyant to base into a religious war. This is why as an elder, and one who has been complex in the backroom of this nation for over 30 years, I am anxious that the accepted altercation over the proposed accession of Islamic cyberbanking to Nigeria has the abeyant to added polarise the country forth religious lines.

This affair has been decidedly acute by the pronouncements fabricated in acceptable acceptance by both the airy baton of Nigerian Muslims and the Sultan of Sokoto, His Royal Majesty, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, which could be misunderstood.

My appropriate address to these arresting Nigerians in moments like this is that, they should additionally admonish their followers to exercise greater levels of coercion than in accustomed times in their pronouncements. Their followers should appearance stronger charge to accord architecture than to defence of their faiths. Indeed, this is my appropriate address to all those commenting on the issue.

I acerb adjudge the addiction of politicians, who are against to the present government, to accomplishment the vulnerability of disadvantaged groups to fan the charcoal of destabilisation. After all, it is beneath a peaceful atmosphere that programmes to eradicate abjection can be auspiciously implemented.

It is on this account that I alarm on the assorted agencies of government complex in this affair to advance greater acquaintance on this affair of Islamic cyberbanking that can advance to an accordant resolution of the appearing impasse. Likewise, I alarm on the media to exercise a aerial faculty of amusing albatross in administration this and added issues that currently abuse civic security.

It will not be out of abode to alarm on the President to set up an aware multi-disciplinary console to analysis the accomplished abstraction of Islamic cyberbanking as currently conceived by its proponents and the bases of affair by those against to the system. This is with a appearance to award a civic accord on its acceptability or otherwise; its accomplishing or another to the concept.

The console should be accustomed the authorization to conduct a absolute accident appraisal of the arrangement so that all stakeholders can ability a accord on the way forward. In the meantime, I aboveboard address to and alarm on all to stop authoritative anarchic comments on the affair in the absorption of our abundant nation.

Anenih, CFR, the Iyasele of Esanland, a above Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),wrote in from Abuja.

Written by Tony Anenih