Sheikh Nuru Khalid, the sacked Chief Imam of Apo Legislative Quarters Central Mosque in Abuja has said that “the pulpit of the mosque was once a center for Buhari campaign,” noting that he used the same to ask former president, Goodluck Jonathan to resign from office as president, but nobody attacked him at the time.
Sheikh Khalid, who is the founder, of Islamic Research and Da’awah Foundation, said this when he appeared on Daily Politics, a program on Trust TV.
He was suspended and later sacked by the committee of the mosque, after criticizing the government of President Muhammadu Buhari over his inability to end insecurity in the country in the aftermath of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.
However, the defiant imam to the Daily Trust TV that he would rather die of hunger than be an imam that cannot speak the truth, especially at a time when life is losing value in Nigeria.
“I’ve nothing to lose. For this, I stand by my words. I will rather die of hunger than be quiet when people are killed. Trains are attacked and roads are blocked and (there is) bloodletting everywhere,” Daily Trust quoted him to have said.
“I live in a local area. My children go to public schools and I relate with local people. Therefore I know the difficult situation the people of this country are going through.”
The imam said he was approached three times by some people in the government in an attempt to prevent him from commenting on the happenings in the country but he resisted.
“If the government is not happy, then we asked who is the president and who is suffering? Are they not the majority. The masses are more important that is why we call government workers civil servants. The lives of the masses must be preserved.”
The cleric regretted that very few Imams have the gut to speak on the dire situation in the country while encouraging more to speak out.
“Very few imams speak on the ugly situation in the country. And this is the right time to speak up. If you are an Imam, don’t be afraid. Speak the truth and let them take their mosque,” he said.
Sheikh Khalid, according to Daily Trust, said he first learned about his suspension in the media.
He stated, “It was a one-man show, as no committee sat before the said suspension. If they wanted me to go, they should have approached me in person and I would have gladly have left. I’ve nothing to lose.”
The cleric said the mosque was not owned by the government as it was established by a Muslim committee in the legislative quarters.
However, the imam accused Senator DanSadau of using the pulpit of the mosque to defend the present administration.
He added, “I was in Jos when the congregation booed DanSadau because of his continued habit of defending the government. This is the man who criticized other governments on the same pulpit.”
