President Muhammadu Buhari has advocated for the inclusion of two Islamic studies books by the late Justice Muhammad Bashir Sambo in the curriculum of all federal colleges.
The president said over the weekend in Kaduna while launching re-issued editions of the books first published in 1974.
The president, represented by Kaduna state Governor Nasir El-Rufai, stressed the importance of studying such books for Nigerians, especially in the face of the gradual decline in moral and religious values in the country. He further ordered the Ministry of Education to look at the editions with a view to including them in the curriculum of all government colleges.
The politician thanked the co-authors for their contribution in updating and structuring the books to match the new secondary curriculum.
Many social media users expressed dissatisfaction with the news. Before Buhari’s emergence as the country’s president, the APC candidate was accused of being “a religious fanatic” who wanted to spread Sharia law in the northern states and then across the country, which he had said in 2001.
Years later, the phrase became one of the counter-arguments against Buhari as the presidential candidate. It took much effort for Buhari and his team to assure Christian voters that they have nothing to fear regarding his religious beliefs. Speaking in London on the issue, he said that Sharia law is inferior to the constitution, concluding:
“Anyone who wants to enthrone Sharia will have to go and change the constitution.”
