LAGOS
Breaking a longstanding tradition, the daily proceedings of Nigeria's national conference will kick off with the country's national anthem rather than a prayer delivered by a Muslim or Christian attendee.
"The second stanza of the anthem was adopted as the official prayer in the chambers of the conference during sittings," conference spokesman James Akpandem told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.
"It was suggested by a delegate and affirmed by the delegates," he added.
The decision breaks a long-held tradition of calling upon either a Muslim or Christian to open socio-political or economic events with a prayer.
The national conference had commenced on Monday with an opening prayer delivered by people of both faiths.
But many see the new practice – which was observed during the closed-door meetings on Tuesday – as a compromise out of an ongoing Muslim-Christian rivalry, which could derail the meeting if not contained.
Jaye Gaskia, a delegate representing Nigeria's vocal civil rights community, refuted claims that Christians and Muslims had fought over who should deliver the opening prayer.
"No prayers were held at all," he told AA. "Only reference to a prayer was to adopt the second stanza of the anthem."
Atedo Peterside, a business mogul and conference delegate, agreed.
"Talk about religious differences was a storm in a teacup," Peterside said via Twitter on Thursday.
"We declined Christian/Muslim prayer and settled for national anthem," he noted.
The conference has been adjourned until Monday to agree on sitting arrangements and order of deliberations.
-Polarized-
Nigeria's prominent Christian cleric and politician, Tunde Bakare, on Thursday denied Islamophobia claims leveled at him by some Muslim groups, including the Muslim Rights Concern of Prof. Ishaq Akintola.
Bakare had reportedly called on national conference chairman Idris Kutigi, a Muslim, not to begin his speech with an Arabic prayer asking for God's protection from Satan.
Kutigi, a respected jurist who retired as Nigeria's chief justice, often begins his speeches with the Arabic words "Audhu billaahi mina shaytooni rojeem," meaning "I seek God's protection from Satan, the accursed."
"I don't harbor any misgivings against the Muslims," Bakare, a former vice presidential candidate for the now defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), said in a media statement.
"My observation was to avoid a situation whereby we will be polarized along religious lines," he added.
Most Nigerian Muslims begin formal addresses by seeking God's protection against Satan.
No official figures exist for Nigeria's Muslim and Christian populations, as religion and ethnicity were not used as criteria in previous national censuses.
But independent pollsters, including the US-based Pew Review, suggest that Muslims constitute at least half of Nigeria's estimated population of 175 million.
The country's Christians, however, dispute this figure.
By Rafiu Ajakaye
englishnews@aa.com.tr
