Alleged religious marginalisation stirs unease in Adamawa community

Alleged bias by Shallom Kassah, the chairman of Guyuk Local Government Area in Adamawa State, has stirred unease in the area.

Kassah, a Christian of Lunguda ethnicity, is being accused of undue bias against Muslims and citizens of other ethnicities in the council area.

A group, Guyuk Concerned Citizens, which called a meeting of its members to deliberate on the issue, accused Kassah of ethnic and religious exclusion of a large section of the citizens of Guyuk, a local government area 137 kilometres south of the state capital, Yola.

Rising from the meeting, the Guyuk Concerned Citizens said in a statement by its convener, Samson Caleb, that tension is building in the area over the council chairman’s disposition.

“This area has become a flash point of ethnic and religious conflagration in the past due to self-centred leaders who uphold exclusion as a cardinal principle.

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We thought the incumbent chairman would take a cue by carrying all shades of people along regardless of their ethnic and religious colouration. Unfortunately, the chairman has taken it upon himself to exclude a large section of the people from his government,” Caleb stated.

He said it was unfair for all the 10 elected councillors of the local government to come from the same ethnic and religious affiliation as the chairman.

He added that even the five supervisory councillors and the chairman’s personal advisers share the same ethnic and religious affiliations with the chairman.

“This is in addition to the fact that the executive chairman, vice chairman, secretary and chief of staff all come from the same religion and ethnic stock,” he stressed.

Guyuk, according to him, has a Muslim population of 40 per cent.

He added: “Despite the fact that Purokayo, Bobini and Bodeno wards are the exclusive domains of Muslims and Hausa/Fulani ethnic stock, the politics of exclusion has ensured that only Lunguda Christians emerged as the councillors of the three wards.”

The Guyuk Council chairman, however, dismissed the allegations, saying he has included Muslims and people of ethnic nationalities other than his own in his cabinet.

Kassah said: “I’m shocked by this blatant lie. The allegation is the handwork of idle minds and mischief-makers who want to distract me from performing my duties.

“To set the record straight, I have appointed two Muslims in my cabinet. One of them, Abdullahi Gambo, is an adviser, while I appointed the other, Alisko Aliyu, as a supervisory councillor. I even appointed an Igbo man in my cabinet.

“In the history of Guyuk local government, I’m the first chairman to appoint a Muslim as adviser. So, disregard the allegation as the handwork of the enemies of the local government.”