The “Vice-President-Elect”, Kashim Shettima, has said that he was a child of necessity, while allying claims that he and his principal, Bola Tinubu, have an agenda to islamise Nigeria.
“I was a child of necessity, there is no Islamisation agenda," he said, adding that "Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is a Muslim who is married to a Christian, not only a Christian but a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God".
SaharaReporters reports that Tinubu a former governor of Lagos State South West Nigeria is of Muslim faith.
His running mate and former governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima is also of a Muslim faith from the North Eastern Nigeria.
It had been reported that since Tinubu chose Shettima to run on the same faith – Muslim-Muslim ticket, there had been hues and cries among the Nigerian Christian faith. Looking at the Islamic terrorists’ attack on Christian communities and churches in the Northern Nigeria, a lot of people saw it as a ploy to Islamise the country.
But speaking at a lecture in Abuja which formed a part of the events around Tinubu’s inauguration on May 29, the incoming Vice President denied that there was any such plan to islamise Nigeria.
He said, “Someone who has not Islamised his family, people are alluding that he has the intention to Islamise the nation. So there are no plans to Islamise Nigeria."
“Politics is about perception. As we begin the formation of a new administration, I deliberately picked an Igbo man, a Catholic, to be my Chief Security Officer,” he stated.
He maintained that his choice was for the purpose of inclusivity and togetherness. "Again I deliberately picked a Northern Christian to be my ADC. So the so-called founder of Boko Haram is going to be protected by another Christian.”