The Federal Government has been urged to respond promptly and decisively to recent utterances credited to Bishop David Oyedepo, General Overseer of the Living Faith Church Worldwide.
The call was made by a former National President of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) and Sadaukin Sokoto, Engr. Muhammad Lawal Maidoki, while delivering a keynote address at the closing ceremony of the 28th State Islamic Vacation Course (IVC) in Gusau, Zamfara State.
The event, held at Government Girls Arabic Secondary School (GGASS), was themed “Reorganizing the Younger Generation for Challenges of the 21st Century.
”Engr. Maidoki cautioned that the government must check divisive statements from highly placed individuals whose words could fuel violence and unrest. He, however, stressed that Muslims remain resilient, firm, and unshaken in the face of any form of intimidation.
He also lamented Nigeria’s lingering security challenges, particularly in Zamfara, noting that the determination of MSSN in the state to pursue its mission in spite of difficulties is commendable. He said such resilience provides hope while authorities work to end banditry and restore peace across the country.
Bishop Oyedepo recently came under criticism after a viral video showed him addressing his congregation, where he suggested that Muslims demanding the use of hijabs in Christian missionary schools should be shown the “other side of God.”
He likened such demands to “a tenant decreeing for the landlord” and maintained that mission schools must uphold their founding principles.
The remarks have since drawn widespread condemnation from analysts and commentators, who described them as divisive, intolerant, and unbefitting of a preacher of his standing in a multi-religious society like Nigeria.
