A former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Sani Yerima says he will create a ministry of religious affairs to tackle religious decadence if elected president of Nigeria in 2023.
Yerima, who officially joined the 2023 presidential race on the platform of the APC on Friday, also pledged to holistically address the country’s security challenges.
He spoke on Friday in Abuja, when Sen. Bala Adamu, Director-General Yerima Support Organisations presented the APC Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to contest the 2023 presidential election to him.
The ex-governor said, “We will use our Christian and Islamic clerics to ensure that decorum is brought back to the society.
“We will create a ministry of religious affairs so that we have a minister of Muslim affairs and a minister of Christian affairs.
“We will make sure that the leadership of the Bishops and serving clerics truly appreciate God,” he said.
Yerima said section 38 of the country’s Constitution granted Nigerians freedom of religion, to worship alone or in community with others, in private or in public.
He added that God did not make a mistake to create Nigerians together as Christians and Muslims.
He said if elected as the country’s next president in 2023, his administration would fight issues of ignorance and ensure that the people were properly educated.
“Under my administration, every Nigerian child must go to school.
“We will have free education and establish a functional students’ loan board to make financial resources available to every poor or rich Nigerian child to access education,” he said.
Yerima commended the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for its fight against insecurity and terrorism in the country.
According to him, gone are the days when people were screened before entering Churches and Mosques.
He said he would approve community policing across the federation to address insecurity and acts of terrorism in the country, especially in the North East.
He said the details of his programmes would be made public in due time, adding that:”the take home is that Yerima will fight security, poverty and ignorance among Nigerians”.
Adamu, the Director-General Yerima Support Organisations, said the forms were purchased for Yerima through contributions from his different support groups from across the federation.
Present at the event were, Muslim and Christian clerics, Yerima support organisations and women and youth representatives from across the federation.
The APC expression of interest and nomination forms is being sold for N100 million for presidential aspirants while governorship aspirants are paying N50 million for the forms.
Apart from Pastor Tunde Bakare,
Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church (formerly Latter Rain Assembly) and Nicholas Bello that came personally to buy their forms, other aspirants purchased theirs by proxy.
Alhaji Sulaiman Arugugu, APC
National Organising Secretary said 241 aspirants had purchased the party’s senatorial forms, 821 for the House of Representatives and 1,505 for the 36 State Houses of Assembly.
Some of those in the APC 2023 presidential race included: Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation and Sen. Rochas Okorocha, immediate past Imo governor.
Others are Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi, Dr Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajuba, the Minister of State for Education, Gov. David Umuahi of Ebonyi, and Sen. Ken Nnamani.
Also in the race, is Ekiti governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun (APC-Ogun Central) and former two-term governor of Ogun, Pastor Tunde Bakare and Sen. Ken Nnamani.
Mr Adams Oshiomhole, a former APC National Chairman, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology and Ms Uju Ohanenye, a female aspirant and Mr Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor are also in the race among others.
The APC special presidential primary convention is scheduled to hold from Monday, May 30 to Wednesday, June 1.