The House of Representatives will commence debate on the controversial issue of Islamic banking at its plenary session as soon as it concludes deliberation on its legislative agenda this week.
A member of the lower chamber, Hon. Mustapha Dawaki Bala, who disclosed this to LEADERSHIP yesterday, said that already the issue, which is a constitutional one, had been raised as a motion on the notice paper of the House and would come up any time this week.
Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, had asked the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other critics of Islamic banking to seek legal redress and prove him wrong, just as he maintained that he was on the right side of the law on his decision to allow the bank to operate in the country.
In a chat with LEADERSHIP, Bala who represents Dawakin/Kudu/Warawa federal constituency of Kano State in the House said, “the issue of Islamic banking is constitutional and there are no two ways about it. Its debate will come up on the floor of the House. Somebody has raised a motion on it in our notice paper and I believe that by the time we finish deliberating on our legislative agenda that motion would come up and be read on the floor of the House for every member to contribute.”
Making a case for Islamic banking, Dawaki said, “other developed countries like the UK, US and France which are among the strongest countries in the world allow Islamic banking to operate. In fact, UK is said to have pioneered Islamic banking system in Europe. Even Hong Kong and Shangai Banking Corporation which is the largest banking system in the world has a window for Islamic banking.
“If England, America and France can allow Islamic banking to be a kind of patronage to their economic system, I don’t see any reason why Nigeria should not create this kind of opportunity? so that we can access finances that would fund so many projects that we need in this country. The essence of Islamic banking is that it doesn’t give regard to religion. Even if you are a Christian, you can access its finances so long as it does not contradict Islamic tenets.”
On CAN’s position on the bank, Dawaki said the Christian leaders could not claim that they were more catholic than the Pope who encourages Islamic banking himself and added that the negative position on the bank was supposed to be demystified by them instead of creating disaffection among Christian and Muslim brothers in the country.