The executive governor of Abia state, Dr Alex Otti, has reiterated the neutral stance of the Abia state government in matters of religion while receiving members of the Judaism Fellowship Initiative in Umuahia.
The religious body led by the President of the Commonwealth Jewish Council, London, Mr Clive Lawton, OBE (Order of the British Empire), raised certain issues, with the most significant being the conduct of elections in Nigeria during the sabbath day.
Governor Otti, reacting to their concerns, explained that changing the election timetable of Nigeria is a complex issue, as the nation is a multi-religious entity. He opined that the Jewish community in the country can participate in their religious routines after elections, a perfect compromise to the complex issue.
Otti maintained that his approach to religious issues is unbiased and neutral to avoid triggering polarising issues capable of dividing Ndi Abia further. On the group’s request for land, Otti explained that there is an approved due process for land acquisition and that the state does not fund religious bodies aside from pilgrimages.
Mr Clive Lawton, OBE, President of the Commonwealth Jewish Council, London, and stakeholder, Judaism Fellowship Initiative in response to Governor Otti’s reaction, described him as a bridge builder who has shown commitment to uniting communities in his state.
He lamented the lack of recognition for the Jewish faith in Nigeria and attributes that to the choice of Saturdays as official days for elections.
The meeting between the Governor and the Jewish body was attended by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, Ph.D, SA to the Governor on Religious Affairs, Pastor K. C. Wiper, and other senior Government appointees.
The Southeast region has a minimal and often overlooked Jewish community with Judaism as its main religion. In the height of the Biafran advocacy by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), there was an overlap between the political pressure group and the Jewish community in the region.
The IPOB leader was pictured in Israel at the Wailing Wall long before he was arrested by the Nigerian state. Some fringe theories by researchers state that the Igbos of eastern Nigeria and the Jewish people of Israel share some cultural similarities.
