Zamfara Commissioner, Sheikh Jangebe Allegedly Resigns To Avoid Being Sacked Over Anti-government Preaching
Tukur Jangebe, the Commissioner for Religious Affairs in Zamfara State, has resigned his position after reportedly learning of a ‘plan’ to fire him due to his ‘style’ of preaching, which certain unidentified high officials in the state deem critical of the state administration, according to Premium Times.
During his Ramadan sermons, the commissioner, who is also a prominent cleric in the state, was accused of praising a political opponent of the governor.
According to a high government source, the Islamic preacher learned of a plot to fire or “disgrace” him after Eid celebrations, so he quit before being “formally terminated.”
When approached by the publication, Jangebe acknowledged his resignation but refused to provide any details.
“Yes, I’ve resigned from the government. I sent in my resignation letter on the 1st of May, 2022. You can write that. May God make it easy for all of us,” he said.
In the letter of resignation published by the newspaper, Jangede thanked the governor of the state, Bello Muhammed, for giving him the opportunity to serve. He did not state the reason for resigning in the letter as well.
Meanwhile, Zailani Bappa, the media aide to the governor of the state, said he had seen the “purported” resignation letter on social media but was yet to be briefed officially.
“I’ve also not heard his voice on any radio confirming the said resignation so, I’ll assume it’s still a rumour,” Bappa said.
However, the government source insisted that some of the governor’s top aides were angry with the “preaching style of the commissioner”.
“You know how Malam is. He is used to being blunt in a humorous way. I, just like most of the state officials, were always at the sermons on the evening and we hear how he conducted his preaching as usual,” he said.
According to him, in 2021, some appointees of the governor complained that Mr Jangebe didn’t use the opportunity to promote the governor’s image to the large audience that usually attended his sermons.
“But you know His Excellency, when he likes you, he hardly allows anyone to paint you black. But to be honest with you, all of us were angry with his preaching this year because he was always praying for our opponents and you know this is politics. If as a commissioner, he can resort to applauding our opponents while at the same time criticising the government he belongs to, I don’t think it’s okay for him to remain on that seat,” he added.
During the just-concluded Ramadan fasting, Mr Jangebe prayed for the end of banditry in Nigeria’s troubled North-west region. He, however, never stopped calling on wealthy Nigerians to help the poor.
In one of his sermons this year, Jangebe called on the state government to release funds for the underprivileged to ease their plight during the Ramadan period.
“There is poverty in the land,” he said. “I, therefore, call on the government and well-to-do individuals to bring out their money and help the people. It’s not easy. Life is hard for the common man and it’s a duty upon you to ensure your brothers and sisters also share in the joy of Ramadan.
“How could anyone be happy when he has nothing to eat? Therefore, bring out money and feed the poor among you,” he had said in one of the sessions this Ramadan.
Mujittaba Bakura, a follower of the cleric, said it was possible the government was ‘angry’ with the cleric for praying for a certain politician.
“In the last days of the fasting month, there was a day that Malam prayed and asked us to pray for Dauda Lawal because he brought a lot of money to the mosque. The money would be used for the upkeep of the mosque and the foundation which caters for orphans and other underprivileged.
“You know how Malam is, so he said it after the session that Dauda Lawal has brought money and it has been handed to the foundation committee and we prayed for Dauda,” Bakura said.
Lawal, a former Executive Director at First Bank, contested for the governor’s seat in 2019 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He is seen as one of the governor’s arch-rivals.
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