I have sent over 5000 persons to Mecca – Daily Trust

Senate President Godswill Akpabio says he has supported Muslim pilgrimages to Mecca for 25 years and wouldn’t disparage the faith.

Speaking throughout plenary on Thursday, Akpabio stated he had constantly sent individuals to the holy metropolis to pray for him and Nigeria, insisting that his remarks throughout legislative proceedings had been taken out of context and misinterpreted for political functions.

He was responding to criticism that trailed his feedback on Tuesday throughout consideration of the Suicide Prevention Bill 2026.

The invoice, sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, who represents Cross River South Senatorial District, seeks to tackle points relating to suicide prevention.

During the controversy, Akpabio stated some younger individuals ponder suicide as a result of “they believe seven virgins await them in the afterlife.”

The comment attracted criticism from some commentators, who accused him of constructing disparaging feedback about Muslims and their spiritual beliefs.

However, responding to the controversy, Akpabio maintained that his feedback ought to be understood throughout the context of the Senate’s deliberations, arguing that disagreements amongst lawmakers have been a part of the legislative course of and shouldn’t be portrayed as assaults on explicit spiritual teams.

“I love the Muslim religion. I send people to Mecca to pray for me and to pray for this country, and I do that even up to yesterday, and I have been doing that since the last 25 years,” he stated.

He expressed concern over what he described because the misrepresentation of discussions held on the Senate ground, notably when such feedback have been subsequently mentioned on tv programmes.

“So I don’t know why people go and sit down on television and they try to misinterpret what we say here because politics is coming,” he stated.

Akpabio stated lawmakers have been anticipated to disagree on points throughout debates whereas working in direction of laws that may serve the nation’s pursuits.

“I don’t like the idea of people sitting down on television and trying to misinterpret what we discuss here in the senate,” he stated.

“We want to make the best laws, so we are bound to oppose each other, and we are also bound to support each other.”

The Senate president additionally cited his private relationships with Muslims and his file of supporting spiritual pilgrimages as proof that he had no intention of denigrating Islam.

He stated that in his tenure as governor, he sponsored 1000’s of Muslims to the holy land, alongside Christians who travelled to Rome and Jerusalem.

According to him, he sponsored 5,800 Muslims to the holy land and greater than 10,000 Christians to Rome and Jerusalem.

Akpabio additional disclosed that a lot of his workers members have been Muslims, stressing that his relationship with them was primarily based on mutual respect moderately than spiritual variations.

“My ADC for 19 years is a Muslim. I don’t recognize him as a Muslim. I recognize him as a brother; he’s from Azare in Bauchi state, the same thing with my CSO,” he stated.

He added that Muslims constituted a big proportion of the individuals working with him.

“There’s no way I will talk down on Muslim religion, so people who go out there to talk should study the personalities involved,” he stated.

Akpabio additionally cautioned towards associating terrorism with any explicit faith, arguing that those that interact in suicide bombings mustn’t use spiritual beliefs to justify violence towards themselves or others.

“Terrorists are not Muslims. Terrorists are not Christians. Terrorists are human beings who believe in taking their lives and the lives of others,” he stated.

He maintained that Islam, as he understood it, prohibited suicide and the killing of others, rejecting the suggestion that the faith inspired individuals to take their very own lives in anticipation of a heavenly reward.

“The Muslim religion that I know forbids suicide; it forbids killing,” he stated.

The Senate president additionally referred to the Criminal Code and Penal Code, which he stated include provisions relating to suicide, urging lawmakers to method the difficulty with an understanding of the excellence between individuals experiencing psychological well being challenges and those that intentionally take their lives.

He stated the controversy ought to be thought of within the broader context of efforts to enact legal guidelines that may tackle suicide and associated issues, moderately than being lowered to controversy over remoted remarks.

Akpabio urged Nigerians to contemplate the end result of legislative proceedings when assessing debates within the chamber, noting that lawmakers may specific differing opinions earlier than reaching a closing determination.

“No matter the discussion, please take the final decision of the senate into consideration,” he stated.

He additionally urged Nigerians to give attention to substantive points in political discourse moderately than makes an attempt to harm the reputations of public officers via what he described because the misinterpretation of their statements.