Buhari Should Not Be Sworn In With The Quran- Etcetera

On Friday May 29, the Constitution requires that Buhari
gives this oath of office: “I, Muhammadu Buhari, do solemnly swear that I will
faithfully execute the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the
Constitution.” So, why should Buhari swear with a Quran? Why shouldn’t he place
his hand on the Nigerian Constitution- the very document he’s promising to
“preserve, protect and defend?”

There’s is a gargantuan barrier between religion and state
and Buhari should demonstrate that he recognises this fact by taking his oath
of office with his hand on the constitution instead of the Quran. His loyalty
should be to the nation’s laws above all else.

A lot of people will argue that Buhari swearing with the
Quran ensures that he adheres to his oath. But let’s be truthful to ourselves:
We have seen elected officials swear to uphold the laws of our country with
their hands on the Quran and go on to steal billions of naira and break laws
like crazy. It all comes down to the individual’s moral code, not a few seconds
oath.

My objection is not only against the Quran. I would hold the
same view if it were the Bible, the Book of Mormon or any other religious scripture.
The drafters of the constitution made it clear that the Nigerian Constitution,
“shall be the supreme law of the land.” It is the living legacy they bestowed
upon us. It is the framework for our government. And as such, that’s the
document our president should place his hand on. It should be clear to us on
May 29 that the president views the Constitution as our nation’s alpha and
omega. As a matter of fact, your religion doesn’t matter when you are taking a
position in office because religion has nothing to do with running a country.

I personally think that being sworn in with any kind of
religious testament is a waste of time and useless. A lot of people in the
out-going government were sworn in with the Bible but did they deliver any of
the things they promised the country?

To some people, it doesn’t matter whether the
president-elect is sworn in with the Quran. They’re probably used to seeing it
happen. We just take it for granted that it is the way things have always been
done, but it doesn’t necessarily make it right. In my opinion, any elected
leader in any secular country like ours is voted in to represent everyone in
that country.

So why not swear with a document that means something to
everyone, such as the constitution? Wouldn’t that make more sense, instead of
swearing with a religious document that only represents a chunk of the
population? Imagine if a Juju priest was elected President, would it be okay
for him to be sworn in with ‘sango, orunmila or amadioha’ or some other work
written about atheism? Would it be okay for an ogboni president to be sworn in
with the ogboni book of sacred covenant? I am a Catholic and I believe
completely in not swearing with the Bible because there are multiple religions
in the country and swearing with a Bible will not cause the sacred binding to
the truth if the person swearing does not share a religion with the Bible. The
Bible does not have the same meaning to every person. So it shouldn’t be
counted as a true binding document.

Finally, we shouldn’t also forget that oath taking of any
kind is absolutely forbidden by the Bible:

“But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by
heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by
Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply
‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” – Matthew 5:34-37