Buhari should not be sworn in with the Quran - Etcetera writes

Singer turned writer Etcetera doesn't think Buhari should
swear with the Quran. Hmm. Read below
A lot of Nigerians do not know that Nigeria is a secular
state and they are also not aware that the Constitution of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not require that
Buhari take his oath of office by swearing with the Quran.
The drafters of the constitution made it crystal clear that
any Nigerian of any faith or no faith can hold any office. It
would have been very easy for the constitution drafters to
include it in our constitution that the president should be
sworn in with the Quran. But they didn’t. In other words,
placing a hand on a Quran while reciting the presidential
oath is simply a tradition that is not backed by the
constitution. Meaning, it is absolutely unnecessary.
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