Vice President Yemi Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday enjoined faith-based organisations in the country to shun rumours about the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and dwell only on facts.

He gave the advice after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Student Christian Movement of Nigeria (SCM) in his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the vice president spoke against the backdrop of the lingering rumour of alleged plans by the President to Islamise the country.

Describing the rumour as unfounded, Osinbajo emphasised that it was impossible to Islamise the country given the 1999 Constitution that forbids state religion.

He urged religious bodies to channel their energies towards proffering solutions to the numerous challenges facing the country.

The vice president also challenged Nigerian youths to wake up from slumber and take advantage of abundant opportunities in  ICT, agriculture and other sectors.

While noting that the opportunities were far much more now than they were in the past, Osinbajo harped on the need for young people to take responsibility for their future and be creative.

He also emphasised the importance of using the internet to acquire knowledge as well as learning a second language to boost their global competitiveness.

Expressing appreciation to SCM for the honour, the vice president solicited the organisation’s assistance in disseminating factual information about the Federal Government’s policies and programmes.

Earlier, the National President of SCM, Rev, Eric Ighalo, commended the government for its social interventions  such as the N-Power initiative and the conditional transfer scheme.

Ighalo expressed the willingness of the body to partner with government in several areas including serving as government ambassadors in their constituencies.

The SCM national president said that the award was conferred on the vice president in recognition of his integrity and outstanding leadership he had demonstrated over the years.

The award presentation, according to him, culminated the 75th anniversary of the organisation.(NAN)