A
abujagirl
Guest
Cemal Yigit, spokesperson of the Nigerian-Turkish International Colleges (NTIC) has explained why the Turkish government wants to shut down its investments in Nigeria.
Speaking during an interview session with THE CABLE, Yigit said, ''It is not only right now the Turkish administration is trying to reach the Turkish schools abroad and close them down. It has been an ongoing battle for them since 2013, especially after the corruption allegations brought against the government. These allegations made the government look for scapegoats, and they decided to blame civil society organisations in Turkey – called Hizmet movement – which is operating with the philosophy of Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric who has been in the United States since 1999.
Explaining the philosophy of the Hizmet movement, he said'' Hizmet movement’s philosophy is with focus on education; dialogue, where we bring Christians and Muslims to together to emphasis on inter-faith activities; and the third one is charity: we try to be useful to those who less-privileged in society.
On ownership of Turkish schools in Nigeria, the spokesperson said, ''We are have been operating in Nigeria for 18 years, and we are accountable to the Nigerian authorities. Gulen is the inspirer; he does not own the school. It is owned by private investors. It is a private investment. We are non-political. The Turkish government had tried to convince European states and the United States to close down Hizmet affiliated schools in those countries by accusing them of terrorism. Our doors are open to any kind of investigation. It is a local organisation we have. Gulen does not know the number of schools we have. And I do not report to him.''
Speaking during an interview session with THE CABLE, Yigit said, ''It is not only right now the Turkish administration is trying to reach the Turkish schools abroad and close them down. It has been an ongoing battle for them since 2013, especially after the corruption allegations brought against the government. These allegations made the government look for scapegoats, and they decided to blame civil society organisations in Turkey – called Hizmet movement – which is operating with the philosophy of Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric who has been in the United States since 1999.
Explaining the philosophy of the Hizmet movement, he said'' Hizmet movement’s philosophy is with focus on education; dialogue, where we bring Christians and Muslims to together to emphasis on inter-faith activities; and the third one is charity: we try to be useful to those who less-privileged in society.
On ownership of Turkish schools in Nigeria, the spokesperson said, ''We are have been operating in Nigeria for 18 years, and we are accountable to the Nigerian authorities. Gulen is the inspirer; he does not own the school. It is owned by private investors. It is a private investment. We are non-political. The Turkish government had tried to convince European states and the United States to close down Hizmet affiliated schools in those countries by accusing them of terrorism. Our doors are open to any kind of investigation. It is a local organisation we have. Gulen does not know the number of schools we have. And I do not report to him.''
