MURIC TO POLITICIANS: STOP ABUSING JUDICIAL PROCESS

20^th March, 2019

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC TO POLITICIANS: STOP ABUSING JUDICIAL PROCESS

Two separate court injunctions stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from continuing the collation of results in Tafawa Balewa and Rivers States yesterday. The injunctions effectively compounded the dilemma facing INEC in its attempts to resolve the phenomenon of inconclusive results in five states of the federation.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has expressed gross dissatisfaction with this development. The Islamic human rights organization blamed politicians for abusing the country’s judicial process. MURIC made this known in a press statement signed by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Wednesday, 20^th March, 2019.

“Nigeria today is sandwiched between desperate politicians and a corrosive judicial system. The system holds INEC by the jugular, strangulating the electoral body in a vicious grip. Politicians are using too many injunctions to confuse INEC. They have taken liberty for licence and the system continues to condone their excesses. They approach the courts at will and, like spoiled brats, they spill the milk by kicking the cup, yet they cry over it.

“Except for very few, our politicians are too desperate and this cuts across the existing political parties. They are short in discipline, long in litigation. In fact discipline has long taken flight from their vocabulary. They pay more attention to the law courts, lawyers and judges than the citizens who voted for them. As a result, they waste a large portion of available resources on litigation, leaving too little for projects.

“It is our considered opinion that the desperation exhibited by politicians is caused by the high profit margin in politics while the recklessness and savagery are caused by a total desertification of eschatological values. Most politicians of present-day Nigeria lack piety. Impunity drives their political impulse because they find it easy to circumvent man-made law while very few among them remember that they will still render account to Allah in the Hereafter.  

“The solution lies in the hands of the incoming National Assembly (NASS) and the Nigerian people. NASS should make political posts less attractive. In particular, the salaries of members of the NASS must be drastically reduced. Judges should rely more on rationality, morality and natural justice than law in its crudeness. The judicial process must be reformed. In particular, the process of filing injunctions must be tightened.

“Nigerians must change their docile profile and become active participants in the affairs of the nation. Nigerians must be prepared to stop the excesses of the political class through non-violent but sustained agitation.

“As we rise from this session, we assert the innocence of the Nigerian electoral body, INEC. In view of the obvious desperation and excesses manifested by Nigerian politicians, the lion share of the blame for the ups and downs in the 2019 general elections must go to the politicians. Nigeria has too many political imbeciles parading the political landscape. It is these political shenanigans who collude with the courts to make INEC a victim of circumstances”.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

EKITI APPOINTMENTS: WE DON’T DEAL WITH AMORPHOUS GROUPS

19^th March, 2019

PRESS RELEASE:

EKITI APPOINTMENTS:

WE DON’T DEAL WITH AMORPHOUS GROUPS

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has reacted to a statement credited to a group called Integrity Leadership Organisation. The group last week faulted MURIC’s complaint about appointments made by the Ekiti State government.

The Islamic human rights organization had complained in a press statement issued on 12^th March, 2019, that only one Muslim had been appointed so far in the major appointments made by the governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

In a follow-up press release signed by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Tuesday, 19^th March, 2019, MURIC insisted that the Integrity Leadership Organisation had no business interfering in its interface with the Ekiti State government.

“Our complaint was directed at the government of Ekiti State. We have no business with any amorphous group. This matter is not for hirelings to handle. A third party has no explanations to offer when citizens make genuine complaints to government.

“A responsive and responsible government will respond to constructive inquiries. That is transparency, probity and accountability in government. We sincerely hope that the governor of Ekiti State is not being teleguided. It sounds funny to us that an hitherto unknown group will be responding to a genuine concern raised by Muslims.

“Even the response of the Integrity Leadership Organisation failed the integrity test. The group claimed that Muslims are just 5% in Ekiti State. How did they arrive at that figure. Where is the data? What demographic research figures did the group rely on to arrive at that percentage?

“The group also cleverly avoided our allegation that one of the two purported Muslim names was cooked up and that there was only one genuine Muslim on the list. Nothing about this serious infraction was mentioned in the group’s reaction. We also affirm categorically that there are more than enough appointable Muslims of Ekiti State origin who are worthy in both character and learning. We therefore urge the government not to dwell in escapist tactics.

“Finally, we urge Governor Kayode Fayemi to keep sycophants at arm’s length. The governor should put his cards on the table for all to see. Political jobbers as intermediaries between government and the citizenry can bring disastrous consequences. State chief executives should not allow themselves to be held captive by faceless groups. We remind the amiable governor that surrogate rule is a threat to democracy. We assure the governor that Muslims in Ekiti State are eagerly awaiting his next list of appointments”.            

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

TERROR THREAT: CHIDI CALLS FOR NEW ZEALAND TREATMENT FOR NIGERIAN MUSLIMS

18^th March, 2019

PRESS RELEASE:

TERROR THREAT: CHIDI CALLS FOR NEW ZEALAND TREATMENT FOR NIGERIAN MUSLIMS

A Nigerian Christian who goes by the name Comrade Chidi has called for the New Zealand treatment for Nigerian Muslims. Chidi made this call in a tweet sent on Saturday, 16^th March, 2019. His tweet was sent at exactly 5.15 pm on his twitter handle @legitchidi under the name Comrade Chidi.

Commenting on Chidi’s tweet, an Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has called for the immediate arrest, detention and prosecution of Chidi for making undisguised terror threat against his fellow Nigerians. MURIC’s comments were contained in a press statement issued on Monday, 18^th March, 2019.

The statement added, “This is an open and direct terror threat against Nigerian Muslims. It is a call for chaos. Chidi’s call must be seen beyond just a call. This kind of person will go for mass killing of Muslims if he has access to any automatic weapon. Unfortunately that will not prove a challenge to him because already there is a proliferation of dangerous weapons around the country particularly now that we have just concluded the 2019 general elections”.   

The Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, who signed the statement, continued, “This man is not joking. He is dead serious. His exact words in the tweet show how serious he is. His words were, ‘Let them shift to Abuja Central Mosque abeg…we need them there’.

“A smart lawyer may want to trivialize that statement made by Chidi in his tweet. He may want to tell us that the pronoun ‘them’ in the tweet can be anybody. But Chidi’s reference to ‘them’ can be clearly deciphered by going backward to an earlier tweet by Dr. Joe Abah @DrJoeAbah.

“The latter had tweeted, ‘Why would anybody just go into a mosque where people are praying and kill them? Why? We must condemn all forms of extremism: religious, racial, ideological or political’. #NewZealandMosqueAttacks.

“This was the tweet to which Chidi responded. The fact that Dr. Joe Abah ended his tweet with #NewZealandMosqueAttacks makes Chidi’s target very clear. There is no iota of doubt, therefore, about who Chidi’s pronoun ‘them’ is referring to. That ‘them’ is clearly meant for the terrorists who killed 49 innocent Muslims who were praying inside mosques in New Zealand the previous day (Friday, 15^th March, 2019). The terrorists also injured about 21 other Muslims.

“We charge the Nigerian security agencies to go after Comrade Chidi. He must be arrested and detained before he can carry out his planned mass murder. He should also be publicly prosecuted in order to serve as a deterrent to other criminally minded individuals like him.

MURIC also demanded tight security around mosques in view of the New Zealand incident. Akintola said, “The safety of Muslims who attend mosques is attracting greater attention in security circles in civilized environments.  Muslims have become endangered species around the globe and Nigerian security agencies should not be caught napping. Nowadays in America, uniformed and fully armed policemen stand by as Muslims offer Jumu’ah prayers in their mosques. Nothing stops the Nigerian police from doing the same.

“We therefore request for the visible presence of armed security personnel in every mosque around the country particularly during Jumu‘ah prayer on Fridays when mosques are filled to capacity.

“We make a similar request for our Christian neighbours. Armed policemen should be visible near churches around the country every Sunday during worship hours. MURIC’s interest lies in the safety of all, Christians and Muslims. Every Nigerian has the right to belong to the religion of his or her desire and no one has the right to kill worshippers.  

“On a final note, we call on Nigerians to realise that there are criminal elements and extremists in all religions. This is the reality we all must face. Each group must condemn the extremists in its midst and make them accountable before they turn peace-loving and law-abiding Nigerians against themselves in a war of attrition.

It is therefore high time we heeded the advice of the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, that both Christians and Muslims should unite to fight the evil ones in their midst”.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

MURIC CONDEMNS CHRISTIAN TERRORISM IN NEWZEALAND

16^th March, 2019

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC CONDEMNS CHRISTIAN TERRORISM IN NEWZEALAND     

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condemned the massacre of forty nine (49) innocent Muslim worshippers which occurred during Jumu‘ah prayer in ChristChurch, New Zealand yesterday Friday 15^th March, 2019. Dozens of worshippers were also injured. The perpetrator has been identified as 29-year-old Australian citizen, Brenton Harrison Tarrant.      

MURIC, an Islamic human rights organization, described the killing as a sadistic, vicious and brutish terrorist act. MURIC’s reaction was contained in a press statement issued on Saturday, 16^th March, 2019. The statement was signed by the group’s director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

“This is terrorism at its height and a crime against humanity. This killer, Brenton Harrison Tarrant, is a Christian terrorist, a white supremacist and a monster. It was a blood-chilling incident.

“We wonder if there is no conspiracy somewhere. How did he have close to 20 minutes to operate in two different mosques without a single police officer taking him down? He drove from the first mosque after killing many Muslims and even had the time to wait on the street for pedestrians to cross. Then he drove to the second mosque and continued the dastardly act.

“This is a cold-blooded premeditated terrorist act. It was horrendous. We suspect that the terrorist did not act alone. Logistics must have been provided by somebody or some people. This is the mystery the New Zealand authorities have to unravel.  

“However, we denounce the reluctance of the Western press and its cronies to describe the killing as a Christian terrorist act in the same way that they have always been eager to describe other killings as Islamic terrorism. This New Zealand massacre has no other nomenclature. It is Christian terrorism, loud and clear.

“We condemn selective labeling of crimes. A terrorist act is a terrorist act, no matter the background of the perpetrator. But it is hypocritical to limit terrorism to Muslims alone while the Western press and its surrogates find soft landing semantics for those who commit worse crimes against Muslims.

“Criminally-minded individuals and groups abound in all faiths and in all cultures. It is therefore unfair to label Muslims alone as terrorists. This year alone, between January and February 2019, several terrorist acts were perpetrated on American soil and none was traced to a Muslim. Yet none was labelled as a terrorist act.

“On January 23, 2019, Zephen Xaver, 21, killed five women at the SunTrust Bank in Sebring, Florida. On January 26, 2019, Dakota Theriot, 21, fatally shot his parents and three other people in Ascension and Livingston churches, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Again on February 15, 2019, Gary Montez Martin, a 45-year-old American, killed six people and injured another six.

“The anatomy of terrorism is becoming clearer day by day.  Those who accuse Muslims of violence and terrorism should ponder over the causal-effect theory. Violence and terrorism are mere symtoms. The real disease is injustice and provocation. Violence and terrorism are mere smoke. Injustice is the fire.

“We all know that there is no smoke without fire and it is the height of stupidity for firefighters to turn their water hoses towards the smoke, leaving the fire to continue raging. Justice is the soul of peace. Those who deny one cannot enjoy the other. This is MURIC’s analysis of the symbiotic relationship between injustice, provocation, violence and terrorism.

“Our solace lies in the belief that the victims died as martyrs. Al-Jannah is therefore guaranteed for them, moreso since their killing occurred during worship. It is the heartless killer and all those who helped him who will burn ad infinitum in hell. We pray for the families they left behind. May Allah grant them the spiritual, moral and material fortitude to bear the loss.  

“Before we fold our mats, we charge the New Zealand authorities to ensure that justice is done. The families of the victims of this terror act must be adequately compensated.  It is our considered opinion that crimes should be related to individual criminals and not to their religions, country or tribe”.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

FANI-KAYODE IS A LIAR, A WAR-MONGER

13^th March, 2019

PRESS RELEASE:

FANI-KAYODE IS A LIAR, A WAR-MONGER    

Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode yesterday claimed that the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar said Atiku would win if he went to court. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president of Nigeria, is the presidential candidate of the main opposition party in the just concluded 2019 general elections.

Nonetheless, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has debunked Fani-Kayode’s claim. MURIC, an Islamic human rights organization, described Fani-Kayode’s claim as false, baseless and malicious. MURIC’s reaction was contained in a press release signed by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola on Wednesday, 13^th March, 2019.

Explaining further, MURIC said, “It is unimaginable. Fani-Kayode probably woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Where and when did His Eminence the Sultan utter such words? Under what circumstances did he say Atiku would win if he went to court? Those words exist in the figment of Fani-Kayode’s imagination.

“What the Sultan said was quoted by several media outfits and none of them mentioned what Fani-Kayode ascribed to him. Addressing President Muhammadu Buhari in the presence of other traditional rulers, the Sultan said, ‘Your election as president for the second tenure should be seen as what God has destined which no man could have changed. This result is the will of Almighty God and therefore we call on all to give you maximum support for the achievement of peace, development and progress of our dear nation’. He then urged Atiku and those who lost to accept the will of God and support President Muhammadu Buhari to move the nation forward.

“Even on the platform of the Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI), the Sultan repeated the same message of peace. He said inter alia, ‘We call on all the political contenders in Nigeria to, in the name of Allah take it easy and sheath their swords as in every contest there will always be a winner and a loser.  

“So where did Fani-Kayode find the words ‘If you go to court you will win but there will be war’? What kind of editorial abracadabra inserted those words in His Eminence’s statement? It is diabolical and highly disrespectful. It is an attempt to cast aspersion on our leader. It is not only defamatory but slanderous.

“Fani-Kayode’s article was full of the most odious and insidious anti-North cum anti-Muslim vituperations and we are wondering if he knows the true identity of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He spat venom against Northerners and Muslims as if Atiku hails from a different background.

“In the same vein, Fani-Kayode goaded Atiku and his supporters to go to war as if another country has been created for them to sojourn after setting Nigeria on fire. He spoke of his ‘brothers and sisters in the Lord’ being slaughtered in cold blood. For crying out loud, where do you group Atiku in all these? In which camp will Atiku be if you start your bloody war?

“There is no gainsaying that Fani-Kayode is a bundle of contradictions. You want to wage a crusade against Muslims but you are asking a Muslim to be your conquering knight. You want to destroy the North but you have chosen a core Northerner as the generalissimo. Is Fani-Kayode confused? Is he manifesting symptoms of Orubebemantis? Is he going paranoid? Whether the answers to these questions is yes or no, we have no scintilla of doubt that Fani-Kayode’s gymnastic war-mongering will fail woefully and Nigeria will survive.

“Fani-Kayode seeks to whip up cheap sentiment over killings as if only his ‘brothers and sisters in the Lord’ are the only victims. Who are those being killed in Borno, Zamfara and Katsina? Is it not the Muslims? Whose mosques are being bombed?

“MURIC affirms for the umpteenth time that Nigerian Muslims do not want war. We want to coexist peacefully with our Christian neighbours. The Sultan is an established man of peace. That is what he has been working for since he ascended the throne. That is why he is known as the people’s Sultan. We are not surprised that calumny is what Fani-kayode has to offer such a great leader. People can only give what they have anyway.   

“Again for the sake of microscopic clarity, we assert that Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar as the head of all Nigerian Muslims is a non-partisan personality. He has no interest in any political party or leader. He is a father-figure and all are his children. All political leaders visit him and he owes it a duty to listen to all of them. He remains neutral at the end of the day.

“As we draw the curtain, we invite Fani-Kayode and his cohorts to desist from brandishing banners of lies, to embrace the philosophy of peaceful coexistence, to love his neighbor like himself and to join hands with the Sultan and other well-meaning Nigerians to lift Nigeria to a higher pedestal. We advise Nigerian politicians to keep away from drugs so that their minds can remain focused while their actions remain consistently rational.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

FAYEMI’S LIST MARGINALISED MUSLIMS

12^th March, 2019

PRESS RELEASE:

FAYEMI’S LIST MARGINALISED MUSLIMS   

The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, appointed advisers and chairmen of boards yesterday Monday, 11^th March, 2019.      

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has however described the list as falling below expectation. The Islamic human rights organization made its feeling known in a press statement distributed on Tuesday 12^th March, 2019, signed by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

“We are disappointed that the governor still marginalised us this way. It is inexplicable. The list contained ten names. Two of the names look like Muslim names. Perhaps they think we will not crosscheck but we did. We always do. We have a branch in Ekiti and our officials there have their ears to the ground. You could get away with that kind of thing 15 years ago but not in these days of infotech. The world has become a tiny village.

“The only Muslim name on the list of ten is that of Alhaji Afolabi Ogunlayi. A second name which looked like that of a Muslim is that of Mr. Tajudeen Wale Ajayi but only Alhaji Ogunlayi is a bona fide Muslim. Tajudeen converted to Christianity a long time ago. His wife and all his children follow him to church. He has not been using that Muslim name for years but the state government decided to use it on the list just to blindfold Muslims in the state.

“Contrary to what the governor will want Muslims to believe, therefore, only one of the new appointees is a Muslim. This is grossly inadequate in view of what Muslims in the state went through in the hands of the former governor, Ayodele Fayose. This is still a raw deal. We deserve better.

“This is in spite of a forward-looking press statement issued by MURIC last week dated 5^th March 2019 under the caption ‘Balance Your Cabinet: MURIC Tells Fayemi’. The statement laid emphasis on the need for the state governor to redress wrongs done to Muslims by ensuring that they get adequate share of political appointments. This list is definitely not balanced. If anything, it is crudely lopsided.

“We hope those who rush to blame Muslims whenever the latter express displeasure are listening. We also hope the party leaders in the state are paying attention. We remind these leaders that in politics there is always a pay day in favour of oppressed minorities and marginalized groups. No wise politician will underestimate any group. Revenge is sweet when its dish is cold.

“It is not too late though. Governor Fayemi can still make amends as he is yet to announce his list of commissioners. But he should remember that he needs to consider making his cabinet inclusive. Already, the Deputy Governor, Chief of Staff (CS) and Secretary to the State Government (SSG) are all Christians. An all-Christian list of commissioners like that of Fayose or one in which only four out of 14 are Muslims will be deemed unfriendly, outrageous and provocative.

“We also wish to subtly remind Dr. Kayode Fayemi that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Section 14(4) stipulates that “The composition of the Government of the Federation, a State, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such Government or council, and the conduct of the affairs of the Government or council or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the people of the Federation”

“We are not unaware that party loyalists deserve appointments but definitely not at the detriment of other components of the society. Fayemi must not be governor over APC elements alone or over Christians in the state only. He must be father of all. Muslims must be given their due share.

“Perhaps it is pertinent here to mention the implications of fair sharing of political offices among the different components of the society. Economically, wealth will be evenly distributed once appointments are proportionately shared. Socially, no single group will be kept in the dark as to the activities of government. Politically, an isolated group is excluded from day to day decisions of government. It is no longer participatory democracy once a group is excluded from the dividends of democracy. Any marginalized group is therefore impoverished and kept in the dark. Muslims of Ekiti State are saying never again.

“As our concluding remarks, we call upon the Ekiti State governor not to leave the path of justice and fairness for which he was known during his first tenure as governor. Muslims deserve adequate attention in the formation of the new executive of Ekiti State”.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)