Thursday, September 29, 2011

INDEPENDENCE DAY MESSAGE

 
29th September, 2011
INDEPENDENCE DAY MESSAGE:
SET NIGERIANS FREE
 
Though Nigeria became independent 51 years ago, Nigerians are still everywhere in chains. This is evident in all sectors of life in the country: basic amenities of life (food, water and shelter), infrastructure, education, health and security.
 
The Glorious Qur'an (20:118-119) affirms that mankind has been given enough resources to banish hunger, starvation, thirst, homelessness and other forms of suffering on earth. Nigeria as a miniature representation of the microcosm has abundant human and material resources. What we lack is the leadership to properly harness those resources to raise the standard of living for the jamaheer (poor masses).
 
We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) are sad to note that 80 million Nigerians are hungry. Nigerians started searching the dustbins for food in the early eighties. It has gotten worse. Those who have jobs are underpaid, overworked and overtaxed. Their take-home pays cannot take them home. Successive governments have abdicated their responsibilities particularly in the area of paying attention to agriculture and the development of rural areas. As a result of this young farmers have abandoned the farms. Agricultural loans are politicised in such a way that the real farmers get nothing while party faithfuls get the money.
 
Nigerians who need water build their own Water Corporation. Today Nigerians drink all sorts of rubbish in the name of water. Pure killer sachets are hawked on the streets by kwashiorkor-ravaged, hungry-looking teenagers in the name of pure water. That explains why cholera is one kobo per household in this country. Other water-borne diseases are having a field day.
 
Do we have roofs over our heads? Thousands of Nigerians sleep under the bridge. Government pays no attention to the exploitation of Nigerians by Shylock landlords. Neither is government ready to embark on an aggressive policy on the provision of houses.
 
Do we have good roads? Nigerian roads are death traps. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) rolls out alarming accident data every year. Road users have not felt the impact of billions of naira earmarked for road construction and maintenance. Our maintenance culture is the worst in the world.
 
Do we have electricity? Nigeria is the richest country in the world today in terms of the number of generators in the country. If the possession of a generator is a criterion for assessing wealth, then no country can beat Nigeria to it. Our per capita generator ownership is the highest in the world. Every room in Nigeria has a generator. If a census of generators is carried out in this country today, Nigerians will be shocked. It has to be so because there is no electricity. This is one major clog in the wheel of industrial progress.
 
It is a pity that 51 years after independence, our hospitals have become public mortuaries. The health sector is groaning. What is moving in Nigeria? Is it education? UNESCO recommended the allocation of at least 26% of nations' budgets to education. What does Nigeria give to education? Pittance! There are no chemicals in the laboratories, no reagents. The walls of some schools are falling and killing school pupils. Teachers' welfare is a no-go area as far as government is concerned. No country suffers a quarter of the interruption to which the Nigerian education sector is subjected. This explains the race to attend school abroad with its attendant perils.
 
In the area of security, Nigerians are not safe anywhere in the country. There is mass kidnapping and armed robbery in the South East. Armed robbers operate at will in the South West. Boko Haram has made the North a no-go area. Fear is so palpably felt in the country that one can cut it with a knife. Lawmakers took to their heels a few days ago after a bomb hoax in the National Assembly. The security agencies appear helpless. Police headquarters in Abuja has had its taste of the bombing.
 
MURIC asserts that Nigeria is an interesting case study in the parable of the prodigal city cited in Qur'an 16:112; a city blessed with all facilities but which failed to appreciate Allah's mercy, "Allah therefore subjected it to hunger and fear as a result of the handiworks of its citizens".
 
Finally, we charge the Nigerian leadership to move the country closer to Allah. Our politicians must be God-fearing. We remind leaders who deceive the people that the Qur'an promises to give such leaders "double punishment" (Qur'an 33:67-68). We therefore urge President Jonathan to work towards bequeathing a legacy of industry, transparency, accountability and dialogue-loving. Though Nigeria is independent, Nigerians are still everywhere in chains. Jonathan must therefore set Nigeria free. We charge the citizenry to change their mindset and to forge ahead with the determination to make Nigeria a great country.
 
Dr. Is-haq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
234-818-211-9714
234-803-346-4974
 
    
 
 
Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D),
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC),
234-818-211-9714
             muslimrights@gmail.com
Website: www.muric.net
Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights
Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com
Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern
 
 
 
 
 
Be just Justice is the soul of peace
No one can deny one and have the other
Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

Thursday, September 22, 2011

AN ASSYMETRICAL WORLD ORDER
 
"It is Israel who uses phosphate bombs on Palestinians and does not get sanctioned"
Erdogan at the UN, Thursday 22nd September, 2011.
 
 
 
Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D),
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC),
234-818-211-9714
             muslimrights@gmail.com
Website: www.muric.net
Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights
Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com
Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern
 
 
 
 
 
Be just Justice is the soul of peace
No one can deny one and have the other
Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

Friday, September 16, 2011

IS THERE JUSTICE IN THE UN?

 
IS THERE JUSTICE IN THE UN?
The veto power exercised by any of the five members of the United Nations' Security Council is tantamount to global terrorism. Western democracy remains a sham so long as decisions reached by a large majority can be vetoed by any single member. It is a shame that those who claim to practice democracy at home are dictators abroad. It is state terrorism at Security Council level.
At the top of this list is America with its long list of vetoes on UN resolutions condemning Israeli atrocities. The world is waiting for another American veto as Palestine makes a bid for statehood at the United Nations. If America uses this veto power this time around, it will prove to the rest of the world that America has not learnt any lesson at all from the events of the last two decades. It will also depict America as a nation not truly interested in world peace.
The word 'justice' is gradually disappearing from America's official vocabulary. Yet we know that the average American citizen is eager to promote the sterling qualities of justice, liberty and equality. The question is 'Where do we draw the line between American official tyranny and the tender-heartedness of its ordinary citizens?'
Meanwhile we await America's next dictatorial action next week: the vetoeing of Palestine's bid for statehood.
 
Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D),
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC),
234-818-211-9714
             muslimrights@gmail.com
Website: www.muric.net
Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights
Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com
Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern
 
 
 
 
 
Be just Justice is the soul of peace
No one can deny one and have the other
Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

Monday, September 12, 2011

SAY 'NO' TO DRONES

 
SAY 'NO' TO DRONES!
 
World peace is currently being threatened by the use of drones by Western powers. We are shocked that the United Nations has not raised the issue to date. Drones are armed with deadly rockets and dispatched to distant lands to kill and maim perceived enemies. The victims often include women and children. Drones are weapons of cowardice:  the launchers do not need to face the enemy one-on-one.  They are inhuman tools of intimidation, disguised weapons of mass destruction.
We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) denounce the use of drones. We call on the UN to ban their use with immediate effect. Though MURIC detests violence and advocates dialogue, any morality which justifies the use of drones must legalize the use of any method of retaliation.
In total commitment to our avowed motto, 'Dialogue, Not Violence', we call on men of conscience around the world to prevail upon the leaders of Western countries to desist forthwith from the use of drones particularly in attacks outside their own countries.
Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D),
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC),
234-818-211-9714
             muslimrights@gmail.com
Website: www.muric.net
Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights
Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com
Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern
 
 
 
 
 
Be just Justice is the soul of peace
No one can deny one and have the other
Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

Saturday, September 10, 2011

DEVELOP THE NIGER DELTA NOW

 
11th September, 2011
PRESS RELEASE:
DEVELOP THE NIGER DELTA NOW
 
Protests in the Niger Delta either by ex-militants or ordinary citizens are becoming a daily occurrence. This is alarming in view of Nigeria's past experiences with the Niger Delta phenomenon.
 
In spite of the fact that the Niger Delta region is the economic gold mine of Nigeria, it has suffered undue neglect spanning decades. Peaceful approach adopted by activists from the region had been met with brutal elimination and repression. A good example of this brutality is the hanging of Ken Saro Wiwa, an activist from the region, by the Abacha military junta. This gross neglect coupled with the government's Gestapo tactics in the Niger Delta region was responsible for the militarization of its youths.    
 
Nigeria's oil industry suffered severe losses during the violent confrontations between Niger Delta militants and Nigerian soldiers. Oil pipes were blown up. Both foreigners and Nigerians working in the oil industry became targets for kidnappers. There was nationwide feeling of insecurity as militants from the Niger Delta threatened to strike anywhere. They actually struck at a Lagos oil base.
 
This situation was only brought under control after the Yaradua administration adopted a diplomatic approach. Militants were granted general amnesty and an empowerment programme was put in place for them. The Federal Government also promised an aggressive development programme for the region.
 
The protest last week by Niger Delta militants followed by another peaceful protest yesterday by ordinary citizens including women and elderly people from the area portends a danger signal. It means that the impact of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is not being felt by the people. There is therefore an urgent need for the Federal Government to move at a faster pace. This region and its people have suffered for too long and simple palliatives may not do the magic.
 
We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) believe that more direct and palpable actions need to be taken. Something is definitely wrong with us if people living in the region producing our wealth have no access to ordinary drinking water, food, shelter and other basic necessities of life. We affirm that Government can do better than this.
 
The Federal Government may also involve international bodies like the Red Cross if it cannot handle this alone. Government should regard these urgent steps as conflict-prevention strategy. The high cost should not deter government because failure to do so may result in war with its catastrophic human and material losses.
 
To start with, the Jonathan administration should declare the whole region a disaster zone. Relief materials, including such amenities that can make life more comfortable, must be drafted to those places. We must put smiles on the faces of every community in the Niger Delta. Finally, we suggest that the Federal Government should open liaison offices in every local government in the region.
 
 
Dr. Is-haq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
234-818-211-9714
234-803-346-4974
 
Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D),
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC),
234-818-211-9714
             muslimrights@gmail.com
Website: www.muric.net
Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights
Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com
Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern
 
 
 
 
 
Be just Justice is the soul of peace
No one can deny one and have the other
Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

NATO AIRSTRIKES ON SIRTE

 
NATO AIRSTRIKES ON SIRTE
 
NATO airplanes reportedly struck the city of Sirte today. We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) find this attack from the air unnecessary. This is a city already surrounded by rebel forces. Why should NATO join in the battle? NATO involvement was based on the excuse that it was protecting civilians at the early stage of the Libyan struggle. What on earth is the excuse today for bombing a city already surrounded by fighters? 
 
We pity Libyan rebels. They will never be free again. 
 
Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D),
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC),
234-818-211-9714
             muslimrights@gmail.com
Website: www.muric.net
Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights
Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com
Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern
 
 
 
 
 
Be just Justice is the soul of peace
No one can deny one and have the other
Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace

Monday, September 5, 2011

100 DAYS OF JONATHAN: NO GOOD LUCK YET

6th September, 2011

 

PRESS RELEASE:

100 DAYS OF JONATHAN:

NO GOOD LUCK YET

 

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will this week mark his 100 days in office. Jonathan was sworn in as president of Nigeria on 29th May 2011 after a controversial victory at the polls in April characterized by violence.

 

Much to the chagrin of Mr. President's numerous supporters, none of their expectations has become fait accompli or showed signs of becoming one. The single tenure misadventure has been a major disappointment for Jonathan's admirers as many of them have voiced stiff opposition to the idea. It was indeed a gross miscalculation of the Nigerian political barometer and it was confronted by a tornado of criticisms. We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) see the move as deceptive, diversionary and self-rewarding.

 

In spite of the massive outcry against the skyrocketing price of cement, nothing has happened to stem this trend. The president's inability to grasp the dynamics of price control was exposed when his order to bring the price of cement to a reasonable level was ignored. Cement still costs a fortune and Mr. President watches helplessly. This tends to portray Jonathan as lacking experience, opportunistic and incompetent.

 

Jonathan's administration promises to be the most expensive since independence as he has chosen to create more ministries. In a country where the source of income is monolithic and dwindling, increasing government's expenditure is, to say the least, extravagant.

 

The present administration also appears intolerant of opposing views. Security agencies harassed the opposition during the presidential campaign while former minister of the Capital Territory, Mallam El-Rufai, was arrested for criticizing Jonathan's government.

 

Coupled with these is the general insecurity in the land. Bombs have exploded at the police headquarters and at the United Nations' building in Abuja. Neither can we absolve Jonathan of ineptitude for the Independence Day explosions a few meters away from the parade grounds in Abuja because he was already in control long before that period.

 

Worse still, the president appears jumpy, hasty and unnecessarily excited at the wrong times. His hasty conclusion that MEND was not responsible for the Independence Day explosion whereas MEND claimed responsibility and his claim to know the UN house bombers are unguarded and unpresidential.

 

Finally, MURIC asks President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to concentrate on the provision of infrastructural facilities for Nigerians. We need good roads, electricity, functional education and quality public health facilities. Although Goodluck is in power, Nigeria is yet to have good luck.

     

 

Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D),
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC),
234-818-211-9714


Is-haq Akintola (Ph.D),
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC),
234-818-211-9714
             muslimrights@gmail.com
Website: www.muric.net
Yahoo Group: groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimrights
Blog:       muslimrightsmuric.blogspot.com
Twitter:   twitter.com/muslimconcern
 
 
 
 
 
Be just Justice is the soul of peace
No one can deny one and have the other
Neither can violence or naked force bring lasting peace