SALAH MESSAGE: MURIC TO MUSLIMS : GET YOUR VOTERS’ CARDS

 

1^st May, 2022

SALAH MESSAGE:

MURIC TO MUSLIMS : GET YOUR VOTERS’ CARDS

 

Nigerian Muslims have been advised to get their voters’ cards in readiness for the 2023 general elections. The advice was given by an Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), in a Salah message issued on Sunday, 1^st May, 2022 by the chairman of the group in Sokoto State, Barrister Muhammad Mansur Aliyu.

 

The statement reads:

 

“Nigerian Muslims will join billions of their brethren in celebrating the end of the 1443 (2022) Ramadan season on Monday, 2^nd May, 2022. We felicitate with President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President Ahmed Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.

 

Barrister Muhammad Mansur Aliyu also paid homage to the leader of all Nigerian Muslims, the Sultan of Sokoto.

 

He said, “We also congratulate the leader of all Nigerian Muslims, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji (Dr.) Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, on the occasion of this year’s Id al-Fitr.

 

“MURIC reminds Nigerian Muslims of their civic responsibility of participating in all aspects of political activities in the country particularly as we prepare for the 2023 general elections. We lay emphasis on the need for every Muslim to collect his or her voter’s card in order to be eligible for voting. No amount of sacrifice is too much for this important civic duty.

 

“Muslims must not shun politics if they want to be liberated from the current spate of stigmatization, marginalization and impoverishment. We warn that Muslims who fail to obtain their voters’ cards have voted for bad rulers and Muslim haters whose main pre-occupation is to persecute and oppress Muslims.

 

“Apart from obtaining their voters’ cards, Muslims must ensure that they participate in all political activities which will take place between now and the election period, including waiting patiently to cast their votes on election day.

 

Barrister Muhammad Mansur Aliyu had a word for South West Muslims.

“Our brothers in the South who are facing persecution on a daily basis must allow their number to count by ensuring that they obtain their voters’ cards. Muslims constitute the majority in a place like the South West but unfortunately they are still facing oppression today because they have not been leveraging on their majority status.

 

“The opportunity has now come. Go all out and get your voter’s card. Your voters’ card is your weapon of liberation. A majority population that fails to vote is, technically speaking, a minority. We therefore urge you to spare no efforts in getting your voters’ cards in readiness for the 2023 general election.

 

“We are looking forward to an election that will reveal the true picture in the region. A majority people that has been turned into a minority due to their apathy for politics must wake up from its deep slumber. We must stop the stereotyping, the segregation, the religious apartheid and the hijab paranoid.

 

“We must stop the practice of denying jobs for qualified Muslims and their political marginalization. The time to do it is now. Political power will change the narrative and popular vote is the only legitimate tool for obtaining political power in a true democracy. Your vote shall make you free.”

 

Barrister Muhammad Mansur Aliyu,

Chairman,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC),

Sokoto Chapter.

 

DON’T COMMANDEER OBALENDE PRAYING GROUND: MURIC TELLS ARMY, LASG

 

27^th April, 2022

PRESS RELEASE:

DON’T COMMANDEER OBALENDE PRAYING GROUND:

MURIC TELLS ARMY, LASG

 

The Muslim praying ground at Obalende, Lagos, which has been encroached upon by the Nigerian Army, is now a subject of controversy as the Lagos Muslim Community has petitioned the state governor as well as the Federal Government (FG).

 

A Muslim rights advocacy group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has also waded into the matter. In a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday, 27^th April, 2022, the director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, called on the Nigerian Army to vacate the land. He also urged the state governor to issue a certificate of occupancy to the Lagos Muslim Community without delay.

 

The statement reads :

 

“A 3.11 acre piece of land belonging to the Lagos Muslim Community is now a subject of controversy. The land which is situated at Obalende is now littered with military hardwares. This encroachment has constituted an impediment because it is the same land on which thousands of Lagos Muslims observe their festival prayers.

 

“MURIC regards this as an attempt to subtly commandeer the piece of land. It is open strangulation of Allah-given fundamental human right, a threat to freedom of religion as stipulated in Section 38 (i) & (ii) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and an invitation to anarchy.

 

“The land was originally given to the Lagos Muslim Community by the fourth colonial governor general of Nigeria, Sir Donald Cameroon (1931 – 1935), via an Indenture on 9^th August, 1931 ‘to HOLD the same unto, and to the use of the Grantees forever, free from all encumbrances’.

 

“As a colonial heritage given to Lagos Muslims, it is a dis-service to the historical background of the city of Lagos and an attempt to distort the records for any institution to wrench the property from its original owners. The press statement issued by the Muslim Community of Lagos State on 29^th March 2022 has revealed the long struggle to retain ownership of the land.

 

“It was General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) as military head of state who first showed interest in the land when he requested for a little portion of it to widen a section of Ribadu Road in front of his office and it was graciously granted by the Muslims. This was in the early 1970s. Unfortunately this opened a floodgate of encroachments by the army who littered the grounds with military hardware and construction equipment

 

“Several efforts have since been made by the Muslim Community of Lagos to get justice from the authorities but all to no avail. Of all the petitions submitted to various authorities, only General Musa Yaradua responded and showed both concern and readiness to yield. To the petition dated 24^th March, 1977, Yaradua responded within two weeks on 13^th April, 1977 and we quote, inter alia:

 

‘Following your presentation to me on the 23^rd March, 1977 as well as your letter No LCM/CEC/11/77 of 24^th March, 1977, due consideration was given to your petition against eviction from the Obalende Praying Grounds.

 

‘It has been decided that Government will no longer pursue the eviction of the Muslim Community from this property and the matter should therefore be regarded as closed.’

 

“As quoted above, Yaradua’s reply of 13^th April, 1977 to the Muslims’ protest letter, by all interpretations, indicate the readiness of the army to vacate the property. This show of goodwill should have been acted upon by successive regimes but the reverse was the case until the place was again occupied by the army in 2004. The Muslim Community immediately wrote another petition dated 12^th April, 2004 and submitted it to the the head of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd).

  

“All efforts by the Lagos Muslim Community to get the governments of Obasanjo, Jonathan and President Muhammadu Buhari to remove army equipment from the Muslim land have been in vain. Their petitions have been greeted with lethargy.  

 

“We recall that protest letters were also submitted to Jonathan, Osinbajo and Buhari during the 2015 campaigns. Closer home, the certificate of occupancy (C of O) which the Lagos Muslim Community requested from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu during a courtesy visit on 13^th August 2020 has yielded no result.

 

“This official aparthy to the legitimate demand of the Muslim Community of Lagos depicts, to say the least, insensitivity, impunity and a desertification of a culture of transparency and accountability on the part of successive regimes.

 

“It is the high level of patience and endurance manifested and frequently pronounced by the leadership of the Muslim Community under Professor Tajudeen Gbadamosi and the Chief Imam of Lagos, His Eminence, Engr. Shaykh Sulaimon Oluwatoyin Abou-Nolla, that has kept provoked Muslim youths under control.

 

“While MURIC is aware of efforts being made by LASG and the Minister of Works to get the army out of the land, we urge the Lagos State Governor to expedite action on the issuance of the C of O of the property.

 

“It is our strong belief that Obalende Praying Ground is part of Ikoyi Land Law of Lagos State and since LASG became the owner of all lands situated within the state by virtue of the transfer of Crown Land Act Chapter 45, 1958 on the creation of Lagos State on 27^th May, 1967, LASG has the power to exercise authority over the landed property.

 

“People who endeavor to engage government but who meet a brick wall on each attempt are prone to frustration. Youth among such people are most likely to become uncontrollable. Most importantly, a situation in which thousands of Muslims assemble for their festival prayer but cannot find a suitable place to perform it is most volatile and unpredictable. It is worse when they are aware that the place they had been using before has been commandeered.

 

“We therefore appeal to LASG to do everything within its power to ensure that Lagos Muslims are not denied the use of Obalende Prayer Ground at any point in time especially as the Salah day of the ongoing Ramadan season of 2022 is fast approaching.”

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

PRESS RELEASE: LAGOS 2023: DON’T ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL – MURIC

 

25^th April, 2022

PRESS RELEASE:

LAGOS 2023: DON’T ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL – MURIC 

 

A Muslim rights advocacy group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has opposed the endorsement of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for a second term. The group hinged its objection on the fact that Christians have had their two terms and it is the turn of Muslims to produce a governor by 2023.

 

MURIC’s position was enunciated in a statement circulated among the media on Monday, 25^th April, 2022. The statement was signed by the director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

 

The statement reads:

 

“Leaders of the ruling party in Lagos, the All Progressives Congress (APC), last week endorsed the incumbent governor of the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for a second term in office for the 2023 gubernatorial election. Unfortunately this endorsement violated a long standing albeit unwritten rule on rotational governance between Christians and Muslims in Lagos State.

 

“It is on record that ex-Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, a Christian, spent four years in office and another Christian, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was brought in ostensibly to complete the Christians’ two terms which expires by May 2023 when a Muslim, ceteris paribus, is expected to take over the reins of office.

 

“That is why Muslims in Lagos State regard the recent endorsement given to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to run for the Christians’ third term as unfair, unjust and provocative. It may not be known in official circles but Lagos Muslims are grumbling and we have been under pressure for some time now to speak up. It is a dangerous dimension capable of eliciting protest bulk vote against the ruling party unless the issue is ironed out at a roundtable between leaders of the party, the Lagos State Government (LASG) and Lagos Muslims.

 

“For the avoidance of doubts, MURIC has no intention of hijacking control of the Muslim community in the state. We always recognize established leadership structures wherever they exist and Lagos Muslims have that structure.

 

“The Muslim Community of Lagos State which is under the able leadership of Professor Tajudeen Gbadamosi is the appropriate body to meet for the purpose of negotiating with Lagos Muslims. All Islamic organisations in Lagos State are under this body. The onus is therefore on LASG and leaders of the ruling party to reach out to the Muslim Community of Lagos State.

 

“MURIC rejects exclusivism in matters of governance. Lagos Muslims are tax payers and key stakeholders in issues affecting the welfare of Lagos citizens. We must therefore be consulted on matters of governance.

 

“We refuse to be blindfolded on the way to the polling booth. Neither shall we be satisfied just as voters, we must also be voted for. That is the essence of democracy. It must be participatory. The choice of candidates and leadership must not be lopsided in a democracy. Every segment of society must be consulted.

 

“We therefore fault the process that led to the emergence of the incumbent governor as the flagbearer of the ruling party in the coming gubernatorial election. 2023 belongs to Muslims in Lagos State. Any deviation from this must be properly negotiated.

 

“For instance, if the Christians are going to enjoy the luxury of a third term by giving Sanwo-Olu the mandate to run for a second term, an agreement must be reached with Lagos Muslims guaranteeing twelve years of Muslim rule after Governor Sanwo-Olu. Anything short of this tantamounts to an attempt to shortchange Muslims in the state.

 

“We must sit down and discuss this if the ruling party has any respect for Muslim voters in the state. We must recognise democracy as not only a game of numbers, but also as a game of negotiations particularly in a multi-cultural and multi-party state. We must remember that the peace and harmony being enjoyed in Lagos State today is a result of the pursuance of justice and equity. Nothing should be done to jeopardise this peaceful atmosphere.

 

“The narratives have changed. Muslim leaders are no longer satisfied with crumbs from the table. Giving the Imams rams during festivals and sponsoring Muslims on hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) are deliberate means of enslavement and marginalization. Lagos Muslims are now fully aware of the gimmicks.

 

“Those periodic and ephemeral palliatives are tools of divide et impera. They are mere window-dressings designed to shield Muslims away from participating in government, from tangible employment for Muslim graduates and from real economic empowerment. We refuse to be fools satisfied. We will rather be enlightened citizens dissatisfied. It is our common patrimony. Don’t rob Peter to pay Paul.”

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

MURIC TO INEC: WARN MUSLIM HATERS AMONG YOUR STAFF

 

23^rd April, 2022

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC TO INEC: WARN MUSLIM HATERS AMONG YOUR STAFF

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu yesterday announced that the closing date of the registration exercise for the 2023 general elections is 30^th June, 2022.

Reacting to this announcement, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has appealed to the electoral body to ensure that Nigerian Muslims are not disallowed from partaking in the exercise by overzealous Muslim-haters among INEC’s ad hoc and full staff who are in the habit of disallowing hijab, cap and turban-wearing Muslims from registration.

This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday, 23^rd April, 2022 by the director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The statement reads:

“The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu yesterday announced that the deadline of the registration exercise for the 2023 general elections is 30^th June, 2022.

“While we commend INEC for successfully carrying out its duties in the past few years, we sound a wake-up call to the electoral body to prevent the disenfranchisement of millions of Muslims in the coming 2023 general election.

“It is very common for Muslim haters among INEC’s full and ad hoc staff to harass hijab-wearing female Muslims as well as cap and turban-wearing male Muslims at the registration centers in a bid to frustrate and prevent them from registering for the election. They are ordered to remove their hijab, cap or turban during capture. Such orders are illegal, unlawful, illegitimate and unconstitutional.

“Only those who are ready to compromise their faith by obeying the illegal instruction are allowed to register while others are turned back. As a result of this intimidation, millions of Muslims are disenfranchised. The effect is a huge deficit in the numerical strength of Muslim voters. This will not be tolerated in the ongoing exercise.

“INEC is fully aware that it is illegal to disallow citizens from registering for election on the basis of religion. It is also a precursor to the rigging of elections in favour of Christian candidates all over the country. This practice is evil and provocative. It can lead to crisis before, during and after elections.

“It is a major threat to a peaceful election particularly in the 2023 exercise. Judging by the announcement of the leading Christian firebrand Pentecostal wing, namely, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) that it has formed political wings in all its parishes, it is clear that Nigerian Christians plan to hijack the 2023 exercise.

“While Muslims in the North are not likely to fall victims of the disenfranchisement, millions of Muslims in the South are definitely exposed to the danger because it is not a new phenomenon in the southern geo-political zones of the South West, South East and South South. It occurred in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. MURIC documented these ugly events.

“We therefore urge INEC to give necessary instruction and training to all its staff. They should be warned against the coercing Muslims on account of their manner of dressing. Apart from internal memoranda, INEC should issue public statements whose copies Muslims can use to defend their appearances in case of intimidation. In addition, INEC should discourage the opening of registration centers in places of worship.

“MURIC advises Muslims who face victimization of any sort in registration centers to maintain their stand by insisting on being registered with their hijab, cap and turban. They should not obey illegal orders. Any refusal to register them should be reported to the Imam in the nearest mosque, Muslim leaders and officials of Islamic organisations.

“As a precaution, MURIC will document all cases of illegal prevention of Muslims from registration. Where possible, details of INEC officials involved in such unlawful prevention will be provided. We shall also institute law suits in courts of competent jurisdiction against perpetrators.

“All state commissioners of INEC in the three geo-political zones in Southern Nigeria are advised to ensure that no single Muslim is denied his or her Allah-given fundamental human right including the right to partake in voting through the denial of voters’ cards. We will hold each commissioner responsible for any infraction that takes place in his or her state.

“While MURIC and the generality of Muslim voters in Nigeria seek a peaceful electoral exercise, we call on INEC not to ignore our advice in the interest of peace. Nigerian Muslims will not stomach any attempt to disenfranchise them during the 2023 general election. INEC should therefore take necessary steps to avoid the persecution of Muslim voters by its officials.”

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

INSECURITY: CRITICS MUST BE RETROSPECT – MURIC

 

16th April, 2022

PRESS RELEASE:

INSECURITY: CRITICS MUST BE RETROSPECT – MURIC

An Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has decried the subjective criticism of the state of insecurity in the country. The group wants critics to be retrospective for fairness and objectivity.      

This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday, 16th April, 2022 by the director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The statement reads:

"It has been observed that critics of the Buhari administration on the state of insecurity in the country today have narrowed their perspective on attacks which occurred during the period of the current administration alone without considering the circumstances both in the remote and immediate past. Such a parameter is bound to produce a narrow, parochial and unfair assessment.

"We call on critics to be retrospective. Today was born from the wombs of yesterday. The current situation must not be judged in isolation. There are precedents to be considered. Those who refuse to juxtapose past events with current happenings are being unjust to both the Buhari adminisration and history.

"Just as Nigerians must not trace the root of banditry and insurgency to Northern youths alone but go beyond them, so must commentators on the current insecurity trace the ugly phenomenon to past regimes if they want to be objective in their assessment.

"To that extent, therefore, Nigerians must interrogate what happened to funds meant for the acquisition of weapons for the military in the days of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. $2.1 billion was diverted to the private pockets of politicians. That is the exact cost of the Lagos-Ibadan dual carriage modern rail line.  Unfortunately culprits are the same people shouting loudest over insecurity today.

The Chibock girls would have been rescued hours after they were abducted if Jonathan had acted promptly. But he dilly-dallied for three weeks claiming it was a plot hatched by his political enemies. It was this procrastination that gave Boko Haram the chance to dig in. Characteristically today, critics cannot spell Jonathan's name.

"A structure can only be as good as it's foundation. Nullity upon nullity can only be nullity. You cannot build reality on sheer phantom. Those who stole the country dry and denied our military the much needed weaponry, including those who failed to act on time, laid the foundation for today's woes. Buhari is merely trying to salvage the situation.

"Yet our 'last look at the Moore' must not stop at the days of the Jonathan regime alone. For instance, Nigerians would not have been hearing of Boko Haram today if the threat had been nipped in the bud in the days of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Yar'adua. Insecurity has come a long, windy path. The blame should not be laid on the doorsteps of President Muhamnadu Buhari.  The blame should go straight to where it belongs.

"We must also not forget the negative role played by fifth columnist politicians particularly the Saraki-led unpatriotic and anti-people senators and members of the House of Representatives of his days, including Saraki's co-traveller, Yakubu Dogara, ex-Speaker. These were lawmakers who sabotaged all efforts made by the Buhari regime to acquire arms for the Nigerian military for a whole four years (2015-2019). Saraki and Dogsra were planted in the National Assembly by those who feared an eight years of hurricane Buhari.

"They allowed Boko Haram to become too powerful. It is therefore paradoxical that the same Senator Saraki now wants to contest as Nigeria's president. It is certain that the affliction of the disease called collective amnesia has reached a pandemic stage in Nigeria. We forget so quickly that our numero uno public enemy becomes our hero as soon as our tears dry up.

"How could we have forgotten so soon? Bombings in Abuja reached high crescendo. The United Nations building, Nigeria Police'headquaters, EFCC headquarters, Nyanya motor park, mosques, churches, etc were not spared by terrorists. Suicide bombers had a field day between 2011 and 2015. Who was in power then? Was it Buhari? Why are critics now narrowing everything down to this regime?

"How can we be so ungrateful? Who did this to Nigeria? What crime have the security agencies committed that we refuse to appreciate them in spite of their huge sacrifices and successes? The US army is a great force to reckon with today because the citizens appreciate them.

"Where are the suicide bombers today? The security agencies stopped the menace of suicide bombing but we still don't want to appreciate them. Residents of Maiduguri are now sleeping with calm. Who did that?

"No Nigerian administration has acquired so much weaponry for the military like Buhari. We challenge those critics to draw up a honest comparative list of the performance and morale of the military under previous regimes and the Buhari administration. It is on record that Nigerian troops used to take cover in neighbouring contries on sighting insurgents who were always armed to the teeth.

"The reverse is the case today as Boko Haram fighters take to their heels when faced by our gallant soldiers. Thousands of them have also surrendered. Also no Nigerian government has recruited policemen in an aggressive manner like we have it today under Buhari. The numerical strength of the police which was at a standstill (130,000) from 2003 to 2015 has been boosted by Buhari with 10,000 recruits annually. Can you beat that? Conservatively, Nigeria must have at least 136,000 men as at 2022.

"While it may be true that as President, Buhari is responsible for the lives and properties of Nigerians, we must remember that security should not be left to soldiers and policemen alone. Every citizen must be security conscious and they are expected to feed the security agencies with useful information. We must be their ears and eyes.

"But what do we get from Nigerians? They are the ones cutting rails to sell them. They cut aluminium railings on bridges. They destroy infrastructure. Why do some people think Buhari must be blamed for sixteen years of recklessness, sixteen years of impunity, sixteen years of corruption without borders?

"Our assessment of the security situation must also be retrospective. Government is a continuum and the Buhari regime cannot be an exception. Therefore, it can only continue from where its predecessor stopped.

“The Jonathan regime bequeathed a legacy of insecurity to the Buhari administration. It is a relay race. What is passed to you is what you build on. Unfortunately this regime received a disadvantaged baton and it is doing it's best to improve on it. Only a biased spectator from the stands will condemn a runner who received his own baton from an athlete who came last and far behind.

"MURIC is not saying anything new. Therefore we cannot be accused of referring to any particular critic or group of critics. We have been consistent in showcasing the good works of the Buhari administration and defending it when it is unfairly attacked.

"We are definitely not reacting to the comments of any of the Imams and Muslim leaders whose interviews were published in the Tribune of today. Neither are we referring to the comments of any Islamic irganisation. A certain development compelled our outing today and this is a general comment to all Nigerians.

Our appeal to critics is to be constructive. Comments must be balanced because anyone who says this administration has not done a single good thing since inception must have a heavy burden on his conscience.

"We are free to criticise Buhari, but let us swallow our pride and eschew the bitterness by admitting his achievements as well. Buhari is definitely not perfect and there is insecurity in the land. But fake news, politicisation, bias, bitterness, distortion and misinformation will not take us anywhere.

"As we drop the anchor, we doff our hats for the security agencies fof their many achievements and sacrifices. Gallant Nigerian soldiers and policemen. MURIC appreciates you. Great men and heroes of the secret police, we cherish your sacrifices.

"We reiterate that commentators on insecurity in the country must take retrospective looks at the Nigerian situation for a fair, constructive and comprehensive assessment. Any judgement passed on this administration without considering where it was coming from can only be described as jaundiced, myopic and parochial."

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

OSINBAJO’S DECLARATION IS RCCGISATION OF THE POLITY – MURIC

 

12^th April, 2022

PRESS RELEASE:

OSINBAJO’S DECLARATION IS RCCGISATION OF THE POLITY – MURIC

 

Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, joined the growing list of presidential aspirants yesterday, Monday, 11^th April, 2022. However, an Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has described Osinbajo’s declaration as unethical and purely evangelical.

 

MURIC made this assertion in a press statement signed by its founder and director, Professor Ishaq Akintola on Tuesday, 12^th April, 2022.

 

The statement reads :

 

“The Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday declared his intention to run for the post of president in the coming 2023 general elections.  This declaration, to our mind, will not pass any ethical screening. It is purely evangelical.

 

“As a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Osinbajo is simply carrying out his own part of the RCCG instruction dished out a few weeks ago on the creation of a political department in all parts of Nigeria. We see Osinbajo as the arrow head of the RCCGisation of the Nigerian polity. His declaration must therefore be seen as a demonstration of his own loyalty and obedience to the directive which came from the RCCG headquarters.

 

“But MURIC cannot keep quiet after Osinbajo’s declaration because it is not in consonance with our agenda for the South West. We have never hidden this agenda from public view as it was made public as far back as February 2021 when we declared our preference for a Yoruba Muslim president.

 

“We anchored our cassus belli for this preference on the persecution of Yoruba Muslims by their Christian neighbours and we rationalised that we need a Yoruba Muslim as president of Nigeria in order to liberate Yoruba Muslims from decades of marginalisation, impoverishment, oppression, persecution, tyranny and injustice. This is a struggle we cannot abandon at this crucial stage.

 

“Can Osinbajo tell us he is unaware of the persecution of Muslims in the South West all these years? Was he not the attorney general in Lagos State when Muslims in the state were forced to take the hijab case to court? Was he not the attorney general in the state when the lower court did its judicial somersault? Can he, in good conscience, wash his hands off that case?

 

“Is Osinbajo also unaware of several incidents of religious oppression against innocent Muslim students in public schools spread all over Yorubaland since he became vice president?  Has he ever commented on these cases? By the way, what is the vice president’s view on the right of Muslim women and Muslim female students to use hijab now that he wants to be president in a country with a majority Muslim population? This is a special question for the vice president. Nigerian Muslims want to know.

 

“If he has always pretended not to know about the persecution and marginalisation of Muslims in Yorubaland, will his ascension to the highest office in the land not worsen these incidents of humiliation and intimidation of our mothers, our wives and our beloved daughters? Won’t our traducers grow a thousand times in impunity and cruelty knowing fully well that central power is in their hands now that a pastor is the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

 

“Osinbajo’s declaration presupposes that Yoruba Christians are born to rule. It gives the provocative impression that Yoruba Muslims are ‘children of slaves’ (a la Ishmael and Isaac storyline) who should never taste power. As we have argued in earlier press statements, all the four Yorubas who have been in Aso Rock were Christians: Olusegun Obasanjo, Earnest Shonekan, Oladipo Diya and the incumbent vice president Yemi Osinbajo.

 

“If Osinbajo is basking in the born-to-rule syndrome of the RCCG, he should remember that a Muslim, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, brought him to limelight when he served under him as a commissioner in his cabinet. No matter how much they try to rewrite history, nobody can wish that fact away. The same Tinubu brought up your name ab initio in connection with his current position in Aso Rock.

 

“If the above is true (and it is), the fact that Tinubu declared on 22^nd January, 2022 when he met President Muhammadu Buhari in Aso Rock makes Osinbajo’s declaration look like a stab in the back. The vice president cannot claim to be unaware of what even a three months old baby knows already. Or is this how to repay goodness and mentorship? There is something immoral about Osinbajo’s declarationIt stands in contradistinction to a cardinal Yoruba concept, the ‘omoluabi’ concept. . It is absolutely ‘unomoluabi’.

 

“Even the RCCG angle now becomes more interesting. Osinbajo’s declaration comes across as pure evangelisation particularly in view of the declaration of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) directing all its parishes to open political offices in support of its members seeking political posts. The proselytization of the presidency by no other person than the vice president himself is an unprecedented and dangerous development. No high level candidate in a general election has ever done it in this country.

 

 Osinbajo’s political party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) should watch it. Nobody should underrate the perspicacity of Nigerian Muslims. We will reject any party that promotes Redeemisation by forcing an RCCG pastor on Muslim electorates. MURIC is not in alliance with any political party. It is already certain that APC will lose the votes of Yoruba Muslims if it fields an RCCG pastor. We need no rocket science to know that.

 

The Yoruba people and the political parties should also consider another interesting angle in this matter, namely, the preponderance of Ogun State indigenes among those Yorubas who have been in Aso Rock. All four are from one state (Ogun State). Three were from Abeokuta to be precise. Osinbajo is from Ikenne. Why must all Yoruba rulers of Nigeria come from Ogun State alone? What happened to spread? What happened to balancing? Where is inclusivity in the monopoly of leadership by one state?

 

MURIC is not worried by this but we think Osinbajo should mellow down and give someone from another state the chance to rule. Asiwaju Tinubu is definitely not from Ogun State. By being vice president for good eight years, Osinbajo has had a good taste of the pudding.  

 

“We are resolved not to vote for the rallying point of our oppressors. More importantly, Northern Muslims will not vote for the candidate of the RCCG particularly after the RCCG made so much noise about creating a political department a few weeks ago. It was an audacious, contemptuous and repugnant confrontation. Osinbajo’s declaration is not only a concretisation of RCCG’s temerity, it is a ludicrous attempt to ‘RCCGise’ or ‘Redeemise’ the polity. We advise Osinbajo to ‘undeclare’

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)