RELEASE OF 21 CHIBOK GIRLS: A PLUS FOR BUHARI

13^th October, 2016,

PRESS RELEASE:

RELEASE OF 21 CHIBOK GIRLS: A PLUS FOR BUHARI

21 of about 265 Chibok girls who were abducted by Boko Haram insurgents were set free today after several negotiations between the insurgents and the Federal Government (FG).

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) commends FG for the successful negotiation which led to the freedom of 21 of the Chibok girls. This development marks the beginning of the liberation of the girls in totality. It also showcases FG’s genuine commitment to the rescue of the Chibok girls. It is a plus for President Muhammadu Buhari.

Although it is not yet Uhuru, we wish to congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari for bringing out 21 of the girls from captivity. It may be a small number but it is a pointer to better days ahead. A silver lining has appeared in the sky after cloudy and stormy days.

In particular, we hail President Buhari for his  recent passionate appeal to the United Nations (UN) to come to his aid in negotiating with the Boko Haram insurgents. We believe that it was this transparent and highly pragmatic approach which brought the Red Cross and the UN into the negotiation process. It is needless to say that the insurgents saw credibility and sincerity in FG’s latest negotiation moves because international agencies were involved.

However, the release of the 21 girls has effectively punctured the conspiracy theory of a few doubting Thomases led by the wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan who alleged that the abduction of the girls was a phantom. The reunion of the girls with the rest of Nigerians is also a serious indictment on the former president who dilly dallied for 18 good days after their kidnap before lifting a finger. Had he acted early, the girls would have been rescued before the insurgents did so much harm to them.

Former President Jonathan must therefore live with the moral burden of official and deliberate neglect in the case of the abduction of the Chibok girls for the rest of his life. It was sheer dereliction of duty at the highest echelon of power.

No more, no less. Jonathan’s moral nightmare must include the trauma experienced by the girls and their parents over the single parent phenomenon to which some of the girls who came back with kids are unjustly subjected.

We are saddened by the fact that some of the girls came back with children of their own but we thank Allah that they are alive. We charge FG to come up with a programme for the full rehabilitation of the 21 girls, their kids and others still in captivity whose release we are eagerly anticipating.   

MURIC appeals to the parents of the Chibok girls whose children are yet to be released to remain hopeful, to exercise patience and to have faith in the efforts of the Buhari administration to bring back their daughters.

On a final note, while we commend the efforts of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group in putting pressure on governments of the day on the subject-matter, we appeal for decorum and rational behavior in the methods adopted. While public demonstrations in the days of Jonathan can be rationalized in the face of official lethargy, the same cannot be said about the Buhari period.

We therefore advise the BBOG group to stop public demonstrations henceforth. Public demonstrations are capable of being hijacked by hoodlums who may loot shops, attack innocent motorists and commit other atrocities. BBOG should divert its energy to peaceful advocacy on the issue through press statements and humanitarian efforts aimed at improving the standard of living of the Chibok girls in particular, their education, their kids, their parents and the Chibok community in general.   

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

MURIC HAILS NEW CAN EXECUTIVE IN OSUN

12^th October, 2016,

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC HAILS NEW CAN EXECUTIVE IN OSUN

The new executive of the Osun State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (OSCAN) recently paid a courtesy visit to the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. OSCAN commended the governor for his commitment to the development and transformation of the state in the face of present economic recession and lauded the state government for being consistent in championing equity, balance and harmony among the adherents of the three major faiths in the state.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) congratulates the new OSCAN executive on its assumption of office. We laud the new executive of OSCAN for this positive and progressive move. It is highly commendable. We are thrilled to find a new CAN leadership in the State of Osun extending the hand of fellowship to the state government.

It is a radical departure from the past and we sincerely hope this newly found rapport will continue. We must build more bridges across the divides in order to move the state forward and harmony among the various faiths is cardinal to this objective.

MURIC calls on Christian faithfuls in the State of Osun to support the Michael Okodu leadership in his bid to cooperate with the state government and return to the path of peaceful coexistence with the adherents of other faiths in the state.    

We charge Muslim leaders in the state to reciprocate in like manner. What the State of Osun needs presently is sensitive, responsible, visionary and pious religious leaders. Only thus can the dynamic steps being taken by the state government in the area of education and industry be fruitful.       

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

PRESS RELEASE: ARREST OF JUDGES: NO ROOM FOR SACRED COWS

10^th October, 2016,

PRESS RELEASE:

ARREST OF JUDGES: NO ROOM FOR SACRED COWS

Men of the Department of State Services (DSS) recently raided the homes of some Nigerian judges. Huge amounts of foreign and local currencies were seized and about seven judges are still in detention. The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) consequently issued a warning to boycott courts unless the judges are set free.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) welcomes the action taken by the Federal Government to curb corruption in the judiciary. Recent revelations have shown that judges collude with criminals and corrupt politicians to thwart efforts aimed at reducing the rate of crime and corruption. The judiciary as the last hope of the common man must be above board. Therefore the bad eggs must be dealt with.

We are deeply disturbed by the reaction of the NBA. Is this body telling us that judges are sacred cows? Are they above the law? Must we fold our arms while Nigerian judges corruptly enrich themselves and justice is made available only to the rich?

NBA must look around the world and tell us where judges are allowed to get away with dirty deals. India, China and Ghana are good examples. 867 Indian judges were arrested and punished for corrupt practices in 2011. Two other judges were arrested in India in 2014 for collecting money to settle cases in favour of the givers.

Just last year 2015, Xi Xiaoming, vice president of the Supreme People's Court of China was arrested for receiving money from litigants. China’s lawyers did not pull down the Chinese sky. But in Nigeria, NBA wants us to rain praises on corrupt judges.

In Ghana, about 34 judges were recently charged for corruption. Twenty of them were dismissed on December 8, 2015. Ghanaians did not celebrate the corrupt judges.

But in Nigeria, all hell is let loose each time somebody from our religion or tribe is facing corruption charges. The focus this time is quite saddening coming from a much revered profession, the law itself.

How on earth do Nigerians think corruption can be eliminated or reduced if we always want to defend the indefensible once he has the slightest affiliation to us? Or is it ghosts that have been stealing our money? The thief must belong somewhere. He will either be a Muslim, a Christian, a politician or a judge.

Our duty as a serious people is to leave the thief alone. Allow the anti-graft agents to do their job. It is disgusting that NBA has abused due process. They know the law. They know that a man (or a judge?) is assumed innocent until he is proved guilty. This has been a gospel preached by their members all over the place. Does it mean they don’t mean it?

Is it because the knife is now turned inwards? But this same knife has been used by lawyers and judges to cut millions of necks. Why is it that they now realize it is too sharp?

MURIC appeals to the NBA and all other stakeholders to allow justice to take its due course. We all pledged unalloyed support to the Federal Government’s war against corruption. Lets clean the Augean stable without let or hinderance. The time to do it is now.         

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

LAGOS HIJAB IMBROGLIO: WE MUST SEPARATE OFFICE FROM RELIGION

9^th October, 2016,

PRESS RELEASE:

LAGOS HIJAB IMBROGLIO:

WE MUST SEPARATE OFFICE FROM RELIGION

Sequel to the response given by the Lagos State Deputy Governor to a question on hijab in which she gave the official government position, some concerned Muslims raised eye brows immediately. Although we made an attempt to douse tension by issuing a press statement immediately the issue broke in the public domain, we are still constrained to update our press release on this burning issue.          

We fully understand and respect the feelings of fellow Muslims who expressed concern. Most people expressed genuine fear without an iota of malice. We appreciate them. But the facts must be put on the table and critically analysed in order to avoid hurting the innocent and labeling a committed Mother-of-Islam unjustly.   

She was confronted with a delicate question during a television interview. The question had to do with Islam, her own personal faith and hijab to be precise. Incidentally the state government already has an official position on the issue and she happens to be the sitting deputy governor. Ceteris paribus, she is expected to give the official position of the state government. Anything to the contrary would have been tantamount to desecration of the office she holds, a betrayal of her sacred oath of office and an attempt to undermine the state government.

Muslims in Lagos State and all over the country must consider the fact that the question was put to her as the Deputy Governor, not as a Muslim. The fact that she gave the official position of the state government does not mean that she has jettisoned her faith or abandoned her fellow Muslims. She does not need to betray her personal emotions in official matters.

It was a difficult moment. Whereas a judge can afford to step down in a case in which he has personal interest, like when his junior brother is arraigned before him, a politician cannot resign because he is a stakeholder in an issue in which the press seeks to know the government’s official position. Parrying the question could have been worse as it is likely to imply that she had something to hide.

We must separate government officials from their religion in order to get the best out of them. Dr. Mrs. Idiat Adebule is well respected in academic and political circles. But she is not the ‘Deputy Governor of Lagos Muslims’. She is the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, of the good and progressive people of Lagos State, of the indigenes and non-indigenes and of the Christians, the Muslims and the Traditionalists.

She is therefore expected to speak for all and attend to all regardless of tribe or faith. She should not be guillotined for giving the official position of the state government. She would have been deemed to have failed in her duty if she had done otherwise.

In view of the foregoing, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) hereby reposes full confidence in the Lagos State Deputy Governor. We are proud of her as a practicing Muslim, a non-extremist and a public servant of high integrity. We appeal to the Deputy Governor to treat the events of the last few days with equanimity. It is part of the challenges and sacrifices of leadership. We plead with her to bear the comments with fortitude and to continue to serve the state with her well known passion, accommodation and humility.  

We invite Muslims in Lagos State and indeed in the whole country to join us in working for peace and progress in Lagos State. We appeal to Muslims who expressed the fear ab initio that the Deputy Governor had abandoned her fellow Muslims to ponder over the above analysis for a better assessment of the situation. We are all working towards the emancipation of the oppressed Muslims of Nigeria. We assure you that there will be no retreat, no surrender until our goals of equal rights and justice are attained.   

We remain oppressed until the right of the Muslim girl to use hijab is fully recognized everywhere in Nigeria. Hijab is the symbol of our right to self-determination and we will employ every legitimate means to ensure it becomes fait accompli.  

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)