JOINT MURIC/OPC-R PRESS CONFERENCE ON 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AS IT AFFECTS THE YORUBA PEOPLE

 

JOINT MURIC/OPC-R PRESS CONFERENCE ON 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AS IT AFFECTS THE YORUBA PEOPLE HELD AT THE OPC-R SECRETARIAT, ISHERI, LAGOS ON TUESDAY, 20TH DECEMBER, 2022.

Chief Francis Oludare Adesope, president, the Reformed Oodua People's Congress (OPC-R),
Members of the OPC-R
Members of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
Greatest Muricians! Greatest Muricians!!
Leaders and members of organisations here present
Gentlemen of the Press

As-Salaam alaykunm wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu.

I welcome you all to this joint MURIC/OPC-Reformed press conference.

The rationale for the press conference is the need to sensitise the South West concerning the coming 2023 presidential election in which a bona fide Yoruba candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a major contestant.

This is not the first time MURIC will be collaborating with the OPC-Reformed. We held a similar exercise on 9th September, 2020 to diffuse tension in Yorubaland and to make peace reign ( https://dailypost-ng.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/dailypost.ng/2020/09/09/muric-it-is-wrong-to-be-fighting-your-kinsmen-opc-tells-yorubas/).

It is also on record that the late OPC leader, Dr. Frederick Fasehun, collaborated with MURIC during his lifetime. He attended the interfaith symposium organised by MURIC at the University of Lagos about 20 years ago. He was one of the speakers at the event.

We are indeed very happy to be associated with the OPC-Reformed under the able leadership of Chief Francis Oludare Adesope. We will continue to Forster this friendship because it is promoting cordial relationship among Muslims, Christians and traditionalists for overall peace and security in Yorubaland and Nigeria in general.

2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION :

It is our belief that the Yoruba has every reason to support their kinsman, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, being the most eminently qualified among all the candidates.

It is also our submission that all issues of Yoruba separatist agitation will be addressed and resolved if a Yoruba man emerges as president come 2023. We have no doubt that those complaining of marginalisation of Yorubaland are most likely to give a son of the soil listening ears once Tinubu becomes president.

It is in this regard that we are calling on the Yoruba to give peace and unity a chance by rallying behind their son, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

We remind the Yorubas of the lyrics of the late Hubert Ogunde song, Yoruba Ronu, i.e.
Yorubas should reflect, 'Ro, ro, ro, Yoruba ronu o. Yoruba yo yo yo bi ina ale, Yoruba ru, ru, ru bi omi okun, Yoruba baba ni baba nse.
Ro, ro, ro, Yoruba ronu o.'

The North has been in power for eight years. It will give the North almost 20 year rule if another Northerner becomes president again. We must vote for Tinubu in order to avoid that predicament. Remember that Ogunde said 'Ori ki mai buru titi ko pogun odun...' (One should not remain unlucky for 20 years). It is now the turn of the South and a highly competent Yoruba politician has succeeded in winning the presidential primaries.

'Awa lo kan. E gbe kini yi wa'. We must not allow this golden opportunity to slip past us. We missed it in the days of our great leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. We missed it in the days of Chief M. K  O. Abiola. We must get it right this time. It will be a monumental mistake for the Yorubas to reject Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He is our son. He has the pedigree. His record is unbeaten and the fact that Lagos is the Makkah of all Nigerians today is enough proof of his competence.

MURIC AND THE YORUBA PEOPLE :

We are constrained to affirm that our organization is prepared to work hand in hand with all tribes in the country. MURIC is a multi-ethnic organisation and we will never work against any tribe.

The allegation leveled against MURIC in certain quarters particularly in publications of Alaroye newspaper that MURIC is an enemy of the Yoruba people is false and this joint press conference with the OPC-Reformed is a clear evidence that MURIC is a friend of the Yoruba People, not an enemy. It is the demand of MURIC for the fundamental human rights of Muslims in Yorubaland that some people mischievously interprete as anti-Yoruba stand. This is wrong and misleading.

We appeal to separatists groups who are demanding the creation of a Yoruba nation out of the present entity to give peace a chance as we are certain that issues at stake would have been covered by the time Tinubu occupies Aso Rock.

INTEGRATE OPC INTO AMOTEKUN CORP :

It is well known that it was the OPC that saved the South West from the constant attacks of armed robbers. They boldly confronted armed criminals and they were able to subdue them particularly between 1985 and 2005. They were not paid for their services and many members of the OPC died while confronting the hoodlums.

Unfortunately the various governments of the South West forgot the OPC when they established an official security outfit called Amotekun. MURIC declares that this is unfair.

We call on governments in the South West to review their recruitment method into Amotekun with a view to integrating original OPC members from different factions (Fasehun, Gani Adams and OPC-Reformed under Chief Francis Oludare Adesope). This will strengthen the security of Yorubaland. Government should not insist on educational qualification alone.

Greatest Muricians! Greatest Muricians!!
There is victory for us
In the struggle for our rights
There's victory for us...

When I remember Awolowo my eye run away me oooooo
Aye, aye, my eye run away me oooooo
When I remember MKO my eye run away me oooooo

MUSO! MUSO!! MUSO OOO!!!
GIDIGBO! GIDIGBO!! GIDIGBO OOOO!!!
YEE YEEEEEE!!!

My dear friend, Chief Francis Oludare Adesope, President, OPC-R, distinguished members, Gentlemen of the press, thank you for listening. Allah bless you all.

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

 

*DSS INVITATION TO AKINTOLA: DO THEY WANT TO SILENCE US? – MURIC OYO STATE CHAPTER*

 

MUSLIM RIGHTS CONCERN (MURIC), OYO STATE CHAPTER.

 

Date: 21^st December, 2022

 

*DSS INVITATION TO AKINTOLA: DO THEY WANT TO SILENCE US? – MURIC OYO STATE CHAPTER*

 

The Muslim Rights Concern, Oyo State Chapter, has pledged to accompany Professor Ishaq Akintola, the Director of the organization, any time he wants to honour the invitation sent to him by the Department of State Services (DSS), Ibadan, Oyo State. The invitation is alleged to be over the organisation’s recent statement on Muslim students in a public school who were forced to sing Christmas carol last week.

 

MURIC’s release which was signed by Professor Akintola and dated December 12, 2022, had accused Governor Seyi Makinde of aiding and abetting the age long oppression of Muslims in Oyo State through Oyo State school authorities.

 

MURIC cited the example of St Annes schools, Molete, Ibadan, whose principals forced Muslim students and Muslim teachers to join in the singing of Christmas carol. 

 

MURIC condemned the action as extremist, feudalistic and provocative.

 

 

The attention of Oyo State MURIC has been drawn to the invitation extended to Professor Ishaq Akintola by Oyo State DSS office by-passing the state branch of MURIC.

 

Our Director committed no offence, rather Governor Makinde  should channel his energy in the fight against those unfairness activities committed under his watch.

 

MURIC Oyo State chapter endorses the press statement on what Muslims are going through in Oyo State and we hereby reproduce part of it. ‘Under Seyi Makinde’s watch, Muslim students were herded like sheep to attend the crusade of a German Christian crusader, Evangelist Daniel Kolenda in November 2021. Oyo State public schools were used for the crusade during school hours.

 

‘Again under Makinde’s watch, Muslim applicants attending a screening exercise for appointment were made to answer questions on the Bible in August 2020. Under Makinde’s watch, Muslim teachers were forced to attend a screening exercise on Salah day in July 2022. Yet these are schools using public funds and Muslims are the majority among tax-payers in the state’.

 

The DSS should extend her invitation to us at Oyo State MURIC, not only Professor Akintola, and we will honour it.

 

Prof Akintola is only Director of MURIC but there are 36 state chairmen and Abuja chairman. MURIC has come to stop the oppression of the Muslim that started during colonisation. MURIC is the voice of oppressed Nigerian Muslims. We will not allow anyone to silence us.

 

Signed:

Dr Nurudeen Olalekan ỌLỌṢỌ… Chairman 

 

Alhaji Solahudeen Abdul Wasiu (Abu Salim) … Secretary

 

Ustadh Ibrahim Agunbiade … MURIC Ambassador

 

 

WE ARE PROUD OF BUHARI AT 80 – MURIC

 

19^th December, 2022

PRESS RELEASE:

WE ARE PROUD OF BUHARI AT 80 – MURIC

 

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on attaining the ripe age of 80 years. MURIC reaffirmed the appellation it gave the president in 2021 as the ‘Father of Modern Nigeria’.  

 

 

This was contained in a congratulatory message released on Monday, 19^th December, 2022 by the director of the Islamic human rights organisation, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

 

The message reads:

 

“We rejoice wholeheartedly with President Muhammadu Buhari as he attains the ripe age of 80. It is such a pleasant sight seeing him bouncing with so much energy all over Nigeria and across the globe instead of being the helpless invalid that the wicked had wished and prognosticated. It is, indeed, sweet victory for him as he has overcome so many obstacles laid before him. This is still the same man who was pronounced dead by many of his enemies.

 

 

“A two-time president, once as a military head of state and now as a civilian president, who is not moved by wealth. He overcame greed a long time ago. In spite of having so many cantankerous enemies, nobody has accused him of stealing one kobo of our common patrimony.

 

 

“Compared to other past African leaders who basked in opulence, Buhari stands tall in prudence, economic frugality, transparency, probity and accountability. Such greedy African leaders include Francisco Macias Nguema of Equetorial Guinea (1968 – 1979) who hoarded state money. Tedodoro Nguema Mbasogo (1968 – 1982) had a net worth of $600 million which made him one of the richest heads of states in the world.

 

“Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (1987 – 2017) stole more than $10 million in a country whose GDP per capita was $953.  Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan (1989 – 2019) stashed away $9 billion with the London banks.  

 

“Idi Amin Dada of Uganda (1971 – 1979) took so much of the country’s money for himself that he drove inflation rate in Uganda to 1,000 percent. Jose Eduardo Dos Santos of Angola (1979 – 2017) had an estimated networth of $20 billion and his daughter had a networth of $3 billion in a country where 70% of the population manage to survive on $2 per day.

 

 

 

“Buhari has not launched a presidential library. He has no nursery, primary or inter-continental secondary school, not to talk of having a private university. He has been president for the past seven and a half years yet he has not built an ordinary hut, not to talk of a palatial mansion for himself. No wonder President Biden of America used both hands to have an handshake with him. Buhari is an uncommon president.

 

 

“Unlike some leaders Nigeria had in the past, Buhari has refused to use his presidential power arbitrarily. Nigerians know who was behind Fayose’s impeachment on 16^th October, 2006 during his first term in office as governor of Ekiti State. They know who was behind the impeachment of Diepreye Alamieyeseigha on 9^th December, 2005. But Buhari has not orchestrated the impeachment of any state governor.

 

“This was recently attested to by the Rivers State governor who, despite being one of Buhari’s bitter critics, praised the president to high heavens for releasing huge amounts to all oil producing South South states despite belonging to opposition parties (https://saharareporters.com/2022/11/19/governor-wike-praises-buhari-says-he-released-funds-which-jonathan-others-refused-give).

 

 

“This can be compared to the seizure of federal allocations belonging to Lagos State for many years by the Obasanjo regime. Buhari will be remembered for having charity for all and bitterness to none (https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2021/10/15/osinbajo-obasanjos-seizure-of-lg-funds-forced-lagos-to-think-like-sovereign-state/). Buhari is a real statesman, not an ordinary politician who only thinks of the next election.  

 

 

“Nobody has accused Buhari of influencing any election result to date. He has played the democratic game to the letter. He has followed due process in all matters. Nobody has been clamped in jail for belonging to the opposition. Buhari has shown Nigerians that he is a democrat to the core.

 

 

“The new rail system, the Second Niger Bridge, several express roads including Lagos-Ibadan express road and Abuja-Kaduna highway, a sprawling road network across the country, several new universities, water and dry ports, new airport terminals in Enugu, Port Harcourt, Lagos, etc, hydro power plants, the list is endless, these are undeniable testimonies of Buhari’s achievements.  But above all, Nigerians have witnessed thorough trouncing of terrorists and bandits in recent time.

 

 

“Whereas Teodoro Obiang Nguema of oil-rich Equetorial Guinea who seized power since 1979 and has been president for 43 years still vied for a seventh term in office at the age of 80, Buhari, unlike this Teodoro and Obasanjo, has exhibited no interest in a third term. He is leaving his footprints as a true democrat on the sands of time.

 

 

“All the above led MURIC to give President Muhammadu Buhari the appellation ‘Father of Modern Nigeria’ in 2021. We still reaffirm that appellation. Happy Birthday Mr. President. You will be remembered by generations to come as the president who served most selflessly. We are proud of you at 80 and we wish you many more graceful years.”

 

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

INVITATION TO AKINTOLA BY DSS OFFICERS: MURIC OSUN CHAPTER RAISES DUBIETY

 

MUSLIM RIGHTS CONCERN (MURIC)

OSUN STATE CHAPTER

                                هيئة حقوق المسلمين

Motto: Dialogue, Not Violence.

 

 Date: SUNDAY 18th of December 2022

 

*INVITATION TO AKINTOLA BY DSS OFFICERS:

MURIC OSUN CHAPTER RAISES DUBIETY

 

 

The attention of the Osun State Chapter of MURIC has been drawn to the recent phone call made by the officers of the Department of State Security Service (DSS), Ibadan, Oyo State, whose mode of invitation seem to raise more skepticism than conviction.

 

 

This was contained in a statement issued by the State Chairman of MURIC in the State of Osun, Dr. AbdulAzeez Ademokoya on Sunday,18th of December,2022.

 

 

The message reads, "We seriously frown at the phone call put to our director, Professor Ishaq Akintola by unknown persons who simply identified themselves as officers of the Oyo State D.S.S Office, and inviting the director of MURIC to travel down to Ibadan, Oyo State for questioning within seven days as if same DSS office is not available in Lagos State.

 

“We are particularly, perturbed with the unofficial mode of the invitation and the lag threat of seven days issued on phone to Professor Akintola who is receiving medical treatment in Lagos. It is well known that a patient should rest for some days even after he has been treated.

 

“MURIC Osun finds it difficult to believe that such mode of invitation can be adopted by the D.S.S officers at this age of learning and therefore, demand investigations into this act noting the spate of insecurity bedeviling the nation.

 

Moreover, Osun State chapter of MURIC is using this avenue to reach out to all the law enforcement agencies in Nigeria and to all concerned Muslims in all parts of the country about the phone calls put to Professor Akintola (by unknown men). We remind peace loving Nigerians that Professor Akintola's life had been threatened in so many instances, and had also escaped assassinations just for fronting for the rights of Muslims and demanding for a fair play for all Nigerians irrespective of their religious inclinations.

 

The Osun Chapter of MURIC has affirmed that its director and members are law abiding people and would not fall or succumb to informal antics used by individuals to intimidate its members.

 

 

Osun Muric makes bold to say that nothing must happen to Professor Akintola for demanding for the inalienable rights of Muslims in Nigeria and therefore, calls the attention of the Director General of the DSS to this ugly development in which a defender of the rights of Nigerian Muslims who has never been involved in any act of violence, threat or blackmail and whose organization uses ‘Dialogue, No Violence’ as its motto is being subjected to such discomfort and harassment.

 

 

“Again, we are not soothsayers, but we hope the invitation (by the unidentified persons) has no nexus with the press release issued by MURIC on the 12th of December 2022 condemning the act of forcing Muslim students and Muslim teachers to join Christians to partake in the Christmas Carol inside a church situated opposite St. Annes.

 

“Do you expect Muslims to remain mute when you do not respect their faith and religious inclinations? Is that justice? Can Muslims force Christians to do same in any part of the country even in the far North? Why do you have hatred for Muslims and their religion?

 

“And why must Muslims (both students and teachers) be coerced to partake in a Christmas Carol? Why must you force your religious practices on others? Why should those who interrogate such illegal action by school authorities be harassed by security agents? All these questions keep begging for answers.

 

 

“On a final note, we smell foul play from the informal invitation made to our director by officers of the DSS Ibadan office and more importantly, for rejecting Akintola's suggestion to report to their Lagos office. So, we ask whether you have other hidden agenda for our director for seeking the rights of Muslims in Oyo State?”

 

 

Signed,

Dr. AbdulAzeez Ademokoya.

CHAIRMAN, 

MURIC- STATE OF OSUN.