MURIC APPLAUDS JUDICIARY AS IT DEFEATS OMIRHOBO IN ARABIC ON NAIRA CASE

 

16^th July, 2024

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC APPLAUDS JUDICIARY AS IT DEFEATS OMIRHOBO IN ARABIC ON NAIRA CASE

 

The Federal High Court has ruled in favour of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in a suit filed by Barrister Malcolm Omirhobo. The plaintiff had sought the removal of Arabic inscriptions from the naira.

 

The case which began in late 2020, was dismissed today, Tuesday, 16^th July, 2024 by Justice Yellim Bogoro sitting at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos. Reacting to the judgement immediately after the pronouncement, MURIC described it as far-reaching, profound, didactic and monumental.

 

The Executive Director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola, who issued a statement immediately after the judgement on Tuesday, 16^th July, 2024, said:

 

“This is sweet victory. Once again the Nigerian judiciary has demonstrated courage, intellectual excellence and jurisprudential exactitude. This judgement is far-reaching, profound, didactic and monumental.

 

“This case will teach Muslim-haters a lesson in tolerance and peaceful coexistence. The plaintiff, Barrister Omirhobo, went to court because he did not want to see Arabic inscriptions on naira notes anymore. We ascribed his action to sheer hatred when he sued the Central Bank in 2020 and we applied for a ‘joiner’.

 

“In our press statement of 16^th November, 2020, We told the plaintiff, ‘Omirhobo’s approach is not only naïve, it is pedestrian and kindergarten. This suit against Arabic on naira manifests acute desertification of religious tolerance, exhibition of undiluted acrobatic religiousity, NAFDAC-registered gymnastic spirituality and Oxford cum Harvard-certificated ignorance.’ We have been vindicated.

 

“Muslim-haters always oppose anything that has to do with Islam or Muslims. The case has proved that we own this country together. Nobody is going anywhere for anybody. Nobody can Shugaba Nigerian Muslims from their fatherland. We love Nigeria and Nigeria will continue to accommodate both Christians and Muslims.

 

“Even Muslims cannot wish away the Christians. That is the Nigeria we want. We must tolerate one another. We reject a situation in which some people will seek to expel Muslims, persecute them or turn them into underdogs and second class citizens. Nigeria is for all of us. Neither shall we oppress people of other faiths. We want to live here in dignity with our heads raised up high in the air.

 

“MURIC will continue to defend the ideals of freedom and Allah-given fundamental human rights so that we can bequeath to our children, males and females, Muslims coming in later generations, an atmosphere devoid of fear, a climate filled with confidence, dignity and self-esteem.

 

“Despite attempts by our detractors to paint MURIC as a terrorist group, we will remain guided by the rule of law and we will continue to use every legitimate means available to pursue freedom for Nigerian Muslims.

 

“We salute our lawyers, Hassan Fajimite and Yisa Kareem, for their sacrifices and their relentlessness.”

 

#ArabicStaysOnNaira

#KudosNigerianJudiciary

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola, 

Founder/Executive Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).

 

MURIC TO MAKINDE: STOP FRIDAY PROGRAMS

 

15^th July, 2024

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC TO MAKINDE: STOP FRIDAY PROGRAMS

 

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has accused Governor Seyi Makinde of being in the habit of scheduling programmes on Fridays and arriving late, thereby depriving Muslims of the opportunity to observe Friday prayer. The group also alleged that Makinde retained his name on Adogba Central Mosque whereas it was not rebuilt with his personal money. It therefore asked the governor to order the removal of his name from the mosque's wall. 

 

The allegations were contained in a press statement issued on Monday, 15^th July, 2024 by the Founder and Executive Director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola. 

 

The full statement reads:

 

"Muslims who attended the coronation ceremony of the new Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin on Friday, 12th July 2024 were unable to go for the Jumu'ah (Friday prayer) due to the late arrival of the state governor, Seyi Makinde. 

 

"Social media immediately went agog with insinuations that it was not the first time the governor would arrive late for programmes scheduled for Fridays.

 

"MURIC is worried that such an attitude is symptomatic of a lack of decorum for matters affecting Muslims in the state. We can cite the example of Adogba Central Mosque at Iwo Road, Ibadan, which was demolished despite pleas from Islamic organizations and Muslim leaders. 

 

"Governor Makinde went ahead to demolish the mosque but he promised to rebuild it. Although it was rebuilt but the governor inscribed his name boldly at the entrance. MURIC protested at the time and the government promised to remove the governor's name (https://independent.ng/remove-your-name-from-our-mosque-muric-tells-makinde/). But only the name at the entrance was removed. A similar inscription is still on the wall of the mosque till today and it is visible from the road.

 

"These are acts of impunity. It is executive dare-devilness to take actions knowing fully well that ordinary citizens could be reprimanded for them if they did the same things. It is right for the governor’s name to be engraved on the wall as the official who declared the mosque open. But then the size cannot be more than what is called ‘2 X 2’.

 

“It becomes another thing when the governor’s name is placed on a big banner or sign post against the wall of the mosque. A place of worship is not the appropriate place to display wealth, power or claim ownership of. But can Makinde provide proof that he single handedly funded the mosque building? Only then can he ostentatiously brandish his name there.

 

"In the same vein, it is lack of respect for Muslims to keep them sitting at a programme when they should be in the mosque, particularly on a Friday. Can Seyi Makinde fix these programmes on Sundays? Can he keep bishops and pastors waiting at the venue of a programme on a Sunday morning?

 

"Here is one more reason for our agitation for the declaration of Friday as a work-free day in Nigeria. The absence of a work-free Friday in the country is a sign-post of inequality, imbalance and lopsidedness. Nigeria’s democracy is a fraud if Muslims are not given the same things Christians are given.

 

"Meanwhile we urge Governor Seyi Makinde to avoid fixing important meetings and programmes on Fridays unless such meetings or programmes do not involve Muslims at all. Muslims are always uncomfortable at such programmes. His name should also be totally removed from Adogba Mosque unless the project was personally funded by him. 

 

"However, it is sacrilegious to name the mosque after him, being a non-Muslim and we hope the committee running the mosque is fully aware of the eschatological implications of all these. We are all accountable to Allah for actions taken by us in this world in the Hereafter."

 

#SeyiMakinde

#OurFridayMatters

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola, 

Founder/Executive Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).

 

EMULATE OONI OF IFE – MURIC TELLS TRADITIONAL RULERS

 

14^th July, 2024

PRESS RELEASE:

EMULATE OONI OF IFE – MURIC TELLS TRADITIONAL RULERS

 

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has applauded the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Eniitan Ogunwusi, for his recent effort in bringing down the prices of foodstuffs in Ile-Ife and environs. The Islamic human rights group also said Ooni’s initiative underscores the relevance of traditional rulers in governance. It therefore urged other traditional rulers in the country to emulate the monarch of the cradle of Yorubaland.

 

MURIC’s message to traditional rulers was contained in a press statement issued on Sunday, 14^th July, 2024 by the Founder and Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

 

The full statement reads:

 

“A recent video clip which went viral from Saturday, 13^th July, 2024 has shown traditional chiefs of the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial majesty, Oba Adeyeye Eniitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, going round the city markets to publicly announce the ban on market unions, particularly the practice of fixing prices of foodstuffs by the unions which usually results in inflation.

 

“MURIC applauds the Ooni’s initiative and his concern for the plight of the poor in Ile-Ife, its environs and even beyond. The royal father has demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that he empathises with the hoi polloi and acknowledges the hunger that is widespread in the land.

 

“We call on other monarchs in the country to emulate the Ooni by thinking outside the box to find ways of alleviating the sufferings of their subjects. Like security, governance must be by collective effort.

 

“Contributions of traditional rulers like that of the Ooni is one of the reasons why the rigid theory of the separation of powers between the executive, the judiciary and the legislature mut be revisited to include traditional rulers. The latter must be captured in the whole gamut of legislation to legalise their activities.

 

“We charge Nigerians who are playing the role of middlemen in the Nigerian economy like market unions, petrol and transport-related organisations to reconsider their negative effects on ordinary Nigerians. Most often, the evil that these groups cause is by far worse than what any other body inflicts on the average Nigerian.”

 

#KudosOoniOfIfe

#EmulateOoni

#BringDownInflation

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola, 

Founder/Executive Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).

 

SOKOTO NEW LAW: DIALOGUE IS THE ANSWER – MURIC

 

13^th July, 2024

PRESS RELEASE:

SOKOTO NEW LAW: DIALOGUE IS THE ANSWER – MURIC

 

The Governor of Sokoto State, Ahmed Aliyu, yesterday signed into law a bill widely believed to have the effect of reducing the powers of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar. In a swift reaction, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has responded dialogue as the way forward after signing the bill into law.

 

MURIC spoke via its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, in a statement made available to pressmen on Saturday, 13^th July, 2024.

 

He said:

 

“Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State signed a new bill into law yesterday. The new law is widely believed to have the effect of diminishing the powers of the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar. (https://punchng.com/sokoto-gov-signs-law-stripping-sultan-power-to-appoint-district-village-heads/)

 

“While we are not comfortable with the new development, MURIC is of the humble opinion that confrontation at this point in time will only heat up the polity. We believe that dialogue should be adopted as the way forward in view of the intricate nature of the relationship between Nigerian governors and their traditional rulers vis a vis the Nigerian political architecture.

 

“The problem can only be effectively addressed by attacking its root. Every state governor has total power over the traditional rulers in the state. They have the power to hire and fire as stipulated in the states’ chieftaincy laws. That is why MURIC has been crying out against the dethronement clauses in states’ laws and calling upon lawmakers in each state to revisit that aspect of the law but no single lawmaker has listened so far.

 

“Even Nigerian Muslims did not pay attention to MURIC when we warned twenty eight (28) years ago that it was dangerous to allow the governor of Sokoto State to have the power to depose the Sultan. We argued at the time that although the Sultan is a traditional ruler in Sokoto State, he is more than that in the rest of the country because as the President General of the NSCIA, he is the leader of all Nigerian Muslims.

 

“In a paper delivered at the University of Ilorin in the year 1998, MURIC’s Executive Director warned that Nigerian Muslims would continue to suffer unbearable embarrassments unless the Sultan was given immunity from deposition. The paper was entitled, ‘Leadership Crisis in the Nigerian Ummah, A Case Study of the Challenges Facing Islam and the Muslims in the 21^st Century’ (See Akintola, I. L., Islam and Muslims in Nigeria: Challenges of the 21^st Century, Z I. Oseni, ed., Jimsons, Ilorin, pages 26-42, 1998).

 

“Also in a paper delivered on Saturday, 30^th October, 2021 at a Sokoto conference organized to commemorate the 15^th anniversary of the Sultan, MURIC’s Executive Director delivered a paper captioned ‘His Eminence Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, 15 Years of Leadership: Progress and Prospects’.

 

“The 2021 paper urged Sokoto lawmakers to amend the section of the Sokoto chieftaincy law which empowers the governor to sack the Sultan simply by adding the words ‘except the Sultan of Sokoto’ to that clause. In spite of the loud applause which greeted the paper at the venue and promises of acceptance and application in the state’s legislature, nothing came of this effort. Even the publicity which followed the conference yielded nothing. An Emir chaired the session and he promised to give the Speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly a copy that same evening.

 

“The Premium Times publication of 3^rd November, 2021, (i.e. four days after the conference) quoted MURIC’s Executive Director as saying, ‘This is not about the reigning Sultan alone. It is about the progress of the Ummah…’ (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/493125-muric-salutes-sultan-on-15th-coronation-anniversary-seeks-immunity-from-dethronement.html?tztc=1). Yet nobody paid attention until there was a change of government on 29^th May, 2023.

 

“We have gone down memory lane for four reasons. One, so that we may be properly understood. Two, to raise awareness among Nigerian Muslims. Three, to show for how long MURIC has been preoccupied with the fate of Nigerian Muslims, particularly the leadership of the Sultan. Four, to bring the heads of Sokoto politicians, their lawmakers and the rest of Nigerian Muslims under the same thinking cap.

 

“There is need for us to synergize, re-engineer and re-strategise on the Sokoto affair. It is going to be a long struggle, not against the governor of Sokoto but against all the governors of the 36 states of Nigeria. We must not target the liberation of the sultanate alone. All Nigerian monarchs are under threat. We must carry the lawmakers and the Nigerian press along.

 

“To this end, MURIC remains assured of the outcome of a tripartite meeting arranged by an influential Islamic scholar from the North about two weeks ago. The meeting involved the Governor of Sokoto State, the scholar and the Director of MURIC. Though virtual, the meeting yielded one positive fruit, namely, a pledge by the governor not to depose the Sultan. We are already seeking ways of leveraging on this to open the doors of dialogue among major stakeholders.

 

“We therefore seek the cooperation of all interested parties. The unique position of the Sultan is yet to be understood by all. Neither does the city of Sokoto appreciate its princely status and highly favoured position as the seat of the caliphate. It is our hope that Sokoto continues to enjoy that special status but that depends on the progress or otherwise of the dialogue.”

 

“For now what we need in Sokoto is dialogue. The bill has been signed into law but law is made by men, not men by law. Again, we must remember that the law is an ass. It will always carry what is placed on it. Charles Dickens in his ‘Oliver Twist’ called the law ‘an ass, an idiot’ because the law, when applied too rigidly or too flexibly, can be blind to the realities on the ground.

 

“Therefore, signing Sokoto’s new bill into law cannot and should not be the end of the story. It is simply democracy at work. The sons of Sokoto made the law. The sons of Sokoto will apply it to favour Sokoto and to protect the dignity and integrity of Islam. This great city called Sokoto must continue to rise. The seat of the caliphate will not fall. The legacy of Uthman Bin Fudi lives forever.”

 

#LongLiveBinFudiDynasty

#LongLiveTheSultan

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola, 

Founder/Executive Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).

 

SOKOTO NEW LAW: DIALOGUE IS THE ANSWER – MURIC

 

13^th July, 2024

PRESS RELEASE:

SOKOTO NEW LAW: DIALOGUE IS THE ANSWER – MURIC

 

The Governor of Sokoto State, Ahmed Aliyu, yesterday signed into law a bill widely believed to have the effect of reducing the powers of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar. In a swift reaction, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has responded dialogue as the way forward after signing the bill into law.

 

MURIC spoke via its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, in a statement made available to pressmen on Saturday, 13^th July, 2024.

 

He said:

 

“Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State signed a new bill into law yesterday. The new law is widely believed to have the effect of diminishing the powers of the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar. (https://punchng.com/sokoto-gov-signs-law-stripping-sultan-power-to-appoint-district-village-heads/)

 

“While we are not comfortable with the new development, MURIC is of the humble opinion that confrontation at this point in time will only heat up the polity. We believe that dialogue should be adopted as the way forward in view of the intricate nature of the relationship between Nigerian governors and their traditional rulers vis a vis the Nigerian political architecture.

 

“The problem can only be effectively addressed by attacking its root. Every state governor has total power over the traditional rulers in the state. They have the power to hire and fire as stipulated in the states’ chieftaincy laws. That is why MURIC has been crying out against the dethronement clauses in states’ laws and calling upon lawmakers in each state to revisit that aspect of the law but no single lawmaker has listened so far.

 

“Even Nigerian Muslims did not pay attention to MURIC when we warned twenty eight (28) years ago that it was dangerous to allow the governor of Sokoto State to have the power to depose the Sultan. We argued at the time that although the Sultan is a traditional ruler in Sokoto State, he is more than that in the rest of the country because as the President General of the NSCIA, he is the leader of all Nigerian Muslims.

 

“In a paper delivered at the University of Ilorin in the year 1998, MURIC’s Executive Director warned that Nigerian Muslims would continue to suffer unbearable embarrassments unless the Sultan was given immunity from deposition. The paper was entitled, ‘Leadership Crisis in the Nigerian Ummah, A Case Study of the Challenges Facing Islam and the Muslims in the 21^st Century’ (See Akintola, I. L., Islam and Muslims in Nigeria: Challenges of the 21^st Century, Z I. Oseni, ed., Jimsons, Ilorin, pages 26-42, 1998).

 

“Also in a paper delivered on Saturday, 30^th October, 2021 at a Sokoto conference organized to commemorate the 15^th anniversary of the Sultan, MURIC’s Executive Director delivered a paper captioned ‘His Eminence Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, 15 Years of Leadership: Progress and Prospects’.

 

“The 2021 paper urged Sokoto lawmakers to amend the section of the Sokoto chieftaincy law which empowers the governor to sack the Sultan simply by adding the words ‘except the Sultan of Sokoto’ to that clause. In spite of the loud applause which greeted the paper at the venue and promises of acceptance and application in the state’s legislature, nothing came of this effort. Even the publicity which followed the conference yielded nothing. An Emir chaired the session and he promised to give the Speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly a copy that same evening.

 

“The Premium Times publication of 3^rd November, 2021, (i.e. four days after the conference) quoted MURIC’s Executive Director as saying, ‘This is not about the reigning Sultan alone. It is about the progress of the Ummah…’ (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/493125-muric-salutes-sultan-on-15th-coronation-anniversary-seeks-immunity-from-dethronement.html?tztc=1). Yet nobody paid attention until there was a change of government on 29^th May, 2023.

 

“We have gone down memory lane for four reasons. One, so that we may be properly understood. Two, to raise awareness among Nigerian Muslims. Three, to show for how long MURIC has been preoccupied with the fate of Nigerian Muslims, particularly the leadership of the Sultan. Four, to bring the heads of Sokoto politicians, their lawmakers and the rest of Nigerian Muslims under the same thinking cap.

 

“There is need for us to synergize, re-engineer and re-strategise on the Sokoto affair. It is going to be a long struggle, not against the governor of Sokoto but against all the governors of the 36 states of Nigeria. We must not target the liberation of the sultanate alone. All Nigerian monarchs are under threat. We must carry the lawmakers and the Nigerian press along.

 

“To this end, MURIC remains assured of the outcome of a tripartite meeting arranged by an influential Islamic scholar from the North about two weeks ago. The meeting involved the Governor of Sokoto State, the scholar and the Director of MURIC. Though virtual, the meeting yielded one positive fruit, namely, a pledge by the governor not to depose the Sultan. We are already seeking ways of leveraging on this to open the doors of dialogue among major stakeholders.

 

“We therefore seek the cooperation of all interested parties. The unique position of the Sultan is yet to be understood by all. Neither does the city of Sokoto appreciate its princely status and highly favoured position as the seat of the caliphate. It is our hope that Sokoto continues to enjoy that special status but that depends on the progress or otherwise of the dialogue.”

 

“For now what we need in Sokoto is dialogue. The bill has been signed into law but law is made by men, not men by law. Again, we must remember that the law is an ass. It will always carry what is placed on it. Charles Dickens in his ‘Oliver Twist’ called the law ‘an ass, an idiot’ because the law, when applied too rigidly or too flexibly, can be blind to the realities on the ground.

 

“Therefore, signing Sokoto’s new bill into law cannot and should not be the end of the story. It is simply democracy at work. The sons of Sokoto made the law. The sons of Sokoto will apply it to favour Sokoto and to protect the dignity and integrity of Islam. This great city called Sokoto must continue to rise. The seat of the caliphate will not fall. The legacy of Uthman Bin Fudi lives forever.”

 

#LongLiveBinFudiDynasty

#LongLiveTheSultan

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola, 

Founder/Executive Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).