TINUBU’S DECLARATION : A WELCOME DEVELOPMENT –MURIC

 

14^th January, 2022

PRESS RELEASE

TINUBU’S DECLARATION : A WELCOME DEVELOPMENT –MURIC

                                   

The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, declared his intention to contest for the post of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Monday, 10^th January, 2022. Subsequently, an Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has confirmed Tinubu as a candidate that fits into its long-term aspiration for a Yoruba Muslim president. The group described Tinubu’s declaration as a welcome development.

 

 

This was disclosed to journalists on Friday, 14^th January, 2022 by the director and founder of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

 

MURIC said :

 

“It is no longer news that the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has declared his intention to contest for the post of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This happened on Monday, 10^th January, 2022.

 

 

“It will be recalled that our organisation has repeatedly demanded the emergence of a Yoruba Muslim candidate for the post of president of this country because of the prolonged religious persecution being faced by Muslims in the South West. We have been consistent in this demand. This is verifiable in at least four different press statements issued by us in the past.

 

 

“One, on 23^rd February, 2021 under the title ‘Why has no Yoruba Muslim Occupied Aso Rock?’ (http://saharareporters.com/2021/02/26/yoruba-muslims-wont-support-any-non-muslim-candidate-2023-presidency-%E2%80%94muric; https://www.naijachoice.com.ng/2023-why-has-no-yoruba-muslim-ever-occupied-aso-rock-muric/; https://www.independent.ng/muric-canvasses-yoruba-muslim-presidency/; https://www.nigerianeye.com/2021/02/2023-buharis-successor-must-be-yoruba.html).

 

 

“Two, on 11^th May, 2021, we wrote, ‘On Yoruba Muslim Presidential Candidate We Stand: MURIC Tells Obasanjo’ (https://www.thecable.ng/muric-yoruba-muslim-must-get-2023-presidential-ticket-regardless-of-political-party; https://dailypost.ng/2021/05/11/2023-its-time-for-yoruba-muslim-presidential-candidate-islamic-group-tells-obasanjo/; https://www.legit.ng/1415387-2023-muric-rejects-akinwunmi-adesina-presidential-candidate.html;).

 

 

Three, on 7^th June 2021, our statement was entitled ‘MURIC Clarifies Statement on Yoruba Muslim President’ (https://www.ripplesnigeria.com/muric-clarifies-stand-over-2023-yoruba-muslim-presidency/; https://theeagleonline.com.ng/a-christian-can-only-be-president-of-nigeria-in-2023-if-not-from-south-west-muric/; https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2021/06/07/muric-clears-air-on-demand-for-yoruba-muslim-president/).

 

 

“Four, on 25^th October 2021, our press statement was captioned ‘On Yoruba Presidential Candidate We Stand’ (https://punchng.com/2023-muric-lists-eight-yoruba-muslims-fit-for-presidency/; https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/10/2023-presidency-well-only-vote-for-a-yoruba-muslim-from-south-west-muric/; https://dailytrust.com/2023-presidency-muric-insists-on-yoruba-muslim-lists-candidates; http://saharareporters.com/2021/10/25/2023-why-muslims-wont-vote-any-party-presenting-yoruba-christian-presidential-candidate).

 

 

“Tinubu’s declaration for the highest post in the land is therefore a welcome development. Also in pursuit of this campaign, MURIC has spent the last four days from Monday 10^th January, 2022 (when Tinubu made his declaration) to Thursday, 13^th January consulting its state branches in the Yoruba states : Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti. The outcome of our investigation reveals a resounding support for Tinubu’s declaration.

 

 

“All our state branches confirmed that Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu has been close enough to Yoruba Muslims. The Lagos chapter of MURIC also vouched that although Tinubu is not the type that will marginalise Nigerian Christians, at the same time, he will not estrange Yoruba Muslims or ignore their complaints when he becomes president of Nigeria.

 

 

“This is the time Yoruba Muslims need the support of their Muslim brethren all over the country to ensure that Tinubu emerges as the candidate of his party at the primaries. They should also vote for him massively during the presidential elections to ensure that he emerges as the president of Nigeria to be sworn in on 29^th May, 2023.

 

“This is the only fair thing that can happen to Yoruba Muslims. Interestingly enough, nobody can claim that the advent of Tinubu as the president of Nigeria is unfair to Yoruba Christians because at least three Yoruba Christians have been both presidents and vice presidents of Nigeria.  

 

 

“Mathew Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo was military head of state and president (1976 – 1979, 1999 – 2007). Earnest Shonekan was interim head of state (August 1993 – November 1993). Right now, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, a pastor of the Redeemed Church, has been vice president of Nigeria for the past seven years (from 2015 to date).

 

 

“But no single Yoruba Muslim has had the opportunity to taste power in the centre. It is therefore the turn of a Yoruba Muslim and the cap fits Ahmed Tinubu, a Muslim born into a strong Muslim family. Yoruba Muslims are proud of Tinubu as a politician of timber, caliber and caterpillar. He has the mandate of Yoruba Muslims.

 

 

“We sound out a caveat emptor to all political parties in the country. Any party that picks a Yoruba Christian as its presidential candidate is on its own. Yoruba Muslims and, indeed, Muslims North and South, will not vote for such a candidate.

 

 

“We do not wish to be misunderstood. We will therefore reiterate our position on Christian candidates in the coming presidential election. MURIC has no objection to Christian candidates emerging from any other geo-political zone. It means we are not saying that a Christian cannot be president of Nigeria. We are simply saying that such a Christian should not be a Yoruba man or woman.

 

 

“Yoruba Muslims have been marginalized for so long. Politically, Christians have monopolised ministerial positions, state commissionership, boards and agencies. Economically, civil service jobs are selectively offered. The education sector has been the Archiles heel of Yoruba Muslims and a concentration camp where Muslim children are forced to adopt Christian culture. A Christian president from the South West will therefore turn the headache of Yoruba Muslims into migraine.

 

 

“MURIC will not be partisan. We will give all political parties a level playing ground. Therefore, we will also support any other political party that picks a Muslim candidate from the South West. No political party should claim that it cannot find qualified Muslim politicians when the likes of Babatunde Fashola, Dr. Muiz Banire, Dr. Abdul Lateef Abdul Hakeem, Senator Fatai Buhari, Rauf Aregbesola, etc, are making waves on the Nigerian political architecture.

 

 

“Our target is the liberation of Yoruba Muslims from the shackles of political marginalisation, socio-economic repression and educational enslavement. While MURIC will never exhibit enmity, derision or contempt towards Christians and people of other faiths, it has zero tolerance for Muslim haters. Aluta continua : no retreat, no surrender until victoria acerta.”

 

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director, 

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

MURIC HAILS EL-RUFAI ON 4-DAY WORKING WEEK

 

12^th January, 2022

PRESS RELEASE

MURIC HAILS EL-RUFAI ON 4-DAY WORKING WEEK

                                   

As schools resumed on 10^th January, 2022 for the second term in the academic session, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has directed that all schools in the state should operate a four-day school week. It will be recalled that all civil servants began the same four-day working week about five weeks ago.

 

 

Meanwhile an Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has hailed the governor for the decision. The group described the governor’s decision as visionary, equitable and humane.

 

 

The group expressed its opinion through its director and founder, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Wednesday, 12^th January, 2022.

 

MURIC said :

 

“Governor Nasir El-Rufai has made good his promise to operate a four-day working week in both the education sector and the civil service. Schools in Kaduna State were directed to commence the four-day working week on Monday 10^th January, 2022 while civil servants began operating the new system about five weeks ago. This Friday will mark the first school-free and work-free Friday in the State. It means, technically, that Friday has become free in Kaduna State.

 

 

“We commend El-Rufai for this initiative. It is bold, visionary, equitable and humane. We have no iota of doubt that it will improve the health of individual civil servants as they now have more time to rest and check their health status. Teachers will also be free from the hustle and bustle from the classroom to the staff room and thereafter to the traffic congestion on their way home.

 

 

“According to the state government the four-day working week will boost productivity, improve work-life balance and enable workers to have more time for their families, for rest and for agriculture. We consider these benefits as low hanging fruits.

 

 

“The long term advantages are far more beneficial to the state and its citizens. Capitalism drives the proletariat to death. The four-day working policy is capable of building a more balanced citizenry in the state. Man is known to be composed of body, soul and spirit. Unfortunately both democracy and capitalism only cater for the body alone, leaving the spirit and the soul to fend for themselves in a world replete with misadventures.

 

 

“Considering the fact that Kaduna is a Muslim majority state, the conventional five-day working week has served as a barrier between the average Muslim in the state and his opportunity to get sanctified. Spiritual fulfilment and religious guidance have been missing in the lives of majority of the civil servants, teachers and students in the state who have had to be at work or in the school every Friday under the five-day working week.

 

 

“Unfortunately this situation is true in the remaining core northern states as well as other states of Nigeria where Muslims exist. A practical visualisation may explain this better. The average Muslim worker must go to work every Friday. He may or may not be allowed to enjoy the one or two hours break from 1 pm to 3 pm on that day to attend Jumu’ah prayer.

 

 

“Even then he rushes to the mosque from work and dashes back to work immediately after the Salat. More often than not he misses the sermon or joins other congregants halfway. He gains little or no knowledge at all from the weekly sermon as a result of his regular late arrival since Friday is not free.

 

 

“Meanwhile members of his family are scattered like wild oats on Friday. He works in the ministry at the state secretariat. His wife is a teacher in a school several kilometres away from his own place of work. The three children are in different schools located in different places around the city. Therefore they cannot attend the same mosque together and listen to the same sermon.

 

 

“This has very serious implications. The family cannot deliberate on the day’s sermon at home because they did not attend the same mosque. The Muslim parents cannot effectively use examples given by the Imam to teach their children at home. Therefore, it makes no impact on the children because they did not hear it themselves in the company of their parents. This makes a lot of difference.

 

 

“With hindsight, Governor El-Rufai appears to have actualised the vision of the director of MURIC as envisaged in the latter’s 138-page book, The Friday Question, which was published in 1993. He also seems to have made good use of the suggestions offered by the author as solution to the problem. El-Rufai is a foremost strategist thinker.

 

 

“The rising criminality in the North today, from Boko Haram to banditry, can be attributed to this Friday question. Those armed Muslim youths have always missed the Friday sermon. Nothing symbolises Islam in them except the Muslim names. Working and schooling on Friday has deprived the Muslim family of the necessary domestic cohesion and the attendant moral discipline. El-Rufai deserves encomiums for his vision and dynamism. He has virtually united the Muslim family.

 

 

“In comparison, the Christian family has gained tremendously in terms of spiritual fulfilment every Sunday because the day is free. The average Christian worker or student goes to church on Sunday morning with little or no stress at all. The whole family goes to the same church and listens to the same sermon. They go home together to discuss the day’s message.

 

 

“It is very glaring from the above comparison that the Nigerian system does not treat Christians and Muslims the same way. Christianisation is systemic. This country is grossly Christianised and states with Muslim majorities must start thinking outside the box. It is time to liberate Nigerian Muslims from the iron grips of Christo-Western neo-imperialism. MURIC gives kudos to El-Rufai for emancipating Kaduna Muslims from spiritual blindness.

 

 

“MURIC charges governors in core Northern states where Muslims are in absolute majority to emulate El-Rufai by declaring a similar four-day working week in their states. If it is good in Kaduna, it must be good in Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Gombe, etc. Liberate your Muslim citizens from religious captivity and spiritual enslavement.

 

 

“Ceteris paribus, the Zamfarisation of Shari’ah must necessitate the Kadunisation of the Friday question. If Shari’ah can spread from Zamfara State to about twelve northern states within a very short time, nothing stops the Friday question from spreading its tentacles from Kaduna to other Northern states in the next five years. 

 

 

“We call on Islamic scholars, Muslim intellectuals and Islamic organisations in the northern part of the country to play the role of enlightenment in this campaign while lobbying the state governors on the need to find a solution to the Friday question in their states.”

 

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Director, 

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)