RATIONING CRUDE OIL FOR LOCAL REFINERIES RIDICULOUS – MURIC

 

MUSLIM RIGHTS CONCERN (MURIC)

‎هيئة حقوق المسلمين

‎Motto: Dialogue, Not Violence

‎

‎24^th March, 2026

‎PRESS RELEASE:

 

RATIONING CRUDE OIL FOR LOCAL REFINERIES RIDICULOUS – MURIC

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‎A rights group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has described the rationing of crude oil to local refineries as ridiculous. The group insists that local refineries should be supplied enough crude oil in order to facilitate reduction in the price of fuel. 

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‎MURIC's description came in a statement circulated to newsmen on Tuesday, 24th March, 2026. The statement was signed by the group's Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola. 

‎

‎He said:

‎

‎"As war in the Middle East rages with the concomitant economic impact on people's lives, Nigeria has found itself caught in the quagmire. The price of fuel has hit the roof with some petrol stations selling as high as N1,400 per litre compared to the pre-war price of N820 only. 

‎

"The question is why should fuel cost so much in Nigeria even if there is war in far away Iran when we have crude oil and functional refineries? We were compelled to set the machinery in motion in a bid to find an answer to this vital question.

‎

‎"Our findings reveal a paradoxical and totally baffling scenario. We discovered that the local refineries have been stinted of crude oil. The same crude oil which Nigeria has in excess is being rationed to our local refineries. This is ridiculous and unacceptable.

‎

‎Exempli gratia, whereas Dangote Refinery needs an average of 19.77 million barrels per month, it receives a paltry percentage of what it requires for normal operation, e. g. October 2025: 4.55 million barrels; November 2025: 6.45 barrels; December 2025: 4.30 million barrels; January 2026: 5.65 million barrels; February 2026: 4.66 million barrels and 3.60 million barrels this March (up to 15th March 2026).

‎

‎"This rationing system is inexplicable. Ceteris paribus, local refineries should be supplied enough crude oil in order to facilitate reduction in the price of fuel. Why ration crude oil for local refineries when Nigeria has 37.28 billion barrels in reserve and it is the largest oil producer in Africa? 

‎

‎"Samuel Taylor Coleridge may have visualised the Nigerian petroleum architecture when he wrote his 1798 poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, 'Water, water everywhere but not any drop to drink'. 

‎

‎"This should not happen unless there is a force majeure compelling such rationing though the government has not opened up on this. Or is it true that Nigeria's crude oil has been sold upfront for several years by previous regimes? Have they mortgaged our future? 

‎

‎"How can a local refinery function to its maximum capacity in such a strangulating environment? How can our local refineries fulfil their obligation to Nigerians with this stifling stronghold?bFor example, Dangote Refinery now buys Nigerian crude oil through middlemen in London, Dubai, etc at higher price (https://viewfinderng.com/how-nigerian-crude-oil-sold-to-dangote-refinery-through-london-dubai-middle-men-at-higher-price/). 

‎

‎"No wonder, therefore, that the refinery has reportedly threatened to sell all its pproducts outside the country (https://punchng.com/fresh-fuel-import-licences-trigger-dangote-export-threat/?amp). 

‎

‎"There is an urgent need to prevent this from happening and the only person who can do that is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This should not pose a challenge because the president is known for his bold approach to economic issues and this has been very effective in stopping the subsidy scam and stabilizing the naira.

‎

‎"MURIC therefore appeals to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give marching orders to NMDPRA to supply all the crude oil needs of local refineries.

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‎"Nigerians should not be made to go back to the dark days of importation of fuel at a time that European countries are turning to Dangote for their fuel needs (https://businessday.ng/news/article/europe-turns-to-dangote-refinery-as-jet-fuel-crisis-deepens/). 

‎

‎#StopRationingCrudeOil

‎

‎Professor Ishaq Akintola, 

‎Founder/Executive Director, 

‎Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).

 

EL-RUFAI GAVE SOUTHERNERS THE PRESIDENCY, DESERVES BETTER TREATMENT - MURIC

 

MUSLIM RIGHTS CONCERN (MURIC)

‎هيئة حقوق المسلمين

‎Motto: Dialogue, Not Violence

‎‎23^rd March, 2026

PRESS RELEASE:

EL-RUFAI GAVE SOUTHERNERS THE PRESIDENCY, DESERVES BETTER TREATMENT - MURIC

‎

‎An Islamic human rights advocacy group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has confirmed that the embattled former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, gave southerners the presidency.   It therefore submitted that the former governor, who is currently in detention, deserves better treatment.

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‎This was contained in a press release issued on Monday 23^rd March, 2026 by the Executive Director of the group, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

‎

‎The full text reads:

‎

‎"The long period of political and socio-economic persecution faced by Muslims in Yorubaland ignited MURIC's agitation for the emergence of a Yoruba Muslim as the president of Nigeria. We thought such a Yoruba Muslim president, while not being biased against Christians and others, will at least give Yoruba Muslims a listening ear.

‎

‎"MURIC was therefore the first to demand that a Yoruba Muslim must occupy Aso Rock come 2023. Our agitation for this began in February 2021 (https://independent.ng/muric-canvasses-yoruba-muslim-presidency/).

‎

‎"With a likemind Islamic group, the Concerned Yoruba Muslim Scholars (led by the late Shaykh Abdul Rasheed Hadiyatullahi) we met and persuaded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to show interest in the 2023 election. He agreed.

‎

‎"We didn't stop there because we realised that Yoruba Muslims alone could not get our principal to the presidency. We needed a handshake across the Niger. We networked with Northern Muslims to link us with the former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. We saw him as the only northern politician who has the necessary political acumen to bring the North together on our project. 

‎

‎"Our meeting with El-Rufai resulted in a general mobilisation of the North in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly after El-Rufai had declared for him (https://punchng-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/punchng.com/el-rufai-declares-support-for-tinubu/). The handshake across the Niger made this possible.

‎

‎"El-Rufai's support became crucial particularly after it became clear that the incumbent preferred a northerner as his successor. El-Rufai boldly rejected this attempt to keep the presidency in the North. He also openly rebuffed the shenanigans of the former governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele on naira redesign (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/582257-naira-redesign-why-we-rejected-buharis-out-of-court-settlement-el-rufai.html?tztc=1).

‎

‎"Equally noteworthy is a video clip showing how President Tinubu openly asked El-Rufai to join his government and this did not happen at a private meeting. It happened at a campaign ground, in the presence of thousands of party enthusiasts (https://dailytrust.com/video-of-tinubu-appealing-to-el-rufai-to-work-for-him-goes-viral/) .

‎

‎"To convince Nigerians that MURIC is not fabricating this narrative, we asked AI the following question: ‎'What actions did El-Rufai take to support President Tinubu's election between 2022 and 2023?'.

‎

‎"This is the response we got: 'Between 2022 and 2023, Nasir El-Rufai acted as a crucial northern ally for Bola Tinubu’s presidential bid. He publicly championed the power shift to the South, [advocated for the "top-to-bottom" APC voting strategy in Kaduna], helped secure the endorsement of northern APC governors, and participated in key campaign activities, including a trip to Chatham House.

‎

‎"AI continues: 'Key actions taken by El-Rufai to support Tinubu include:

‎Championing Southern Presidency: El-Rufai was a key proponent of the "power shift" principle, arguing that the presidency must move to the South after 8 years of Buhari's presidency.

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‎"'Northern Coalition Building: He played a key role within the northern governors' forum, facilitating support for Tinubu's candidacy.

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‎"Top-to-Bottom" Campaign in Kaduna: Despite challenges, he advocated for voters in Kaduna to vote for the APC from the local level to the presidency.

‎Campaign Activities: He accompanied Tinubu to major events, including the visit to Chatham House, to boost his credibility.'

‎

‎"Anyone who thinks we lied should simply type the same question on AI: 'What actions did El-Rufai take to support President Tinubu's election between 2022 and 2023? '

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‎"MURIC takes full responsibility for the general mobilization among Muslims for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We apologise to the family and friends of El-Rufai in particular and Nigerian Muslims in general. We will not disown what we initiated. Neither shall we abandon a leader who took up a national assignment on our behest simply because he is currently behind bars.

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‎"Without prejudice to the independence of the judiciary, we assert that El-Rufai's court cases are not matters for the courts alone. They are firmly rooted in politics. That is the bigger picture which we must look at. MURIC cannot, in good conscience, remain silent while El-Rufai remains behind bars. We take responsibility for bringing him into the struggle to give Asiwaju the North. And he did. We affirm that El-Rufai did our bidding up to the time President Tinubu was sworn in on 29^th May, 2023.

‎

‎"It will therefore be a big shame and a monumental failure on the part of the political class if the worst case scenario is enacted in El-Rufai's case while many politicians who have cases in court continue to walk free on Nigerian streets. All in all, the truth must be told: El-Rufai gave Southerners the presidency. He deserves better treatment." 

 

‎‎‎‎#ElRufai

#FriendOfTheSouth

#TrueNationalist

#LetElRufaiGo

 

‎Professor Ishaq Akintola,

‎Founder/Executive Director,

‎Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).

 

KWARA CHRISTIANS' DEMAND FOR GOVERNORSHIP POST: IT IS OLIVER TWIST MENTALITY

 

MUSLIM RIGHTS CONCERN (MURIC)

‎هيئة حقوق المسلمين

‎Motto: Dialogue, Not Violence

‎

‎20^th March, 2026

‎‎PRESS RELEASE:

‎KWARA CHRISTIANS' DEMAND FOR GOVERNORSHIP POST: IT IS OLIVER TWIST MENTALITY

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‎The demand by Christian stakeholders for a Kwara governor of their faith (Vanguard, March 19) sounds reasonable until we apply the same logic elsewhere.

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‎If fairness means Christians must govern Kwara because Muslims have had the slot, then let's be fair everywhere. Why can't  this coalition advise the Christians of Ekiti and Ondo States to give Muslims in their states who are more than 35% of the population the governorship slots? Why are Kwara Muslims who are less than 20% of the population of the state agitating for the post of governor?

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‎To date, Christians in Ekiti and Ondo have not conceded even the post of deputy governor to Muslims in this democratic dispensation. How about Kwara Christians starting from there? Kwara Christians became Oliver Twist overnight because their Muslim neighbours have always given them the deputy governorship post.  

‎

‎What about the South-South and South-East, where Muslims are tiny minorities and have never governed?

‎Meanwhile, Kwarans already practice inclusion politics. The State routinely elects Christian deputy governors. That is real representation, not tokenism. In fact, our political culture is so mature that a Muslim-Muslim ticket could fly here without consequence. The fact that we still choose Christian deputies shows goodwill, not weakness.

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‎Now to the mathematics: Kwara votes majority Muslim. Political parties exist to win, not to make symbolic gestures. So, asking a party to pick a Christian candidate here is like asking the North to pick a Christian vice-president for the president, it ignores the simple truth that you must win first before you can serve.

‎The coalition's history lesson about past governors misses this point.

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‎Governors are elected by voters, not appointed by churches. If the majority keeps voting a certain way, that's democracy, not conspiracy.

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‎The Coalition should stop framing leadership as religious entitlement. In this scenario, the coalition ought to call for all political parties to field their best candidates, regardless of faith, and let voters reward competence, integrity, and the ability to unite us. Let's be consistent about religious politics, at least. Kwara Christians should not be too eager to adopt 'Oliver asks for more' slogan. 

‎

‎#KwaraChristians

‎#Oliverasksformore

‎

‎Barrister Taofeek Jaji,

‎Chairman,

‎MURIC,

‎Kwara State Chapter.

 

SALAH MESSAGE: ‎SAVE CORPERS FROM KILLINGS AND ABDUCTIONS – MURIC

 

MUSLIM RIGHTS CONCERN (MURIC)

‎هيئة حقوق المسلمين

‎Motto: Dialogue, Not Violence

‎‎19^th March, 2026

‎‎ SALAH MESSAGE:

‎SAVE CORPERS FROM KILLINGS AND ABDUCTIONS – MURIC

‎‎An Islamic human rights advocacy group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has thrown its weight behind ongoing clamour for either the safety of youth corpers or scrapping the scheme.

‎‎MURIC joined the advocacy in its 2026 Ramadan festival message issued on Thursday, 19^th March, 2026 by the Executive Director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

‎‎The Salah message reads:

‎‎"Our attention has been drawn to ongoing clamour for the safety of youth corpers during their service year. Many have called for the scrapping of the scheme if the safety of youth corpers cannot be guaranteed by the Federal Government (FG).

‎‎"Foremost among the advocates for the welfare of corpers is a group called The People's Voice led by Dr. Alice Oludimu (https://www-vanguardngr-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.vanguardngr.com/2026/03/group-seeks-insurance-cover-for-nysc-members/amp/) and Haruna Danjuma, president of the National Parents-Teachers Association of Nigeria (https://punchng-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/punchng.com/scrap-nysc-if-you-cant-protect-corpers-parents-tell-fg/?).‎

‎"Their call is just, altruistic and patriotic. It is a struggle to stop the wastage of the lives of Nigerian youth, a call to accountability among Nigerian leaders and a wakeup call to value human life. We therefore consider it a civic duty to join the call.

‎‎"The facts staring Nigerians in the face are scary. As at 2023, 83 NYSC members have been abducted in ten years (i.e. between 2013 and 2023 https://fij.ng/article/timeline-83-corps-members-abducted-in-10-years-40-in-rivers-alone/).

‎‎"A corper, Musa Usman Abba from Gusau, Zamfara State, a Plant Science and Bio Technology graduate from Federal University, Gusau, who had been abducted since 9^th January 2026 while traveling to Sokoto State to resume for his National service, was eventually killed by bandits on Thursday, 5^th March, 2026 even after his parents had struggled to pay a 10 million naira ransom (https://thenewcitizen.ng/bandits-kill-abducted-nysc-member-after-n10-million-ransom-payment/).

‎‎"Another corper was released after paying 10 million naira ransom with 2 motorcycles in Zamfara. This happened in March 2026 (https://saharareporters.com/2026/03/16/terrorists-release-nysc-member-after-collecting-n10).

‎‎"In a December 2020 incident, kidnappers killed a corper and abducted others who were also corpers along Lokoja-Abuja highway (https://humanglemedia.com/kidnappers-abduct-corp-members-shot-one-to-death-along-abuja-lokoja-road/).

‎‎"These sad incidents should not be happening to our youths. It is already assaulting their psyche and militarising them.

‎‎"MURIC reminds FG of its major responsibility towards the citizenry. Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) says, 'The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.'

‎‎"FG must therefore add a human face to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme by taking every necessary step to make it a safe venture for our young ones. We must transform NYSC from a pact with death and captivity to a journey through life and hope.

‎‎"In an heart-rending development, an NYSC director made corpers sign that their parents would pay if they are kidnapped. Is this not alarming? When did NYSC become an agent of bandits?

‎‎"We demand the following:

‎1. full life insurance policy for every young Nigerian embarking on the NYSC scheme;

‎2.  mandatory military escorts for corpers traveling to high risk zones and

‎3. prohibition of the abdication of responsibility to parents of corpers.‎

‎‎‎‎#FederalGovernmentOfNigeria

#NYSC

#CorpersLivesMatter

 

‎Professor Ishaq Akintola,

‎Founder/Executive Director,

‎Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).

 

FRESH EXPLOSIONS IN BORNO WORRISOME; MURIC TASKS DEFENCE MINISTER

 

MUSLIM RIGHTS CONCERN (MURIC)

‎هيئة حقوق المسلمين

‎Motto: Dialogue, Not Violence

‎‎17^th March, 2026

‎‎PRESS RELEASE:

‎

‎FRESH EXPLOSIONS IN BORNO WORRISOME; MURIC TASKS DEFENCE MINISTER

‎Three different explosions rocked Maiduguri yesterday. The bombs caused 23 deaths and more than 100 injured. The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has described the attacks as worrisome.

‎In a statement issued on Tuesday, 18^th March, 2026 by the Executive Director of the human rights organization, MURIC called on the Minister of Defense, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), to make good his promise to protect Nigerians.

‎Full details of MURIC's statement:

‎"Three different explosions rocked Maiduguri yesterday killing 23 people and injuring more than 100 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/17/many-killed-wounded-after-blasts-hit-nigerias-maiduguri-witnesses-say).

‎"The coordinated explosions occurred almost simultaneously on Monday, 16^th March, 2026 in three different locations. One exploded at the entrance of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. The other two exploded at local markets: Post Office Market and Monday Market.

‎"This is quite worrisome. The toll is too high and the level of coordination highly challenging. But what is most baffling is the roller-coaster stance of the Nigerian security agencies in Borno State which at one time tends to give positive progress and regression at another.

“Nigerians are dying in large numbers. We care about all Nigerians in general but in particular, the Muslim Rights Concern is concerned that Muslims are the ones being killed in the North East and North West. The North is being decimated. Something must be done and quickly too.

‎"The timing of these sophisticated attacks appear to have been calculated to embarrass President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The demonic terrorists seem to be calling the attention of Nigerians, nay the global community, to the case of the president of more than 220 million Nigerians going on state visit to the United Kingdom when his people are being slaughtered in droves.

‎‎"MURIC charges the Minister of Defense, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, to make good his promise to protect Nigerians. Life has become very cheap under his watch. Nigerians are not safe.

‎‎"The death toll is rising. Whole communities are being carted away into kidnappers' dens in large numbers. Yet he promised to protect all Nigerians at his swearing in a few months ago 'no matter what it takes'. (https://www.tvcnews.tv/new-defence-minister-musa-vows-whatever-it-takes-to-secure-nigeria/).

‎‎"The clock is ticking. Nigerians deserve to live and work without fear. They deserve to sleep with two eyes closed. The Defense Minister must walk his talk. Our hearts bleed. Enough is enough".

‎‎‎#DefenseMinister

#NigerianLivesMatter

#MuslimLivesMatter

 

‎Professor Ishaq Akintola,

‎Founder/Executive Director,

‎Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).