30th July, 2024
PRESS RELEASE:
HUNGER PROTEST: INVITATION TO MOTHER OF ALL HUNGERS - MURIC
As Nigeria braces up for the looming hunger
protest, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has warned the organisers of the
protest that what they call hunger protest is an invitation to the Mother of
All Hungers. The group implored the organisers to toe the path of patience and
dialogue.
MURIC's position was made known in a statement
signed on Tuesday, 30th July, 2024 by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq
Akintola.
He said:
"Nigerian youths backed by major opposition
figures are poised to begin what they describe as hunger protest in the next 48
hours. The whole country is agitated and the fear of the unknown hangs above
our heads like the sword of Damocles. Nigeria holds its breath and
trembles.
"Although
we have spoken out before on the need to tread softly, we find it necessary to
reiterate our position as the hour draws nearer. In particular, it has become
mandatory to draw our warning from the 'hunger' label given to the proposed
protest. We warn clearly, categorically and emphatically that what the
organisers call hunger protest is an invitation to the Mother of All Hungers.
"Instead of unleashing anger on the
government and its paraphernalia, the organisers should engage the government
in dialogue bearing in mind the consequences of violent protests around the
world.
"Two
other things that should be considered are the fact that inflation is global
and hunger is common around the world. Nigeria is affected because we are not
an island. The second consideration is the antiquity of hardship in Nigeria.
Poverty and hard times have always been major concern of Nigerians from time
immemorial. It is therefore too hasty and unfair to hang it all on a regime
that is barely one year old.
"We call attention to the crises in countries
like Libya and Sudan where ordinary protests snowballed into civil war. They
are yet to settle down. The ten days from August 1st to 10th
which the organisers of the hunger protest have called for may take Nigeria to
ten years of hunger if calls for restraint are ignored. Nigeria may be on the
threshold of Mother of All Hungers.
"This
is why we appeal to the organisers to simmer down and give dialogue a chance.
The worst families are those who bottle up all their grievances until
everything explodes. It is always better to jaw-jaw than to war-war.
"The Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, 'The
beginning of anger is madness but its end is regret' (Awwalul gadab junuunun
wa aakhiruhu nadamun). Kenyans are already regretting the massive
destruction that followed their demonstration against President Ruto as
thousands of businesses have been ruined and millions become jobless.
“Regrettably,
our education system has concentrated on attractive courses that can fetch
graduates quick money and societal status. Our bankers and accountants are
countless while our lawyers are numerous. But our farmlands are desolate as our
youths are in urban centers. Years of insecurity have chased farmers away from
the farms. Nigeria is presently at the edge of the precipice of hunger. Just
one push and we will tilt to the abyss of Mother of All Hungers.
"MURIC charges Nigerians to avoid such a catastrophe.
The Nigerian government has signalled its readiness to listen. Anarchy hardly
results in understanding and brotherhood. But while wars end at conference
tables at the end of the day, destroyed infrastructure takes decades to rebuild.
48 hours to D-Day is not too late. Let us strike while the iron is still hot. We
can bend a sappling, no one can bend a full-grown tree."
#HungerProtest
#AvoidMotherOfAllHungers
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Founder/Executive Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).
