6th September, 2025
PRESS RELEASE:
YOUR
PROGRAM STRANGULATES FRIDAY PRAYER: MURIC TELLS OLUBADAN CORONATION COMMITTEE
The coronation planning committee for the installation of the new
Olubadan of Ibadan has released the programme for the week-long celebration. But
an Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has criticized
the programme for failing to make enough provision for the Friday Muslim
prayer.
The group alleged that the coronation planning committee has kowtowed to
the whims of the state governor who is in the habit of compelling Muslim
communities to make their programmes clash with the Muslim Friday prayers but has
never allowed one to take place on Sunday mornings when it would clash with
Christian worship in the churches.
According to the group:
“The programme for the week-long celebration of the coronation of the
Olubadan-elect, ex-Governor of Oyo State, Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja has been
released by the planning committee.
“According to the week-long programme, it kicks off on Monday, 22nd
September, 2025 with a special inter-religious prayer session followed by a coronation
cultural fiesta, a coronation lecture, a special birthday Islamic prayer session
plus a Christian mega praise and worship on Tuesday 23rd, Wednesday
24th and Thursday 25th respectively.
“However, the
coronation per se is scheduled for Friday, 26th September, 2025 by 9
am. We strongly object to the coronation fixed on the Muslim day of worship
particularly because no special mention or provision was made in the programme
for any Jumuah prayer.
“Neither is any mention made of any programme to be held in any mosque
on that day whereas a ‘Thanksgiving Service’ to be held in the Catholic Cathedral,
Oke Padre, by 9 am on Sunday, 28th is conspicuously and boldly
printed on the programme. This is an attempt to Christianise the coronation
ceremony.
“Besides, the programme also indicated that another non-Islamic
programme tagged ‘reception’ is scheduled for 1 pm on the same Friday. Who does
not know that Muslims are expected to be in the mosque by 1 pm on Fridays? Yet
this programme outrightly knocks out any contemplation of a Friday prayer on
that holy day. This is a punch below the belt.
“Although the
programmes billed for the first four days of the coronation ceremony are in
order, we find the total alienation of the Friday Jumu’ah prayer from the
Friday programmes repulsive, provocative, insensitive and therefore
unacceptable. This programme strangulates the Muslim Friday prayer.
“Consequently,
we call on the planning committee to respect the sensitivity of Oyo State
Muslims in particular and the Nigerian Muslim community in general, by reviewing
the programme for that day.
“It should be noted that guests from far and near are being expected
at this monumental occasion, including Muslim leaders. They should not go away
with the impression that Friday prayer is not recognized by the Oyo State
government.
“Yet it will not be an isolated incident. Although Agodi has allegedly
denied the involvement of government in the planning of the programmes, the state
governor’s past record of fixing official programmes on Fridays and arriving
late to the event is known to be legendary.
“At the road commissioning event in
Iseyin on 15th
September, 2023, Governor
Seyi Makinde arrived late. It was a
Friday and Muslim guests were uncomfortable. That was the day former President
Olusegun Obasanjo unleashed his ‘Edide, E joko’ i.e. ‘All stand! Sit down!’ classroom
theater recapitulation on Iseyin kings.
“Muslims who attended
the coronation ceremony of the late 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.
“It is on record that MURIC complained about this incident in
a statement dated 15th July, 2024 captioned ‘MURIC To Makinde:
Stop Friday Programs’ in which we advised the governor to stop scheduling
programmes for Friday prayer periods (https://peacemagazine.com.ng/stop-scheduling-events-on-friday-muric-to-makinde/).
“Seyi Makinde has come after Friday again. This coming coronation
programme will be the third example. It is said that once is happenstance,
twice is a coincidence, the third time is enemy action. No amount of denial of
involvement can extenuate the Oyo State government’s complicity in the
attempted Christianisation of this programme.
“How are we sure that the coronation planning committee has not kowtowed
to the whims of the state governor who is in the habit of compelling Muslim
communities to make their programmes clash with the Muslim Friday prayers but has
never allowed one to take place on Sunday mornings when it would clash with
Christian worship in the churches?
“Our
suggestion is that the programme should be reviewed. As the planning committee
gave the Christian community of Ibadan special recognition with a ‘Thanksgiving
Service’ to be held on Sunday, the same committee should recognize the Muslim
community by holding its first ‘Thanksgiving Jumuah Service’ by 1 pm on Friday,
26th September, 2025.
“The coronation reception may be shifted from 1 pm to 3pm. However, in
view of the fact that Saturday is free of any coronation programme, we advise that
the whole coronation per se which was earlier billed for Friday morning
should be held on Saturday, 27th September, 2025.
“Saturday is the best day for the coronation ceremony per se as
it would relieve the planners of any form of pressure while seeking to avoid a
clash between the coronation and the ‘Thanksgiving Jumuah Service’. The
reception can follow immediately.”
#OlubadanCoronation
#ReviewCoronationProgramme
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Founder/Executive Director,
Muslim
Rights Concern (MURIC)
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