EASTER MESSAGE: LETS USE RELIGION TO FIGHT EVIL

13^th April, 2017

EASTER MESSAGE:

LETS USE RELIGION TO FIGHT EVIL

Nigerian Christians will join their counterparts across the globe to observe Good Friday tomorrow 14^th April, 2017 as part of the Easter celebrations. The Easter activities will be rounded up on Monday 17^th April, 2017 when they will mark Easter Monday.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) sends fraternal greetings to all Nigerian Christians on this august occasion. We love our Christian neighbours and we wish to coexist peacefully with them. Religion is love, not hatred. Religion is unity and togetherness, not division and rancor. Originally from the Greek word ‘religio’ meaning ‘to link’, or ‘to bind’ religion is expected to bring people together in peace and harmony.

 We call on the Nigerian body of Christ to consolidate the nation’s gains under the present administration by heightening its patriotism and its readiness to sacrifice.

We charge Nigerian churches to promote internal justice, equity and fairplay in all its dealings. We appeal to Christian leaders and clerics to guide the nation’s leaders both at state and national levels with scriptural wisdom, to redirect the focus of the youth from materialism to piety and to pay special attention to core family values which are now lacking in society.

In view of the fact that corruption has been identified as the major cancerous tumor afflicting the nation’s anatomy, MURIC urges Christian leaders to give full support to current efforts of the Federal Government aimed at energizing those vital cells in the Nigerian anatomy already affected by the cancer of corruption.

We remind our Christian neighbours that the impact of corruption in the areas of ignorance, disease, bad roads, poverty, poor power supply, technological backwardness, etc know no religion. It affects all of us whether we are Christians, Muslims or traditionalists. We are all victims. We must all stand together in a single file to fight this social cankerworm. No retreat, no surrender. We must speak with one voice and reject those who arrogate our commonwealth to themselves alone without caring whose faith is gored.

Both the church and the mosque have big roles to play in the fight against corruption because corruption begins from the home. It is also an open secret that the corrupt elements in our society are either Muslims or Christians. These anti-social elements also come to the church and the mosque. We therefore charge both the minbar and the altar to demonstrate the political will to stamp out corruption in every home. We must address their consciences. We must stop idolizing dubious characters. We must publicly appreciate hardworking and honest Nigerians and stop deriding them for their low financial status.  

Let us also come together in love and harmony to bring peace to our great nation once again. Christians and Muslims worshipping only one God must desist from seeing themselves as enemies. We are from one and the same God and unto him we shall return. Killing and maiming in the name of that same God is a huge dis-service to Him as our Creator. Let us use religion to fight evil, not ourselves. We all do not have to belong to the same religion as it is by chance that we were born in the South, East or Northern part of Nigeria. We could have been scattered in Siberia, Holland or Trinidad and Tobago.

Finally, we call on Christian clerics and prayer warriors to persistently pray for the survival of Nigeria, for peace and stability. We look forward to the day when our religious leaders will extend dinner invitations to each other and dine together while radio and television stations air the joyous event live. We have no doubt that such an incident will go a long way to promote love, forgiveness and peaceful co-existence. But who will bell the cat?

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

ABUJA-KADUNA ROUTE SECURITY ARRANGEMENT IS FOR THE RICH AND POWERFUL

11^th April, 2017

PRESS RELEASE:

ABUJA-KADUNA ROUTE SECURITY ARRANGEMENT

IS FOR THE RICH AND POWERFUL

The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, on Friday appraised the ongoing face-lifting exercise at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and confirmed that 80% of the refurbishing has been done.

Meanwhile security agents virtually line up the road between Kaduna Airport and Kaduna town as police vans are stationed almost at every kilometer thus making the road absolutely impregnable. Added to this is the unassailable rail and road transportation network put in place to move travelers from Kaduna to Abuja. Battle-ready and fierce looking security agents and their vehicles can be seen every ten kilometers of the road while surveillance helicopters hover in the air.

To date, there has not been a single incident of robbery or kidnapping along Kaduna-Abuja road since the commencement of this security arrangement. It will be recalled that this same route was notorious for its lack of safety. It was a den of robbers and kidnappers.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) commends the Federal Government (FG) for the water-tight security network which is now in place in that axis. It is simply fantastic and sophisticated. Yet we are constrained to describe it as cosmetic, bourgeois and a window-dressing rehearsal at best.

We must ask FG some pertinent questions. Why did it take FG so long to wake up to its responsibility? Is this security arrangement real or cosmetic? Is it for every rich or poor citizen or for the capitalist compradour bourgeoisie? Does any poor Nigerian travel by air within the country? Are we going to see more of this even in other parts of the country or is it a case of ‘the more you look the less you see’?

MURIC commends the Inspector General of Police and the heads of other security agencies for the civilized manner their men treated travelers along the Kaduna-Abuja road during this period. No vehicle was stopped on the highway. No motorist was asked to show his or her particulars. Every traveler was given red carpet treatment.

This has prompted us to ask: are these security agents who line up the Kaduna-Abuja route Nigerians or are they seconded to the country from one of the advanced democracies of Europe and the Americas? Or are they aliens from other planets?

The Nigerian system is fraudulent, exclusive and deceptive. Why did we allow robberies and kidnappings on our roads when our security agents are capable of making this type of arrangement? The basic responsibility of government is to ensure the safety of lives and properties but the reverse is the case in Nigeria. We are stupefied that this massive security network can be put together in a matter of days.

We know it is all in the interest of the rich and powerful. It is in the interest of the ministers, senators and lawmakers who cannot land their jets in Abuja while the repair work is still on. We are not deceived. How many poor Nigerians travel by air?

A state governor was recently reported to have more than 200 policemen around him alone. Some senators parade more than ten or fifteen policemen. That is why the poor man has no policeman to protect him. The IG should tell us how many senators have been kidnapped. How many lawmakers have been subjected to trauma by hoodlums?

The answer is ‘none’ simply because some powerful but selfish people have arrogated to themselves the limited number of policemen that are available. They have perfected the theory of the hegemony of the Nigerian political class by compartmentalizing Nigerians into ‘those who should be protected’ and ‘those who should not be protected’. Who allowed such frivolous luxury at the expense of the rest of us? Why should so many policemen surround a tiny cabal? Is it because they are powerful politicians? But should the rest of us continue to live in fear, abandoned to our fate?

Nigeria had 310,177 policemen with about 33,000 in the Department of State Security before Buhari came on board. Mr. President found this inadequate and an additional 10,000 policemen were recruited. This is commendable but it still falls short of the United Nation’s recommendation of a minimum of one policeman to every 448 citizens (police/citizen ratio 1.448).

With our current population of 193 million citizens as at January 2017, Nigeria has fallen below the 2007 rating of police/country population ratio of 1.538. Buhari’s target must be this global best practice of ratio 1.448. Nigeria needs to add at least another 100,000 policemen before the end of 2018 if we are going to take security very seriously. Buhari must ensure that this becomes a fait accompli.

MURIC charges President Muhammadu Buhari to allow the change mantra to manifest in the area of security. Nigeria’s security is presently for the rich and powerful. The poor are helpless. They are not safe. They are denied protection. They are denied justice. They are attacked by robbers in their homes and kidnapped when they dare to go outside. They are harassed by security agents on the roads. Buhari must put a stop to this.

Finally, we demand a replica (or something akin to it) of the Kaduna-Abuja route security scenario everywhere in Nigeria. Mr. President must direct the IG to withdraw excess policemen from governors, senators, lawmakers and the rest of our oppressors who have turned the poor into ordinary human shields. We the poor people of this great country wish to feel the impact of Buhari’s change in the area of security. We are not safe until this happens. Who feels it knows it.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

PLANNED DEMOLITION OF MOSQUES: FAYOSE IS PLAYING WITH FIRE

7^th April, 2017

PRESS RELEASE:

PLANNED DEMOLITION OF MOSQUES:

FAYOSE IS PLAYING WITH FIRE

Four mosques were last week marked for demolition by the Ayodele Fayose administration in Ekiti State. The state government claimed that worshippers could contact cancer from the radioactive emission from the petrol stations where the mosques are located.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) condemns the attempt to demolish the mosques. It is an act of aggression against the peace-loving and law-abiding Muslims of the state. It is primitive, provocative and sadistic. It is an undisguised invitation to anarchy.

The state government’s excuse of exposure to cancer is lame, infantile, laughable and untenable. What of hundreds of petrol attendants who have been serving in petrol stations in Ekiti State since its inception on 1^st October 1996? How many of them have had cases of cancer? How many petrol attendants in the whole of Nigeria have been exposed to radioactive emissions? Can the claim be certified by the World Health Organisation? Fayose’s public health adviser must be from hell!      

But the wind has blown and we have seen the ruff of the hen. Fayose’s radioactive emission is a mere cloak for political vendetta. It has since been revealed that all the four petrol stations involved belong to Alhaji Suleman Akinbami, a chieftain of the opposition party.

Fayose has probably forgotten that the end users of those mosques are the Muslims of Ekiti State and the petrol dealer cum philanthropist hardly uses them. It is impossible, at least, for him to physically worship in all the four mosques simultaneously. This is where Fayose misfired. He is invariably targeting Muslims in Ekiti State by attempting to demolish those mosques but he has forgotten that anyone who attacks a mosque anywhere in Nigeria has courted the wrath of Nigerian Muslims. Ekiti State governor is waging war against Islam. Fayose has murdered sleep and he shall sleep no more.

Yet we cannot trust Fayose when it comes to matters affecting Muslims. He may be killing two birds with one stone. To put it more succinctly, by demolishing the four mosques, Fayose hopes to punish a political opponent and also castigate Ekiti Muslims whom he hates so much at the same time.

His antecedents bear vehement testimonies to his pathological hatred for Muslims and their religion. It will be recalled that Fayose formed an all-Christian government after assumption of office in 2015. His deputy governor, secretary to the state government, all 14 commissioners, all 26 permanent secretaries are Christians. 

Using the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC), Fayose in December 2015 banned Muslim women in hijab from partaking in the local government elections thereby effectively disenfranchising a large section of Muslims.

Known for constantly running diarrhea of the mouth, Fayose accused President Muhammadu Buhari of Islamising Nigeria just because the latter visited Saudi Arabia in February 2016. But he did not see any Christianisation agendum when his principal, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was shuttling between Abuja and Tel Aviv every fortnight. His open bigotry and untethered hatred for Muslims makes him the governor with the worst record of Christian-Muslim relations in the whole wide world.

Drunk with absolute power which corrupts absolutely, Fayose has rebuffed the request of leaders of the Ekiti Muslim community to meet him over the mosques marked for demolition. Consequently, the Muslim leaders have suspended today’s Jum’ah prayer in all the four mosques affected. Thus Fayose will be remembered as the Christian dictator and fanatical chief executive who stopped Muslims of Ekiti State from worshipping their Creator.

MURIC charges Muslims in the state to repose their confidence in Allah who is their Supreme Creator and the Creator of Fayose and other tyrants of the world. It is decreed that Fayose will go one day but Almighty Allah will be there forever. Fayose’s power will melt away one day like ice cream in the burning desert sun. “All that is on earth will perish. Only the face of your Lord will abide forever…” (Glorious Qur’an 55:26 – 27).

Fayose’s power is ephemeral. He will soon become an ‘ex-this and ex-that’. We urge the Imams in Ekiti to magnanimously visit Fayose in Kirikiri  after his tenure as governor when he eventually starts to account for his abuse of power while in office. We urge Ekiti Muslims to resist Fayose’s illegal attempt to destroy those mosques. They must go to court, get a restraining order and continue to pray there.

Where are those who claim that Christians are persecuted in the North? The tragedy of the Nigerian nation lies in the hypocrisy of the elite class and the collusion of the media in the South-West axis. The whole world can see how a Christian governor is persecuting Muslims but Nigeria’s social critics have maintained an unusual silence. Where are the Soyinkas and the Falanas? These people see nothing wrong so long as it is Christians who are perpetrating evil. Oh God, what have we done? Fayose, Fayose, Fayose, how many times did we call you? Why persecuteth thou Muslims?   

Muslims may be left with no option than to make Ekiti ungovernable for Fayose if he goes ahead to demolish those mosques. Freedom of worship is enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution and civil disobedience is the inalienable right of a persecuted people. Those who make it impossible for us to worship freely are guilty of a crime. Every patriotic citizen has the obligation to disobey illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional orders. We will resist this oppression if the system will do nothing about it.

In conclusion, we call on well-meaning citizens of Ekiti State to call this ravaging governor to order. He cannot trample on Allah-Given fundamental rights of Muslims and expect them to put their tails between their legs like frightened dogs. Already, Muslims in the state embarked on a peaceful demonstration two days ago. We haven’t seen anything yet. We should do everything possible to prevent this crisis from snowballing into a national mayhem. Those who know Fayose’s first name should call him to order now.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

MURIC CONDEMNS MASQUERADE ATTACK ON PRIEST

4^th April, 2017

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC CONDEMNS MASQUERADE ATTACK ON PRIEST

A Catholic seminarian, Lawrence Ezeugwu, was attacked by masquerades in Nsukka on Wednesday, 29^th March, 2017. The Catholic priest was beaten to coma by a group of masquerades popularly called Oriokpa who blocked the road at Ugwuoyia, Nsukka.      

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) condemns this wanton exhibition of religious extremism by traditionalists. It is crude, barbaric and symptomatic of thuggery and hooliganism.

We call the attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FG) to the excesses of traditionalists particularly in Southern Nigeria. Even in the South West, the Oro cult worshippers behave as if they are above the law. Traditionalists impose illegal curfew without being challenged by the authorities.

A good example is the curfew imposed by Oro cultists in Ikorodu, Lagos State, during the last Ramadan season which nearly caused a violent clash between Muslims and traditionalists. It is well known that Muslims shuttle between the mosques and their homes day and night during Ramadan. The imposition of a curfew during such a period was not only illegal but also provocative.

Although the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Section 38 (i) & (ii) guarantees freedom of religion thereby empowering traditionalists to freely practice their faith, it does not allow one group to laud it over another. The right of traditionalists to religious freedom stops where it begins to encroach on others’ rights and vice versa.

For genuine and enduring peace, Nigerians must learn to respect one anothers’ rights. This country has witnessed too many human and material losses as a result of religious crisis and the only way to guard against recurrence is for the authorities to strictly apply sanctions against those who violate the sanctity of religious freedom.

MURIC therefore appeals to the Inspector General of Police (IG) to ensure that the masquerades who attacked the Catholic priest are duly punished. State and local governments must also ban illegal proclamation of curfews by cultists.

Anything short of these will be an invitation to chaos as citizens who are conscious of their right to freedom of movement as stipulated in Section 41 (i) of the 1999 Constitution may be tempted to challenge any illegal imposition of curfew and defend themselves.

Finally, we remind the security agencies that they have a big role to play in this issue because it is becoming glaring that cultists are getting more daring due to the nonchalant attitude of security agents. The police and other security agents need to be more proactive. They should stop any illegally imposed curfew in the interest of law and order instead of folding their hands watching how different religious groups slog it out.

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)