MURIC to Peter Obi: Sallah With Sultan Won’t Set Nigerian Muslims Free
Muslim rights group welcomes Peter Obi’s pledge to spend Sallah with the Sultan of Sokoto but says Nigerian Muslims want changes in governance, religious freedom and equal opportunities, not ceremonies.
By Abdullahi Yusuf
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has told presidential candidate Peter Obi that spending Sallah with the Sultan of Sokoto would not be enough to secure its support, urging him instead to address what it describes as longstanding demands of Nigerian Muslims.
MURIC said Obi’s pledge to spend the Sallah holiday with the Sultan if elected president reflected goodwill, but dismissed it as “window dressing” unless accompanied by a commitment to involve Muslims more fully in governance.
Obi made the pledge during a television interview this week, saying he would spend Sallah in Sokoto with the Sultan or in Kano if elected president in 2027, according to TheCable.
In a statement circulated on Saturday and signed by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC said the gesture was “poles apart” from what it considers meaningful involvement of Muslims in governance.
“We covet the latter and reject the former. It is sheer window dressing,” the group said.
MURIC argued that Nigerian Muslims were no longer satisfied with what it described as symbolic political gestures such as Sallah visits, Hajj slots and other forms of religious patronage.
“For gone are those days when eyes were still located at the knees,” the group said, arguing that Muslims had become more conscious of their social, economic and political position in the country.
It then listed a series of issues it wants any future government to address, including the recognition of Islamic religious observances, Friday worship arrangements, educational policy, the legal system and opportunities for Muslim women in the military.
On public holidays, MURIC questioned why January 1 is recognised as a national holiday while the first day of Muharram, the beginning of the Islamic calendar year, is not.
The group also criticised what it described as an imbalance in the treatment of Muslim worshippers on Fridays, saying that Muslims face difficulties attending Friday prayers while meeting normal work obligations.
On the legal system, MURIC called for what it described as a tripartite structure incorporating common law, Sharia and customary courts, arguing that the exclusion of Sharia courts in southern Nigeria amounts to a lack of inclusivity.
The group also raised the issue of military uniforms and hijab, arguing that Muslim women should not be denied military careers because uniform regulations do not accommodate the Islamic head covering.
MURIC said these were matters of civil liberties that successive governments had failed to adequately address.
“Real restructuring must be comprehensive,” it said. “It must not leave any particular group in perpetual slavery.”
The group also rejected government-sponsored pilgrimage as a priority, arguing that Muslims are capable of organising their own Hajj and that governments should limit their involvement to protocol matters.
According to MURIC, political leaders have abused pilgrimage sponsorship by using it to sponsor political thugs, girlfriends and other individuals who, it said, do not necessarily represent the interests of ordinary Muslims.
“Enough is enough. The Muslims can organize their pilgrimage,” the group said.
MURIC nevertheless acknowledged Obi’s attempt to position himself as a candidate willing to engage with Muslims as the 2027 election approaches.
The organisation said it appreciated his effort “not to be seen as an exclusive Christian candidate”, but challenged him to explain what his presidency would mean for Nigerian Muslims beyond symbolic appearances.
“But what is his plan for Nigerian Muslims: to continue to enslave us or to set us free?” MURIC asked.
The group said it would be prepared to support Obi if he committed himself to addressing the issues it had raised.
“The ball is in Peter Obi’s court,” it said.
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