Says we’re not surprised
Prof. Ishaq Akintola is the leader of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC). In this interview with MAYOWA SAMUEL, he bares his mind on the suit filed against the government over Nigeria’s membership of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, saying that it was hate inspired. He adds that the organization is not a religious group but purely economic and a Christian Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon (retd), led Nigeria into it.
A human rights advocate and lawyer, Malcolm Omirhobo has sued the Federal Government, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, seeking a declaration that Nigeria’s membership of the OIC is illegal and unconstitutional. His argument is that Nigeria is a multi-religious country and should not be seen as supporting, funding or being a member of a particular religious body. What’s your take on this?
Omirhobo got it wrong. It wasn’t this administration that took Nigeria into OIC. In Nigeria, fake news travels fast and it is what is destroying the country today, lies upon lies, incitements, provocations and they get away with it. Their thought is that Muslims took Nigeria to OIC but no Muslim president did. Not Babangida, not Abacha, it was General Yakubu Gowon who is a Christian that took Nigeria to OIC. People who do not know history cause confusion and it is unfortunate that Nigeria has now stopped the teaching of history in secondary schools. We must know history because today was born from the wombs of yesterday. During the Nigeria-Biafra war which started in 1967, some other countries like France were supporting Biafra and Nigeria was looking for allies within and outside Africa. General Gowon then approached the Arabs, particularly the OIC for support to defeat Ojukwu and not for religious purposes. Nigeria was then invited to send representatives; that was how Nigeria joined in the days of Gowon. Nigeria became a member of OIC for military benefits. For your information, OIC is not a religious organization, it’s an economic platform. Britain, America, France, Gabon and many countries in Africa are all members. Those who are not members have positions also and they are always present at their meetings, they don’t discuss anything religion. Each country there enjoys benefits. Countries with Christian majority status and population are all there as full members. Egyptian pilots flew Nigerian planes during the Biafra war and the Biafrans can testify to this.
The Nigerian Army knows the roles played by Egypt and Morocco during the war but you want to blame the Muslims for committing no offence. If Omirhobo has taken Nigerian government to court, because it is an Islamic organization, then Omirhobo may have forgotten that there are Muslims in Nigeria and the population of Muslims today is higher than that of any other religion so what does he want to prove? Where do you want to push the Muslims of Nigeria? Do you know that the same Omirhobo took the FG and Central Bank to court asking that Arabic should be removed from the Naira some months ago? He also took the Nigerian Army to court asking that the Arabic on the Nigerian army logo should be removed. He has this record of hatred for Muslims, he enjoys anything that has to do with anti-muslim, we are not surprised. The conditions he has made in court may not contain hate speech but this litigation is hate inspired and nobody can run away from that fact.
The Christian Association of Nigeria has also rallied support for the lawyer, praying that he wins the case.
In Nigeria, we practise gymnastic religiosity. Nigerians have been conditioned to hate anything Muslim and anything Islamic. Nobody is going to benefit because it is a wind that blows nobody any good. The elite and the press are unsparing of the anti-Muslim campaign and are the ones articulating this and it’s very unfortunate but some day, the truth will be laid bare. I as a person and MURIC as a group want Nigeria to remain in OIC, let’s continue to confess that. You don’t want Nigeria in OIC, we Muslims want Nigeria in OIC and we see it as a litigation of hate. Since Nigeria has been in OIC, in what way has it hurt Omirhobo or CAN and how much has it taken from the purse of Omirhobo as a person and CAN as a religious organisation? Is OIC taking any money from Omirhobo or CAN? Is Nigeria a member of UN?
“The elite and the press are unsparing of the anti-Muslim campaign and are the ones articulating this and it’s very unfortunate but some day, the truth will be laid bare. I as a person and MURIC as a group want Nigeria to remain in OIC, let’s continue to confess that.”
Yes, but the UN is not a Christian body but a secular organization.
The UN is not a secular organization. Ask the UN, they will tell you that they are under the powers of America. America dictates and controls the UN. An American president always campaigns for Christianity. Their crusades of the 13th,14th and 15th centuries up to the 19th centuries are on and we are aware of that. Who attacked Arab countries? Who invaded Afghanistan? After more than 20 years now, they are packing, without establishing peace in Afghanistan. Who invaded Libya in 1986? Who killed Ghaddafi some years ago? Is there peace in Libya today? Who attacked Iraq without any information from the UN? Who gave us lies about Weapons of Mass Destruction? After killing more than 500,000 children and pregnant women, Britain and America have not apologized up till today but they’ve confessed that it was a lie that there was WMD in Iraq.
” Instead of CAN opposing the OIC, let CAN source out any Christian organization bearing a Christian name that can improve the welfare of Nigerians. Let the FG join such an international organization, I will support the FG to join, even if it is bearing a Christian name. What’s in a name?
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Will you be in support of Nigeria being a member of an international Christian body, paying dues to the group and sponsoring people to attend their meeting with tax payers’ money?
Let us look for wherever we can get better welfare and benefit for Nigerians. Instead of CAN opposing the OIC, let CAN source out any Christian organization bearing a Christian name that can improve the welfare of Nigerians. Let the FG join such an international organization, I will support the FG to join, even if it is bearing a Christian name. What’s in a name? Let’s not be throwing away the baby with the bath water, let us love one another. This hatred of anything Islamic will not take us anywhere. If OIC is of economic benefit, then let’s leave it alone, lets continue to be a member. Let CAN show us a Christian organization that they want FG to join and let us see if Muslims will object. The UN is an international organization controlled by world powers. Nigeria is not a world power, we continue to serve these world powers, yet they do not respect the rules, laws, regulations, charters of the UN. America will not take permission from the UN before attacking anywhere, they don’t respect this organization. Instead of going to the IMF that will strangulate us with conditions we can benefit from OIC, from SKUK bond that has been used to build roads for us.
But there are fears that the country’s membership of this organization is for the benefit of only the adherents of a particular religion.
Some states in the South Eastern part of Nigeria have benefitted from SUKUK, their roads were built with SUKUK money, even though they objected to SUKUK bond, at that time, we explained to them that there is no harm in this, it is for the benefit of all. So, let us forge better understanding and discuss more on issues that will join us together more that we all can benefit. Let us drop malice, pettiness and hatred because it won’t get us anywhere.
