We can stop corruption in Nigeria if we come together – MURIC tells CAN

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), an Islamic human rights organization is seeking the support of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to fight against corruption and immorality in Nigeria.

The director of MURIC, Prof. Ishaq Akintola made this known in a statement released to newsmen on Tuesday.

READ ALSO: MURIC supports CAN’s decision on expelled Corps members

According to Akintola, “We invite CAN to join us in the fight against corruption and immorality. We can stop moral debauchery in Nigeria if we can all come together. Greed, avarice, massive accumulation of wealth and criminality will reduce drastically if Christian and Muslim leaders speak with one voice against all vices. This is better for Nigeria than being at logger-heads all the time.”

This call was made in cognizance with the position held by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on the expulsion of two female Christian youth corpers from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp in Ebonyi State, due to their refusal to wear short knickers and trousers.

The professor revealed that MURIC was in support of CAN’s stand in the issue and hence urged the director general to recall the two girls back to service as they were exercising their fundamental right.

According to Akintola, “Those two Christian girls have the right to satisfy their conscience regarding what to wear and what not to wear in public. There is freedom of religion in the Nigerian Constitution and NYSC is flagrantly violating Section 38 (i) and (ii) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. NYSC is behaving like the notorious Gestapo. It is time to liberalise.”

He went further to commend CAN leadership for speaking out in support of the two Christian girls who wish to dress decently.

We call CAN’s attention to the plight of Muslim female students who are facing persecution in South Western schools on account of hijab. It is a tale of two girls. The Muslim girl and the Christian girl from good homes. Both of them wish to dress decently. They feel assaulted if they are disallowed from doing so and they are both prepared to face the repercussion for challenging the status quo,” he urged

In addition, Akintola said, “This is why we find it curious that CAN has joined issues with Muslim parents who have gone to court to challenge tyrannical school authorities in Ibadan, Abeokuta, etc who lock out female Muslim students for using hijab. While the girls’ parents have gone to court to challenge the schools’ illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional decisions, CAN (which was not sued in the case) has approached the courts asking to be joined in the suits as interested parties on the schools’ side.

“We find it paradoxical that the same CAN has asked the Christian girls expelled in Ebonyi to sue NYSC. Now, how would CAN feel if an Islamic organization should also approach the same court stating reasons why the case should be thrown out? It is obvious that Muslims have nothing to do with the Ebonyi case in the first place, so why join issues over it? But why did CAN join schools sued by Muslim parents whose daughters are being persecuted? Is it for Jacob or for Esau?

We advise CAN to retrace its steps in the cases initiated by Muslims against some South West schools. Christian and Muslim organisations should seek ways of moving the nation forward while emphasis should be laid on areas of uniformity at all times. Nigeria needs peace more than anything else at this material time.” he noted