Friday, December 29, 2017

TIME TO GIVE NIGERIA A NEW LEASE OF LIFE



30th December, 2017
NEW YEAR MESSAGE:
TIME TO GIVE NIGERIA A NEW LEASE OF LIFE


As time draws the curtain over year 2017, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) laments a tumultuous, seemingly endless twelve-month period and envisions a peaceful and brighter future for Nigeria. 
 
 
The past year encapsulated all the negative propensities anyone has ever imagined about our dear country and its people. We proved extremely difficult to rule for a honest leader but easy to manipulate for a thief. We want good roads but we celebrate those who stole the money meant for roads. We know the value of flyovers in reducing traffic gridlocks but we idolize those who misappropriate money voted for flyovers.
 
 
We appreciate state-of-the-art public health care system but we award chieftaincy titles to those who pocket money intended for modern hospital equipments. We worship 419ners and despise hardworking compatriots. Nearly everybody collects bribe and almost everyone expects to be bribed before doing the needful. We shamelessly crown international thieves as kings. 
 
 
A past leader told us that stealing is not corruption. He went ahead to demonstrate this by giving state pardon to a man already convicted for corruption and also followed it up with a National Merit Award. Yet we are not ashamed to hobnob with this man. A few among us even want him to come back as president. Where is our honour? Where lies our conscience? In the city of the blind, the one-eyed man is the king. But in Nigeria’s city of the blind, the king must not only be blind in both eyes, he must be deaf in both ears and lame in both legs.
 
 
Mass laziness led to the importation of everything we use while failure to distinguish between religion and stupidity led us to spend more time on our knees and on our mats than we spend at work. Our acrobatic religiousity merely succeeded in producing paradoxical criminality thereby removing the thin line that lies between armed robbers and men of God in all religions. Many see legislators as legislooters. 
 
 
How can we successfully fight corruption when our able-bodied men threaten to bomb the country’s infrastructure each time the government makes an attempt to deal with looters from their ethnic group? Ironically, these men also suffer as victims of corruption as much as we do. How can we punish looters to serve as deterrent when our judges provide cover for them? Yet we still have the temerity to ask: who did this to Nigeria?
 
 
We must look inwards. We are the architects of our fate. The Glorious Qur’an says, “Evil has appeared in both land and sea as a result of the handiworks of mankind, so that they may taste from their evil ways” (30:41). 
 
 
We can see from the above that Nigeria is confronted with two major problems, namely, that of poor citizens’ mindset and corruption, particularly among the leadership. Ayn al-mafarru? What is the solution? Regarding the peoples’ mindset, the Glorious Qur’an says, “Verily Allah will not change the condition of a people until they decide to change their own ways” (13:11) 
 
 
Therefore the solution lies in changing our mindset. No single person or leader can change the country alone. Let us believe in this country and in its oneness. If we want a prosperous future for our children and generations yet unborn, we must think and act positively. We must stop certain habits: taking or giving bribe, wasting money on social ceremonies like funerals and weddings, spraying cash at events, throwing garbage on the roads, urinating by roadsides and on walls, defecating in public, writing on the naira and squeezing it, abusing and insulting one another, delivering or sending hate messages. Nigeria will change if we change ourselves.

 
However, corruption is a different cup of tea. We may have to resort to extraordinary measures to deal with looters. Since our lawyers will always find technicalities to extenuate the offence of notorious looters and licenced kleptomaniacs, since some judges will always grant them ridiculous injunctions, the only alternative is to seek an uncommon solution.

As a way out and as an uncommon solution to the endemic corruption plaguing our nation, MURIC hereby declares spiritual warfare on corrupt elements in our society. We invite all and sundry to support us in this new effort to rid our country of economic rodents and political parasites. It is another contribution to the efforts of the Federal Government in its war against corruption.

Looters are found in all religions. Corrupt people are selfish citizens who do not remember their church members, their fellow Muslims or co-traditionalists when stealing public funds. We contend that poverty knows no religion. Christians are hungry in Nigeria today. Muslims are suffering. Traditionalists are crying. We are all common victims of corruption. We are all in darkness at night. We all ply the bad roads. We all lack adequate public health care delivery system. The public schools attended by our children can best be described as glorified public shelters. We must all come together to expose and punish looters in order to stop the sufferings of millions of innocent Nigerians.

It is an open secret that corruption has been fighting back using demonic means. Nigerians of all faiths must unite to launch a relentless spiritual attack on it. Let the minbar, the pulpit and the shrine rain curses on those who robbed the Nigerian treasury silly. Let families make curses of looters a major prayer point in year 2018. Let individual Nigerians curse these kleptomaniacs three times every day: as they wake up on empty bellies in the morning; as they suffer on bad roads during the day and as they prepare for the night’s rest, sweating profusely in darkness.

The salvation of Nigerians lies in our hands. We must emancipate ourselves from socio-economic slavery. Our curses are the only weapons that can scare Nigerian capitalist comparador bourgeoisie. They are not afraid of anti-graft agencies but they are afraid of curses from the citizenry because they are Africans afterall. Let us therefore use this potent weapon to the fullest. They use militants to blackmail the government each time a move is made to apprehend them. They compromise the judiciary to frustrate the people’s will. But the church, the mosque and the shrine can save the hoi polloi from these wicked people.

Let us ask the Supreme Creator to plung them into perpetual darkness in this world and in the next just as they have thrown this country into darkness. Tell the Master of all masters to turn the billions of naira they stole from our common wealth into a source of misery for them and their offsprings unless they return our money. As they have used stolen money to buy false judgement in the courts, pray that the Judge of all judges pronounce untold affliction upon them.

As for lawmakers who have elected to pitch tent with looters by constituting themselves into clogs in the wheel of progress in the people’s war against corruption, we remind them of the Divine lawmaker and Supreme Creator. He is waiting for them to explain why final disciplinary action should not be taken against them for betraying the people’s trust. In the same vein, the Judge of all judges patiently awaits those Nigerian judges who have been colluding with looters one way or another, slowing down the judicial process and granting laughable injunctions. Verily your Lord lies in wait   (ان ربك لبالمرصاد: Qur’an 89:14)

In our concluding remarks, we leave open the window of repentance, confession and return of stolen loots. Any of these looters who confesses, repents and returns stolen funds and properties shall not be affected by the people’s curses and his offsprings shall be free of the afflictions. This is the way to give Nigeria a new lease of life, a life free of corruption.  

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


Monday, December 25, 2017

PAY NIGERIA’S IDB DUES NOW




26th December, 2017
PRESS RELEASE:
PAY NIGERIA’S IDB DUES NOW


Nigeria is about to lose both its seat on the Board of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and its membership of the bank due to failure to pay its dues. The bank has allegedly issued several warnings to this effect the Ministry of Finance has failed to comply.
 
 
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is deeply worried by this discovery. It is a sad reflection of the bureaucratic bottleneck often associated with some ministries and government agencies in this country. 
 
 
Who did this to Nigeria? Who is responsible for this lapse? Who left undone what should have been done? Is it the permanent secretary or the minister? Or is the delay from the presidency? Has the president issued orders for release of the fund? Is somebody refusing to take action? Who wants Nigeria to lose its membership of IDB with the dire consequences of losing all the benefits the country has been gaining? 
 
 
Although it was established since December 1973, the Nigerian office in Abuja was not opened until 22nd August, 2016. IDB has been of immense economic benefit to its 57-member countries. Its soft loans have been known to rubber-cushion the effect of harsh financial policies of other international finance institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
 
 
With membership cutting across all continents of the globe, Asia, Europe, Africa and South America, countries like Guyana, Albania, Uzbekistan, Sierra Leone, Togo, Mozambique, Gabon, Guinea have benefitted from IDB’s interest-free loans. The Islamic Development Bank has launched a programme to release $180 million in financing to six African countries for renewable energy projects as part of a broad strategy to deepen its involvement in the region.

Islamic finance is growing in Africa as governments seek to develop large-scale infrastructure projects. Nigeria cannot afford to be shut out of this great opportunity. The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) set aside about $2billion dollars (about N310 billion) in support of Nigeria’s developmental programmes which was to span three years (2012-2014). Nigeria also received $670million interest-free loan from the Islamic Development Bank in 2012.

Not only that, IDB has successfully financed a number of infrastructural development projects in Nigeria in recent times. These include the $65 million Ilesha Water Supply and Sanitation project in Osun State, the $43 million 300-bed hospital project in Kaduna State and the $7 million Zaria Water Supply Expansion Project.  Also, the National Programme for Food Security funded by IDB, which was designed to reduce rural poverty through enhancing farmers' access to extension advisory support for greater productivity, was successfully implemented in Anambra, Gombe and Yobe States.

Even right now, discussions are on-going with the bank to conclude, sign and implement several other programmes beneficial to Nigeria, including the $98 million Bilingual Education Project which will provide almajiri access to basic education and vocational skills in Osun, Nasarawa, Niger, Kwara and Kano States.  Other States in the scheme are Kaduna, Gombe, Borno and Adamawa.
In addition to approving loan facilities to Nigeria, IDB has made several grants and provided technical assistance to Nigeria. These include a $237,500 to the Central Bank of Nigeria for the development of regulatory framework for non-interest banking in the country and a $250,000 grant to the National Emergency Management Agency for the development of NEMA’s capacity in disaster management.

As recent as September 2017, Ebonyi State received $150 million from the same IDB to boost health facilities and enable the state governor to reconstruct over 198km roads, known as ring roads, which cut across eight local government areas of the state.

All the above projects may have to stop if Nigeria fails to pay its due on or before December 31, 2017. We also stand to lose our share capital of 7.66%. Who wants to kill the goose that lays the golden egg? This is our million dollar question. Are we serious as a people? Who did this to Nigeria? How can those entrusted with the people’s fate play dumb with their destiny? Is it religion again? Does money know religion? Is it ethnicity? Or is it power-play?
 
 
We need urgent answers to these questions. The Ministry of Finance must speak up. The tax payers are asking questions. Voters are asking questions. The hoi polloi are asking questions. Kemi Adeosun must tell Nigerians what went amiss. Nigeria must not be kicked out of IDB. It had better not happen.
 
 
We cannot afford to lose the source of soft loans. We need more of such sources even if they come from the Vatican or the Ka’abah. Any interest-free borrowing is a relief from the strangulating conditionalities of IMF whose only value lies in pulling nations down in the stormy waters of indebtedness and collective misery. 
 
 
As we round up, we demand full explanation for this lapse from the Minister of Finance. We implore the National Assembly to set the machinery in motion for investigating the circumstances which led to the delay in the payment of Nigeria’s due to IDB.  

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

MURIC CONDEMNS KILLINGS DURING CHRISTMAS CAROL


25th December, 2017
PRESS RELEASE:
MURIC CONDEMNS KILLINGS DURING CHRISTMAS CAROL

A lone shooter allegedly killed four people and injured eight others in an attack on Friday night around the Nindem village axis in Godogodo district, Jemaa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, according to military spokesman for Operation Safe Haven, Colonel I. K. Ekpeyong. The incident happened as the residents were holding a carol at the community square at about 9 pm.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) condemns this killing. It is gruesome, barbaric and ungodly.

Nothing in the divine scriptures teaches the shedding of human blood. In particular, people who are in devotion deserve special respect no matter the venue chosen for such religious exercise.

We charge the security agencies to rise to the occasion and bring the endless bloodbath in Kaduna State to an end.  

In the meantime MURIC seizes the opportunity of the yuletide to wish Nigerian Christians a Merry Christmas. It is our fervent wish that the relationship between us and our Christian neighbours continues to improve. We all need peace to go about our individual businesses. We therefore extend a hand of friendship to our neighbours.

In our concluding remarks, we urge all citizens to pray for Nigeria’s unity, political stability and economic buoyancy. We must also pray for enduring peace and work consciously towards achieving it.

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

Sunday, December 24, 2017

PRESS RELEASE: MURIC CONDEMNS KILLINGS DURING CHRISTMAS CAROL



25th December, 2017
PRESS RELEASE:
MURIC CONDEMNS KILLINGS DURING CHRISTMAS CAROL


A lone shooter allegedly killed four people and injured eight others in an attack on Friday night around the Nindem village axis in Godogodo district, Jemaa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, according to military spokesman for Operation Safe Haven, Colonel I. K. Ekpeyong. The incident happened as the residents were holding a carol at the community square at about 9 pm.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) condemns this killing. It is gruesome, barbaric and ungodly.

Nothing in the divine scriptures teaches the shedding of human blood. In particular, people who are in devotion deserve special respect no matter the venue chosen for such religious exercise.

We charge the security agencies to rise to the occasion and bring the endless bloodbath in Kaduna State to an end.  

In the meantime MURIC seizes the opportunity of the yuletide to wish Nigerian Christians a Merry Christmas. It is our fervent wish that the relationship between us and our Christian neighbours continues to improve. We all need peace to go about our individual businesses. We therefore extend a hand of friendship to our neighbours.

In our concluding remarks, we urge all citizens to pray for Nigeria’s unity, political stability and economic buoyancy. We must also pray for enduring peace and work consciously towards achieving it.

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