“There is nowhere in the world where power is given, but always taken. So, by prophetic understanding, I am so happy Lagos is taken, Kaduna and the entire North is here. Middle Belt is here. South-South is taken”
The above were the words of Apostle Bolaji Akinyemi in January 2020, in his capacity as the Convener of the 2020 edition of the Apostolic Round Table Conference, which had some Christian leaders in attendance!
As seen above, Akinyemi boastfully claimed to have subdued Lagos with his Christianisation agenda, and by extension the whole Nigeria. He could not fathom why and how Prof. Akintola, or anyone for that matter, could have the effontry to challenge his so-called prophetic declaration. In his write-up, he stooped so low to describe our revered Prof. Akintola and the daring MURIC with so many unprintable words!
Why would Akinyemi not feel offended and begrudged? He can clearly see that the days of stomaching all forms of rubbish in the name of what he described as the Yoruba Muslims’ modest version of Islam, are over. To him and his fellow oppressors, it is modest when Muslim girls are disallowed from wearing hijab to school, when some overzealous principals enjoy the freedom of kicking against taking snapshots for external examinations in hijab, and when the local hot-gospellers connive with their foreign counterparts to unleash their evangelisation terror on the unsuspecting, impressionable minds of Muslim children, as being presently perpetrated by the Daniel Kolenda Missionary Group in Oyo State!
Still, in his write-up, he described MURIC, duly registered with the CAC, with branches in not less than twenty-seven states of the federation, as a one-man group, and arrogantly challenged the ‘secret faces’ behind it to come open ‘if indeed there is a group anywhere by that name’.
I, with a membership experience of close to twenty years, am one of your so-called secret faces. The challenge is nothing short of ignorance taken too far. When did having a personality as an arrowhead of an organisation become tantamount to its non-existence?
For instance, how many times has Apostle Akinyemi seen all the names of the members of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), which is a human rights group, listed at the end of its press releases? The only name you hear and see is that of Adetokunbo Mumuni. It may interest Akinyemi to know that Femi Falana (SAN) and other notable Nigerians are on SERAP’s Board of Trustees. Do their names need to be listed in press releases for the organisation not to be labelled as being faceless or one-man? Does the fact that you are the only heard voice make your own outfit, the Apostolic Round Table, a one-man group? Apostle Akinyemi, please, grow up at 55!
Furthermore, Akinyemi described Prof. Akintola as a bigot and ‘a paid agent of those who must destabilize the Yoruba nation for their winner-takes-all brand of Islam. Paradoxically, our incorruptible Prof. Akintola derives his strength and respect from his inalienable stance on unholy partisanship. In contrast, the ‘revolutionary’ Apostle qualifies for an unparalleled religious and ethnic chauvinist. How can he, in another write-up, juxtapose his reference to Femi Fani-Kayode as being a Fulani spy for decamping to the All Progressives Congress (APC)? Will it be right and logical to describe all the non-Fulani members of the APC as Fulani spies? This shows the extent to which he has allowed his hatred for Islam to blindfold him. Indeed, Akinyemi needs help!
Akinyemi ended his condemnable piece by calling for a thorough investigation of MURIC by the Lagos State Government and the Federal Government, as should be done to a terror group like the Boko Haram. In its twenty-seven years of existence, MURIC has lived up to its motto (Dialogue, Not Violence), and has been renowned for being a formidable partner-in-progress to governments at all levels. He needs to re-google MURIC’s press releases to see its unequivocal condemnation of all forms of terrorism. How could Akinyemi reason this way in spite of brandishing a doctorate degree? Who did this to Akinyemi?
In conclusion, it is expedient that all well-meaning Christians call Apostle Akinyemi to track. Neither MURIC nor Prof. Akintola should be mistaken for his object of grandstanding.
Shefiu Ayorinde,
Chairman,
Lagos State Chapter,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
These people are gasping for breath and I like it, a group they claimed was formed in 1993 is excited about the effontry to challenge a prophetic declaration made at the 1st Annual Apostolic Round Table Conference in January of 2020, indeed if lies have traveled for 20 years, truth will catch up with it the very moment it sets out to pursue after lies!
MURIC should throw in the towel, truth is here! Light has shone on Akintola’s hidden operations, their political lies and propaganda under the guise of Muslims Rights Concerned can no longer sell!
ART in just 2 years has taken shine off Ishaq Akintola and his MURIC. What a confirmation of the words of the Omoluabi people of South West Nigeria with afenifere values, “ere ti aja ba fi ogun odun sa, faaji ni fun esin”, meaning the race run by a dog in 20 years is only a leisure expressed in pleasure by the horse!
There is grace for every race in life. ART is the platform of grace for the race Nigeria and Nigerians must run to overcome leadership despondency and bad Governance!
We are glad to know that activities of ART are seriously been monitored by MURIC, Akintola and his co sojourners, Dr Akinyemi was quoted by the writer and the influence of ART in gathering Christian Leaders acknowledged. We look forward to when Christians will quote Dr Ishaq Akintola and MURIC will be able to gather responsible peace loving Muslims to reason with for nation building.
Ishaq Akintola and his MURIC should know it is too early to pant in the race. What is set before all foreign religion in Africa is Africanization of their conduct and practice or they pack their load and go back to where they came from. We expected that a man of his learning will bring knowledge to bear and help Islam to conceptualize the Africanization process that the religion urgently requires. Omoluabis’ are not known for begging, MURIC should concentrate on how the practice of the religion in the South West will not encourage the homeless and wandering of children it is associated with in Northern Nigeria!
A lesson should be learnt from this by Yoruba Muslims of extreme views like Akintola from their Yoruba Christian Brothers and Sisters on how to achieve Africanization of religion without blood letting and endless killings. Same was done successfully since October 17th 1901, by the African Church, when they came out of the Anglophone mission called the Anglican Church and redefined them with man’s religion to suit our life, culture and tradition.
It is about time Akintola stops being a slave of thought of foreign marauders! Islam can fit into our culture and tradition. God created us and placed us here before Christianity and Islam was ever invented. Must we be killed for a foreign ideology?
The Anglican Communion in Nigeria, studied the Bible Anglophone mission brought to her, Samuel Ajayi Crowther translated same to Yoruba, today by a function of deeper understanding of what God communicated to humanity, Anglican Communion stood for God and His word against gay marriage decision of the church of England. Human fallibility is constant with all and can only be avoided by understanding of God and His word, not personality worship!
There is no preference of Language with God, He is no respecter of persons and tribes. All are equal before Him. In African Mission, protection is for Biblical doctrine and defense for the integrity of God’s word!
Where is the learning of Ishaq Akintola to advance Islam beyond the wild cultural interpretation of the people who brought it to Africa?
One key mission of Apostolic Round Table is to research biblical doctrines to establish the Truth!
What is the truth of Islam concerning ISWAP whose Jihad attack just consume a Muslim Army General?
The Omoluabi people are too peace loving to buy into throat slitting way of life of the Boko Haramist whom Ishaq Akintola has sympathy for!
Jihadists’ weapons of threat, fear and harassments can’t disuade God defended people, For no weapons fashioned against us shall prosper!
If Akintola and MURIC will be humble to learn, ART is willing to teach them how to end their endless struggles through capacity for Africanization of religion. It is the future of religions in Africa. That is the new normal they must embrace!
Surprise! Surprise!! MURIC couldn’t find its type but SERAP? Nor a person to reference but Femi Falana, we can see that there is a huge loss of integrity, hence the need to shop for credibility by citing the SERAP example, as the Yoruba people will say, “ohun to ba jo ohun lafi wera” it is things that has resemblance that should be compared! What is the semblance between MURIC’s wild goose chase ideology that is neither here nor there other than fomenting troubles and SERAP, a focused vision on national productivity and accountability?
Why drag a dignified Yoruba son, Femi Falana, one who is proudly so, as board member of SERAP to justify hidden faces on the board of MURIC!
MURIC should unveil her board members and should openly associate with violence the inciting made-in-FUTO professor Pantami, whose past at the Ahamadu Bello University Ishaq Akintola is reliving on LASU campus as a lecturer. What Pantami did as a student is what Akintola is struggling to achieve as a lecturer!
Muric, he said in its 27years of existence has lived up to its moto; dialogue not violence, MURIC obviously don’t know the meaning of the word dialogue nor the word violence!
Define dialogue and violence, we look forward to an invitation from MURIC when it truly embraces dialogue. We are very sure that the dialogue oriented Afenifere group will be ready to come to the round table of MURIC when its monologue communication paves way for dialoguing!
How more violent can a people in advancement of a religion of peace get; when volatile Communication is their way of life?
Abayomi Agbede Daniels
Senior Special Assistant to ART Convener on Network and Partnership.
