Apostle Bolaji Akinyemi’s real grudge against Prof. Ishaq Akintola

By SHEFIU AYORINDE

“There is no where 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 effrontery 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, is Chairman, Lagos State Chapter, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).