Day MURIC dedicated picnic to showcasing Buhari Train, declared President ‘Father of modern Nigeria’

*Nigeria now has a train system that works – Prof. Akintola

*Refuses to toe the line of Redeem Church about politics in worship centres

*Urges Nigerians to support only country they have, says ‘we now have Nigeria we can be proud of…no politics in this’

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

“When government performs, there should be consequences because, when government fails you have wailers who make noise, today we raise the flag of Nigeria to show Nigerians and the world that the railways system in Nigeria is back and working. That is why we see Buhari as the Father of Modern Nigeria… We want to tell Nigerians that we have a different scenario in Nigeria now. We have a Nigerian system we can be proud of. The train station in Ibadan, like others along corridor from Lagos, is fine and great,” Prof. Akintola said.

Sunday March 13, 2022 is a day that will resonance in the memory of patriotic citizens that witnessed a picnic programme of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), a faith-based human rights group in Nigeria, hugely utilised having been dedicated to showcasing the beauties of railway revolution of the Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration.

To MURIC, human rights activism or journalism professionalism without putting Nigeria first, at the first three counts, is not yet one to be considered as normal. This is because, in the thinking of the pro-Nigeria Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), there must be a society that works and peaceful before any such category of professionals can practice and, in most cases, count their respective blessings. It is one of those activist or professional groups.

Led by its Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, an erudite university scholar that is considered a best in the use of Language – Arabic and English aside his mother tongue of Yoruba, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), operating with consciousness of Qur’anic knowledge and Allah’s dictate that say “loving your country is part of Iman – faith”, is known to be exceptionally uncommon.

MURIC’s extent of exceptionalism has been described as beyond comprehension because, within its category of activist groups, it stands out as a Civil Society organisation that seeks the good of country and peaceful co-existence among people of various ethnic and religious backgrounds in the country. This, it has been able to do for more than two decades from its days of Tele-Dawah by asking all ethnic and religious groups in the country to understand why “our diversity should rather than being a source of problem be seen as our strength for development to true African giantess”, ringing this away from hate and intolerance that some members of the society have chosen in relation to fellow citizens.

It believes that government has rights just as the governed, while the governed equally have duty like they expect of the government, for a collectively achievable great nation. It preaches this in the course of its activism and asks for encouragement of national leaders by telling when they do well and also not showing indifference towards their inadequacies. The group, which is essentially a religious group for promoting, projecting and protecting the interest of Muslims, was led by this underlining principle to dedicating its picnic programme on Sunday March 13, 2022 to showcasing what it called the Buhari Train in effort to “neutralise the lies of people, who see the President’s achievements and pretend or even dominate the press and social media to say he has done nothing”.

During the picnic event, MURIC team led by Prof. Akintola took off from Babatunde Fashola Station Agege, Lagos State, where it joined at 8.30am the Buhari Train it programmed to showcase and rode through Olufunmilayo Kuti Station in Abeokuta, where the Ogun State team led by the state branch chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Jimoh, joined and they proceeded on the aircraft-like smooth ride through Wole Soyinka Station Omi Adio Ibadan to Obafemi Awolowo Station, Moniya, Ibadan in Oyo State, which was the last station so far, where the team disembarked and was hosted by the Oyo State Branch of MURIC after their arrival at about 10.30am.

It will be recalled that approval for Ibadan-Kano rail line project has been given by President Buhari-led Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the Buhari’s railways revolutionist, the Honourable Minister of Transportation and Dan Amana of Daura Emirate, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has picked it up as work in progress, in a way that now places responsibility on the whoever will succeed President Muhammadu Buhari next year to decide what he wants history to tell about him regarding whether or not he will keep the ball of Modern Nigerian Development drive ignited and started by the three-time Nigerian Leader and retired military strongman, Buhari.

At the last station in Ibadan, Prof. Ishaq Akintola addressed a press conference on feet during which time he said:

“MURIC is here to register to all Nigerians that we now have a train system that is working. The picnic that brought us here was done by Lagos, Ogun and Oyo State branches of the organisation. And here we have with us the Chairman of Ogun State, Alhaji Tajudeen Jimoh, Vice Chairman, Oyo State Branch, Barrister AbdulWaheed Lawal, Prof. Abideen Alaiya of Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, among others,” Prof. Akintola kick-started his orally presented press conference address.

Going forward he said, “When government performs, there should be consequences because, when government fails you have wailers who make noise, today we raise the flag of Nigeria to show Nigerians and the world that the railways system in Nigeria is back and working. That is why we see Buhari as the Father of Modern Nigeria.

“We used to have railways corporation back in the 1970s, 1980s but it died the death of of religion, it died the death of ethnicity and died the death of politics. But today we are happy to say that we have a railways system in Nigeria. The train has quality coaches that are full of dignity. Everybody has a seat. In the train there are toilets, you have comfort across all classes from standard to business and first class. There is on each seat-wall a charging point that passengers, three or two per seat line, can charge their phones without hindrance to one another; there is enough space to move around and the atmosphere is coolness.

“We want to tell Nigerians that we have a different scenario in Nigeria now. We have a Nigerian system we can be proud of. The train station in Ibadan, like others along corridor from Lagos, is fine and great

“We want to to tell Nigerians that the era when people died and couples travelling for wedding spent their wedding ceremony time in traffic jam along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is over and gone. That is because, aside the railways system that is as this excellent, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway too is smooth now for people that use it.

“These are work and achievements of a visionary leader that we have as President. Buhari is Father of Modern Nigeria and there is no politics in this. We are doing this because as patriotic Nigerians and rights group, we found out that much of these achievements happened but some people, who are loud in their voices, say to those that listen to them that nothing has happened. MURIC has spent its picnic this Sunday March 23, 2022 by way of social responsibility to change the narrative and say Nigeria, under President Muhammadu Buhari, has worked. Lagos-Ibadan railways is one of the evidences that we have showcased to as proof,” Prof. Ishaq Akintola, the MURIC Director said.

Fielding questions from Journalists after his address, he regretted that in Yoruba Land of South West, the claim that people Christians and tolerate Muslims is true only when it comes to social matters. He said, “in religious matter, Yoruba Christians are very, very intolerant towards their fellow Muslims and reason Muslims are subjected to the problem of employability and our sisters are badly treated with our daughters badly treated in schools and are even locked out at the gates of schools because of their Hijab.”

The MURIC leader urged Nigerians, particularly Southerners, to change attitude from being intolerant for reason of religion or ethnicity towards one another for the country to move forward.

On politics as regards Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG) creating Directorate of Politics across its church branches, Prof. Akintola refused to go political to the extent of mixing politics with the worship of God. He, however, urged Muslims not to leave politics to people who cannot represent their interest in the scheme of things as, failure to be part of the political playing game, will end up empowering those that have openly shown up as their enemies to snap state power and use it to persecute or treat them unjustly.

He said: “MURIC is essentially a religious group promoting, projecting and protecting the interest of Muslims”, but with consciousness, while doing so, that Christians and others who hold one faith or another also have their own rights that must not be infringed upon.