How Nigerian govt, Railways authorities are unfair to Muslims at Sallah – MURIC
By SUMAYYAH ADEFAKA
“Whereas the Federal Government offered free train rides during the 2024 Christmas season and even extended it into early January 2025, it has remained silent about any similar gesture during the Salah period,” it added.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has accused the Federal Government (FG) and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) of marginalizing Muslims by failing to provide free train services during Islamic festivals, particularly the upcoming 2025 Eid al-Kabir (Salah) celebrations.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday, June 5, by MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the organization criticized what it described as a “glaring disparity” in how the government treats Christian and Muslim religious events in terms of social benefits.
“A strange scenario is currently playing out in the Nigerian socio-cultural landscape,” the statement said.
“Whereas the Federal Government offered free train rides during the 2024 Christmas season and even extended it into early January 2025, it has remained silent about any similar gesture during the Salah period,” it added.
While NRC recently announced the extension of paid train services to accommodate increased passenger demand during Eid (https://theeagleonline.com.ng/sallah-nrc-adds-extra-trip-to-lagos-ibadan-services/)), MURIC argues this gesture pales in comparison to the “over-pampering” seen during the Christian festivities, which included completely free train rides for two weeks ([https://www.thecable.ng/just-in-fg-announces-two-weeks-free-train-trips-from-december-20/]
“This extension cannot even scratch the surface,” Akintola stated. “Ordinary free train rides which FG begged Christians to take is not even being offered to Muslims. We have been treated like third-class citizens in our own country.”
The Islamic rights group questioned the apparent inconsistency in religious inclusivity under a government led by a Muslim-Muslim ticket, describing the situation as “an illusion of equal rights.”
Citing George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the group said, “All religions are equal in Nigeria, but Christianity is more equal than any other faith.”
MURIC called for an apology from the government if the omission was an oversight and warned against what it called “executive impunity” if the act was deliberate. It further demanded a full constitutional review of religious arrangements in Nigeria, including holidays and the weekend system, which the group said remain skewed by colonial-era Christian preferences.
“This neo-imperialist system cannot sustain itself, let alone perpetuate a just and balanced ecosystem. All neo-colonial vestiges must go,” the statement said.
Despite their grievances, MURIC extended felicitations to Nigerian Muslims on the occasion of the 2025 Eid al-Kabir and urged them to emulate the patience and endurance of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), expressing hope in divine justice.
