At the South-West Zonal Public Hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for amendments to establish Sharia courts across all South-West states and to recognize Fridays as work-free days for Muslim worship.
Presenting the proposal, MURIC’s Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, argued that the absence of Sharia courts in the region denies Muslims access to Islamic judicial systems available in northern Nigeria. He emphasized that such courts would exclusively handle matters pertaining to Muslims and would not infringe on the rights of non-Muslims.
“No Sharia court currently exists in Southwestern Nigeria, where Muslims arguably form the majority,” Akintola stated. “This contradicts the pre-colonial Yoruba experience before the advent of British rule.”
He advocated for the establishment of Sharia courts in all South-Western states—including Edo—highlighting their significant Muslim populations. Akintola also proposed the official recognition of Islamic (Nikkah) marriages and the inclusion of the Islamic New Year as a national public holiday.
MURIC further called on the National Assembly to declare Fridays as public holidays in acknowledgment of Muslim worship practices. Akintola noted that the existing weekend structure—Saturday and Sunday—disproportionately favors Christians and fails to reflect Nigeria’s religious diversity.
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“Thursdays and Fridays were traditional weekends for Muslims in the pre-colonial period,” he said. “The current structure marginalizes the Muslim faithful.”
The proposals, MURIC insists, are aimed at fostering religious inclusiveness and ensuring constitutional equity for Muslims across Nigeria, particularly in the South-West.
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