By Professor Ishaq Akintola

A faith-based civil liberties organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has engaged the former Vice President, 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and a leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The group revealed that Nigeria since the colonial days had been structured along Christian culture. It highlighted several civil rights which successive Nigerian governments have denied Muslims and argued that many Muslim politicians and leaders are either unaware of this predicament or easily pressured through blackmail and harassment. It therefore wants to know if Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as a Muslim, is prepared to approach the issues clinically and objectively.

The engagement came via an open medium of communication directly addressed to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on Thursday, 8th January, 2026 by the Executive Director of the Muslim rights advocacy group, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

Details of the engagement can be found below:

“Your Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, As-Salaam Alaikunm sir,

“We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) celebrate you as the most resilient and highly consistent politician in Nigeria today. You have fought for a cause in which you strongly believe and have exhibited immense strength of character in its pursuit over the years. Your efforts are monumental, laudable and cerebral. Whether your critics like it or not, your name will be written in letters of gold in the annals of Nigerian history.

“As a Muslim steering his political ship towards the 2027 coast, we find it mandatory to engage you in dialogue concerning the current plight of Nigerian Muslims and their hopes and aspirations in a just, united and democratic Nigeria. The major reason for taking this step is our discovery that the condition of Muslims has remained the same under both Muslim and Christian leaders despite demands and agitations.

“We note with great pain that many Muslim politicians and leaders are either unaware of this predicament or they are easily pressured through blackmail and harassment by those who seek to keep Muslims in neocolonial administrative and economic bondage.

“Nigeria since the colonial days had been structured along Christian culture. Several Allah-given civil liberties are denied Muslims as Christian colonial heritage is hypothetically accepted as the norm. Sadly, however, successive Nigerian governments, including those led by Muslims, have also ignored the demands of Muslims.

“We do not want Your Excellency to fall into this category because you have always been a friend of MURIC. We strongly believe that even the past and present Muslim leaders who ignored the plights of Muslims are not to blame because they are products of an anti-Muslim system structured after Christian values in all aspects of life.

“Though Muslims by name, such Muslim leaders have been programmed to embrace Christian ways of life and to reject anything else, including the Islamic norms which have the capacity to set enslaved Muslims free. They have been conditioned to see such ideas as extremist frivolities or, at best, possessing nuisance values only. Afterall, people can only give what they have.

“The whole issue revolves around the question of restructuring as it affects Nigerian Muslims. That is the crux of the matter. We as a group will never ask any Muslim leader to deprive Christians of their rights. What we are after is a kind of restructuring that will give justice to both Muslims and Christians.

“Just as we told His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi, a few days ago, our demands are encapsulated in these three areas: proportionate representation, equal rights and freedom of religion. There is no gainsaying the fact that Muslims have a significant percentage of the Nigerian population. We also possess qualified men and women, persons of pedigree and people of unquestionable integrity. We will therefore expect adequate and meaningful inclusion in appointments.

“In the same vein, we wish to bring to your attention certain issues bordering on equal rights and parity. These are things that Nigerian Christians are enjoying but which are denied Muslims. Yet Muslim leaders see such things as unworthy of attention. Examples are our demand for the declaration of the first day of the Islamic new year as a public holiday like 1st January of every year and the Friday Question. We will like to know your position on these and such matters.

“We want to know if, as a Muslim, you are prepared to approach the issues clinically and objectively. You may choose to respond through the media as we have done. However, we are open to invitation for dialogue if you so prefer.

“Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurance of our highest esteem”.

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC