The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), a prominent Islamic human rights organisation, has called for far-reaching constitutional reforms, including the establishment of Sharia Courts across all states in Nigeria’s Southwest region and the declaration of Fridays as public holidays in honour of Muslim worship practices.
MURIC’s Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, made the demand during the South West Zonal Public Hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution.
He was represented at the session by Dr. Jamiu Busari, a senior figure in the group, who delivered the presentation to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Review.
Akintola argued that despite the significant Muslim population in the Southwest, there is currently no provision for Sharia Courts in the region, a situation he described as both unjust and historically inconsistent.
“No Sharia Court currently exists in Southwestern Nigeria, where Muslims arguably form the majority,” Akintola stated. “This contradicts the pre-colonial Yoruba experience before British colonisation, where Islamic legal systems played a key role in societal governance.”
MURIC is demanding constitutional amendments to mandate the creation of Sharia Courts in all six states of the Southwest—Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti—and also in Edo State, citing the considerable number of Muslims in those areas.
The group also called for the constitutional establishment of Sharia Courts of Appeal in each state, stressing that these courts would be dedicated solely to adjudicating matters involving Muslims and would not affect non-Muslims in any way.
In a further push for Muslim rights and inclusivity, Akintola proposed that Fridays be designated as national public holidays to allow Muslims to observe their congregational prayers and religious activities without constraint.
“Thursdays and Fridays were historically recognised as weekend days in Muslim tradition,” he said. “However, Nigeria currently observes Saturday and Sunday as weekends—both aligning with Christian religious practices.”
He described the current weekend arrangement as a legacy of colonial rule and argued that the full recognition of Saturday as a holiday was instituted under the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon to accommodate Seventh-Day Adventists.
“The current structure lacks religious balance and marginalises Muslims. We therefore demand that Friday be recognised nationally as a weekend day,” Akintola stated.
He also criticised the current distribution of national public holidays, which he said heavily favours Christians.
Out of eight official holidays, five—Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, and Easter Monday—are Christian, while only three—Eid-el-Fitr, Eid-el-Kabir, and Maulud—are Muslim.
To address this perceived imbalance, MURIC called for the Islamic New Year to be declared a public holiday nationwide, pointing out that it is already recognised in some states.
In addition, Akintola called for the full legal recognition of Islamic marriages, or Nikkah, for official purposes.
He noted that while Christian marriages conducted in churches and registries are legally recognised nationwide, Nikkah ceremonies are often not accorded the same status.
“This discriminatory practice places Muslim couples at a disadvantage in formal and legal settings,” he said. “In a democratic society, all faith-based marriages should be treated equally under the law.”
Supporting MURIC’s demands, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) also advocated the establishment of Sharia Courts and proposed the creation of specialised courts to oversee Islamic finance and economic matters.
Responding on behalf of the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jubrin Barau, the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, assured the groups that all submissions would be thoroughly reviewed and considered as part of the wider constitutional reform process.
The public hearing in Lagos also featured presentations from various civil society groups, including youth, women’s organisations, and student unions.
