Ikoyi Building Collapse: How the Rejection of Muslim Engineer Raises More Concern, MURIC Challenges Afenifere
- The rejection of the Muslim engineer at the 21-storey building that collapsed in the Ikoyi area of Lagos state has raised more concerns
- A prominent Muslim group, MURIC has confronted the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere to address the issue
- In reaction, Afenifere disclosed the group is not ready to exchange words with MURIC, noting the owner of the building is not alive to address the claims
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Lagos state- The recent collapse of a 21-storey building on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi Lagos, has ignited controversy over alleged anti-Muslim marginalisation in Yorubaland following the revelation by an engineer that the owner of the collapsed building, Mr Femi Osibona, denied him an offer because of his faith.
The engineer, Mr Sikiru Adebowale, had in a YouTube video that went viral after the building crumbled on Monday, November 1, made the claim which is generating disquiet not only in the Southwest but the entire country.
Daily Trust reports that an Islamic organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), amplified the issue in a statement, saying his confession is strong evidence of the alienation of Muslims in Yorubaland.
Source: Facebook
Director and founder of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said while the video has gone viral, few people would comprehend the implications of the revelation of the man.
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He said:
“That video clip is an undeniable evidence of the alienation, marginalisation, impoverisation and persecution of Yoruba Muslims by no other than their fellow Yoruba who happen to be Christians.”
MURIC also challenged the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere and other Yoruba groups, to speak up on the revelation.
He stated that the much-touted religious tolerance is a hoax, adding that “they tolerate each other at the informal level but they are sworn enemies at the formal level.”
“MURIC hereby demands the reaction of Afenifere and other Yoruba socio-cultural groups to this viral audio clip. A Yoruba man has deprived another Yoruba man of a chance of employment. The reason advanced is that the applicant is a Muslim.
“What has Afenifere got to say about this? The site of that monumental interview is a microcosm in a macro. It perfectly depicts what is happening in the whole Yorubaland. Will Yoruba Muslims get jobs in an ‘Oduduwa nation’? Will Yoruba Muslims enjoy equal rights and justice in an ‘Oduduwa Republic’? It should be noted that similar posers raised by MURIC more than six months ago remain unanswered by Afenifere.
“However, we know full well that our interventions serve as enlightenment for the public even if Afenifere refuses to respond. We will not give up until the entire Yoruba race and the Nigerian nation as a whole are liberated from the shackles of disinformation, misinformation and malinformation. Aluta continua, Victoria acerta.” #Muslimjobsmatter.”
Akintola urged those who do not believe us to review the video clip and listen to Mr. Sikiru Adebowale as he was being interviewed by a television station.
Afenifere reacts
When contacted yesterday, Sunday, November 7, for comment on the challenge raised by MURIC, Afenifere spokesman, Comrade Jare Ajayi said the group was not ready to join issues with the MURIC’s founder.
The man at the centre of the discord, the owner of the collapsed building who was the Managing Director of Fourscore Homes Limited, is no longer alive to respond to the claim in the video.
Since the building caved in, there has been no information about the real estate firm, its shareholders or any key official of the company. There was also no official website for the company.
More reactions
Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi, Convener Apostolic Round Table, a project of Voice Of His Word Ministries said the development is disturbing.
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He stressed the need for Nigerians to learn to detach religion or tribe from issues of competence.
He however attacked the MURIC founder, saying, “Akintola berated his learning when he used such isolated case to draw his conclusions!
“I would have expected him to reach out to his Muslim brother, Hakeem Muri-Okunola to provide him with the statistics of Lagos State Civil Service, so the world can appreciate the dominance of the service by Muslims and the needless hew and cry of Akintola!."
Similarly, a columnist, Prof. Farook Kperogi, also raised the issue in his weekly column titled, “Ikoyi Tragedy and Casual Bigotry Against Yoruba Muslims”.
He said:
“The truth is that the famed religious ecumenicalism and tolerance of the Yoruba people is often achieved at the expense of Yoruba Muslims. It is they, and not their Christian brothers and sisters, who must always perform religious tolerance. (In his interview with the YouTube news channel, even Sikiru felt compelled to say that 95 per cent of his friends are Christians and that he hadn’t closed off the possibility that he could convert to Christianity at some point in his life.)
Photos show moment Tinubu arrived site of building collapse in Ikoyi with Sanwo-Olu, others
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has paid a visit to the Ikoyi Building collapse site in Lagos state.
Tinubu who visited on Saturday, November 6, was accompanied by the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and that of Nasarawa state, Abdullahi Sule.
Photos of the APC chieftains at the site were shared on the Facebook page of Tinubu Support Group - TSG.
Source: Legit.ng
