MURIC Calls for Sharia Courts, Friday Public Holiday in Southwest

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for constitutional amendments to establish Sharia courts in all South West states of Nigeria and to recognise Fridays as official work-free days. The demand was presented during the South West Zonal Public Hearing on the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.

Represented by Dr. Jamiu Busari, MURIC’s Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said the establishment of Sharia courts would promote inclusiveness and safeguard the rights of Muslims in the region. He argued that despite the significant Muslim population in the South West, there are currently no Sharia courts in the region, which he described as a contradiction of the pre-colonial Yoruba legal traditions that incorporated Islamic principles.

Akintola called for the creation of Sharia Courts of Appeal in all South West states, including Edo, insisting these courts would adjudicate only Muslim matters and would not impact non-Muslims. He also demanded that the National Assembly designate Friday as a national public holiday to accommodate Muslim worship practices. According to him, the current weekend structure, which recognises Saturday and Sunday, is skewed in favour of Christians and was a legacy of colonial imposition.

He noted that Thursday and Friday were traditional rest days for Muslims before colonial rule, and claimed Saturday was made a full holiday during General Yakubu Gowon’s administration to benefit Seventh-Day Adventists. Akintola argued that the exclusion of Friday from the weekend list reflects an imbalance that must be addressed for fairness and religious equity.

In addition, Akintola highlighted that of the eight national public holidays, five are Christian-related, while only three are for Muslims. He called for the Islamic New Year to be recognised as a national holiday, as it already is in some states.

Another key proposal from MURIC was the official recognition of Islamic marriage certificates. Akintola pointed out that while Christian marriages conducted in churches or registries are accepted across Nigeria, Nikkah (Islamic) marriages often face non-recognition in official matters. He described this as discriminatory and urged the government to grant Islamic marriages equal legal standing.

The Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) also supported MURIC’s call for judicial reforms and proposed the creation of specialised courts for Islamic finance to support economic practices within the Muslim community.

Responding to the proposals, Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who represented Deputy Senate President Senator Jubrin Barau, assured that all submissions would be reviewed and presented to the National Assembly for consideration. Other groups, including youth, student, and women’s organisations, also presented their demands during the hearing.