The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has labelled the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as anti-Muslim for fixing its 2019 promotion examination for August 15 to 17 for Group One and August 19-21 for the second group.
According to Director of MURIC, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, in a statement, yesterday, those dates automatically made it impossible for NDLEA staff who are Muslims and who went on hajj (pilgrimage) to partake in the promotion examination.
According to him: “Any date for promotion examination or any sensitive policy matter which fails to accommodate and reflect the multifaceted nature of our society is lopsided, unfair and punitive. It is bound to create tension. This is what the dates picked for NDLEA’s 2019 promotion examination has done. There is palpable tension in the air.
“Muslim staffers of NDLEA who went on hajj should not be unduly punished or marginalised.
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“Hajj is a religious exercise covered by the clause on freedom of religion in Section 38 (i) & (ii) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“It is, therefore, a right, not a privilege. Furthermore, hajj is not a frivolous spiritual sojourn as the Qur’an classifies it as the fifth pillar of Islam (Qur’an 22:26 – 33).
“It would have been a different cup of tea if the NDLEA management had announced the examination dates before those who went on hajj departed.
“It is therefore unfair to organise promotion exercise after some Muslims had already left the country. It is an anti-Muslim coup.
“This is most likely to put Muslim staff at a disadvantage. It has serious interfaith implications. Neither is it good enough for industrial harmony.
“After all NDLEA is not a private company. It was established by the Federal Government courtesy of Decree 48 of 1989. We contend that management decisions in any jointly-owned establishment should accommodate all.
“For instance, it will be unfair to the Christian staff in any federal or state agency to fix promotion examination two days before or two days after Christmas.
“NDLEA had earlier intended to hold the promotion examination a few days before Salah. According to its circular signed by Yohanna Sila Mshelia, Director, Administration & Finance for Chairman/Chief Executive reference number NDLEA/FIN/88/VOL VII/227 dated August 1, 2019, the examination was ‘postponed to accommodate the coming Salah celebrations’.
“While we appreciate the postponement, it is our considered opinion that NDLEA should go the whole hog by allowing those who went on hajj to return before fixing another date. In the alternative, a safe date like the middle of September when all pilgrims would have returned to the country may be picked by the management of NDLEA.
MURIC, therefore, appeal to the NDLEA management to postpone the promotion examination to the middle of September when all Muslim staff who are currently in Saudi Arabia would have returned to the country.
