Constitutional review:  Islamic group demands Sharia Courts in S/West, Friday as public holiday

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), an Islamic human rights organization, has called on the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to provide for Sharia Courts in the Southwest and to officially designate Friday as a public holiday to accommodate Muslim religious practices.

The demand was presented during the South West Zonal Public Hearing on the ongoing constitutional review.

Representing the group’s Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Dr. Jamiu Busari made the submission before the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

Prof. Akintola, through his representative, emphasized that Muslims in the Southwest lack access to Sharia Courts despite their significant population in the region.

“No Sharia Court currently exists in Southwestern Nigeria, where Muslims arguably form the majority.This contradicts the pre-colonial Yoruba experience before the advent of British rule,” Akintola said.

He proposed the establishment of Sharia Courts across all states in the Southwest, including Edo State, due to their notable Muslim communities.

Akintola further recommended that the Constitution should mandate governors to set up Sharia Courts of Appeal, clarifying that such courts would only deal with issues affecting Muslims.

“These courts will handle Muslim matters only, ensuring non-Muslims are not affected,” he added.

In addition to judicial reforms, MURIC advocated for a change in the official workweek to include Fridays as public holidays, noting the historical significance of the day to Muslims.

“Thursdays and Fridays were traditional weekends for Muslims in the pre-colonial period.Currently, Nigeria recognises Saturday and Sunday as weekends, both favouring Christians,” he said.

He linked the current weekend structure to colonial influence, adding that Saturday’s full-day holiday status was a later development.

“Saturday was later made a full day to benefit Seventh-Day Adventists under Gen. Yakubu Gowon’s regime,” he added.

Akintola argued that Friday’s exclusion from the weekend does not reflect religious fairness.

“We demand Friday be included as a recognised weekend day for Muslims,” he said.

He pointed out that among Nigeria’s eight national holidays, only three cater to Muslims, while five favour Christian observances. These include Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Eid-Kabir, Eid Fitr, and Maulud.

The group also pushed for national recognition of the Islamic New Year as a public holiday, stating that several states already observe it.

Another key point in MURIC’s submission was the need for official recognition of Islamic marriage certificates.

“Christian marriages conducted in churches or registries are officially accepted nationwide.But Nikkah marriages are not recognised, creating problems for Muslim couples in formal settings,” he added.

Akintola described the situation as discriminatory and urged equal legal standing for Islamic marriages.

“A religious group’s marriage is officially accepted while another’s is ignored — this must change,” he said.

In a similar submission, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) echoed the call for Sharia Court inclusion and proposed establishing courts tailored to Islamic financial transactions.

Responding to the presentations, Deputy Senate President Sen. Jubrin Barau, represented by Senate Leader Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, assured that all requests would be reviewed and considered in the final constitutional amendment report.