An Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has criticised the official programme for coronation of the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, for failing to make enough provision for the Friday Muslim prayer.
The group alleged that the coronation planning committee had kowtowed to the whims of the state governor who is in the habit of compelling Muslim communities to make their programmes clash with the Muslim Friday prayers but has never allowed one to take place on Sunday mornings when it would clash with Christian worship in the churches.
The group’s founder/executive director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, in a statement on Saturday, noted that the programme for the week-long celebration of the coronation of the Olubadan-elect, Oba Ladoja, has been released by the planning committee.
According to the week-long programme, it kicks off on Monday, September 22, 2025, with a special inter-religious prayer session followed by a coronation cultural fiesta, a coronation lecture, a special birthday Islamic prayer session, a Christian mega praise and worship on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25, respectively.
However, MURIC said the coronation proper was scheduled for Friday, September 26, 2025 by 9am, saying “We strongly object to the coronation fixed on the Muslim day of worship particularly because no special mention or provision was made in the programme for any Jumuah prayer.
“Neither is any mention made of any programme to be held in any mosque on that day whereas a ‘Thanksgiving Service’ to be held in the Catholic Cathedral, Oke Padre, by 9 am on Sunday, 28th is conspicuously and boldly printed on the programme. This is an attempt to Christianise the coronation ceremony.
“Besides, the programme also indicated that another non-Islamic programme tagged ‘reception’ is scheduled for 1 pm on the same Friday. Who does not know that Muslims are expected to be in the mosque by 1pm on Fridays?
“Yet this programme outrightly knocks out any contemplation of a Friday prayer on that holy day. This is a punch below the belt.
“Although the programmes billed for the first four days of the coronation ceremony are in order, we find the total alienation of the Friday Jumu’ah prayer from the Friday programmes repulsive, provocative, insensitive and therefore unacceptable. This programme strangulates the Muslim Friday prayer.
“Consequently, we call on the planning committee to respect the sensitivity of Oyo State Muslims in particular and the Nigerian Muslim community in general by reviewing the programme for that day.
“It should be noted that guests from far and near are being expected at this monumental occasion, including Muslim leaders. They should not go away with the impression that Friday prayer is not recognised by the Oyo State government.
“Yet it will not be an isolated incident. Although Agodi has allegedly denied the involvement of government in the planning of the programmes, the state governor’s past record of fixing official programmes on Fridays and arriving late to the event is known to be legendary.
“At the road commissioning event in Iseyin on 15th September, 2023, Governor Seyi Makinde arrived late. It was a Friday and Muslim guests were uncomfortable. That was the day former President Olusegun Obasanjo unleashed his ‘Edide, E joko’ i.e. ‘All stand! Sit down!’ classroom theater recapitulation on Iseyin kings.
“Muslims who attended the coronation ceremony of the late Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin on Friday, 12th July 2024 were unable to go for the Jumu’ah (Friday prayer) due to the late arrival of the state governor, Seyi Makinde.
“It is on record that MURIC complained about this incident in a statement dated 15th July, 2024 captioned ‘MURIC To Makinde: Stop Friday Programs’ in which we advised the governor to stop scheduling programmes for Friday prayer periods.
“Seyi Makinde has come after Friday again. This coming coronation programme will be the third example. It is said that once is happenstance, twice is a coincidence, the third time is enemy action.
“No amount of denial of involvement can extenuate the Oyo State government’s complicity in the attempted Christianisation of this programme.
“How are we sure that the coronation planning committee has not kowtowed to the whims of the state governor who is in the habit of compelling Muslim communities to make their programmes clash with the Muslim Friday prayers but has never allowed one to take place on Sunday mornings when it would clash with Christian worship in the churches?”
MURIC, therefore, suggested that the programme be reviewed, “As the planning committee gave the Christian community of Ibadan special recognition with a ‘Thanksgiving Service’ to be held on Sunday, the same committee should recognize the Muslim community by holding its first ‘Thanksgiving Jumuah Service’ by 1 pm on Friday, 26th September, 2025.
“The coronation reception may be shifted from 1 pm to 3pm. However, in view of the fact that Saturday is free of any coronation programme, we advise that the whole coronation per se which was earlier billed for Friday morning should be held on Saturday, 27th September, 2025.
“Saturday is the best day for the coronation ceremony per se as it would relieve the planners of any form of pressure while seeking to avoid a clash between the coronation and the ‘Thanksgiving Jumuah Service’. The reception can follow immediately,” MURiC stated.
