Headlines

Allow married women to bear their fathers’ names, MURIC urges govt

Published

1 year ago

December 18, 2023

Allow married women to bear their fathers’ names, MURIC urges govt

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has tasked the Federal Government of Nigeria to allow married women to bear their fathers’ names.

Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Executive Director, MURIC, stated in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

“Our attention has been drawn to the plight of married Muslim women who are being disallowed by employers from bearing their fathers’ names. This amounts to forceful enslavement, denial of Allah-given fundamental human right to parental identity and wrongful dismissal of loco parentis.

“We condemn the current practice for three major reasons, namely, for generating confusion in the society, for creating a monumental identity crisis among married women and for depriving women of their Allah-given fundamental human right to personal as well as parental identity in marriage.

“Instead of this, we advocate the adoption of the women-friendly Islamic practice which allows married women to bear their fathers’ surnames after marriage.

“No woman dropped suddenly from the sky and even if some appear out of nowhere, they must have been born, bred, nurtured, buttered and marmaladed by certain parents before they grew up and matured into womanhood. Their education was also sponsored by their parents at a time that the future husband probably knew nothing about them and spent no kobo on their upbringing and their education,’’ he said.

He added: “It therefore beats logic, fairness and natural justice that a husband appears out of nowhere to commandeer a woman’s parental identity simply by marrying her. Such identity robbery also has its advantages.

“For instance, women who are educated are forced to advertise change of names to their husbands’ surnames after marriage in order to retain the validity of their documents and properties. It often becomes very difficult and sometimes impossible for married women to be located or to retain old friends due to such change of name.

“Those who want to be sincere among married women today will confirm the stress they have gone through from this experience. Islam sets women free from such stress by permitting married women to retain their original family names.

“Contrary to the general claim that Islam discriminates against women, Islamic liberation theology actually teaches respect for the dignity of women in all circumstances. One of such circumstances is the period when women are in wedlock. Whereas Western civilization robs married women of their original family identity by insisting that they should bear their husbands’ surnames, the Shari’ah allows women to bear their own fathers’ names even after marriage.’’

“We therefore invite the Federal Government and other relevant authorities to set the machinery in motion towards allowing married women to bear their fathers’ names. In particular, we charge both houses in the National Assembly, Senate and the House of Representatives, to introduce the necessary bills that will set Nigerian women free from undue masculine domination.

“This advocacy is not for Muslim women alone. We are certain that Muslim women are not the only ones who feel the pinch. MURIC will love to see every married woman who desires to be identified by her father’s name enabled to do so. Our lawmakers should frame the clauses in such a way that all women can enjoy the freedom to choose between bearing their fathers’ names or their husbands’. It is time to set Nigerian women free. They are the mothers of our society.

“We contend that the whole gamut of women liberation struggle boils down to a sham and a mirage until this goal is achieved. A married woman is not a slave. She is not just a dot in social statistics. She has a soul and that soul yearns for love. She covets to love and be loved, not only by her husband but also by her family and vice versa. Nigeria must not fail her. Parental identity is sacrosanct. Husbands can never replace fathers in matters of parental identity and that is what the current system compels women to go through. Enough is enough”.

(NAN)

Headlines

FRSC records 108 deaths in 328 RTCs in Gombe

Published

6 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Saadatu Sahabo

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Gombe State Command, says no fewer than 108 persons were killed in 328 Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) that occurred across the state in 2024.

The state Sector Commander of the corps, Mr Samson Kaura, disclosed this on Monday, in Akko, the command headquarters while briefing newsmen.

Kaura said that 1,078 persons were injured in the auto crashes within the period under review.

He added that there was decrease in number of crashes in 2024 compared with that of 2023.

According to him, in 2023, we recorded 351 road traffic crashes while in 2024, we recorded 328.

”The command was also able to reduce deaths from auto crashes within the year under review through collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies in the state.”

The sector commander also said that 2, 196 persons were involved the crashes within the period under review, with 1, 078 persons injured, and 1,010 unhurt.

He said that in 2023, 2, 588 persons were involved in various RTCs across the state, with 1,308 of them sustaining varying degrees of injuries while 1,161 were recorded unhurt.

Kaura also disclosed that 471 vehicles were involved the crashes within the period under review, against 515 recorded in 2023.

He explained that the command recorded a 6.6 per cent reduction in RTCs in 2024, compared to 2023.

He said that the major causes of crash in 2024 were speed, overloading, loss of control and wrongful overtaking, adding that the corps had stepped up efforts towards sensitising motorists in the state against these menace.

He said that the measures taken in 2024 had yielded positive results in terms of the reduction in the number of crashes and people killed.

”Therefore we will strengthen our collaborations with critical stakeholders towards sensitising more road users in the state as well as improving on enforcement of traffic rules,” he said.

The sector commander advised road users to cooperate with FRSC personnel in 2025 towards ensuring safety of lives and property of road users in the state.

Headlines

Death toll in Diko tanker explosion now 98 -NSEMA

Published

7 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Saadatu Sahabo

The death toll from the Dikko tanker explosion has risen to 98, according to the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA).

The Director-General, NSEMA, Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, confirmed the updated figure in a statement issued on Monday in Minna.

Baba-Arah also said that 69 people were injured in the explosion, while 20 shops were burnt.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the tanker explosion occurred on Saturday morning at about 9 a. m., along the Dikko-Maje road opposite Baddegi fuelling station in Gurara Local Government Area.

The incident occurred when a tanker loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) crashed, and an attempt was made to transfer its contents to another tanker.

In the process, the PMS came into contact with a generator used to power the transfer process, triggering an explosion that claimed many, injured many, and destroyed properties worth millions of naira.

NAN reports that the incident had sparked widespread condemnation and sympathy from various quarters.

The Niger and Federal government had commiserated with the families of the victims and promised to provide support to those affected.

The state government had also called on the Federal Government to expedite action on the Minna-Suleja road project, which had been blamed for the frequent accidents in the area.

Headlines

Hajj: Jigawa secures accommodation for 1,518 intending pilgrims

Published

7 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Saadatu Sahabo

The Jigawa State Pilgrims Welfare Board says it has secured a befitting accommodation for its intending pilgrims ahead of the 2025 Hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia.

This is contained in a statement by the Spokesman to the board, Malam Habibu Yusuf, on Monday in Dutse.

He said the board has successfully secured a befitting hotel accommodation, a walking distance of about 800 meters to the Holy Mosque in Makkah.

“This achievement is a testament to the board’s commitment of ensuring a seamless and enriching Hajj experience for Jigawa state pilgrims,” he said.

The statement quoted the Director-General of the board, Alhaji Ahmad Labbo, as urging the intenting pilgrims to ensure prompt deposit of the Hajj fare.

Labbo underscored the importance of early payment to facilitate proper planning of logistics for the pilgrimage.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the board fixed Jan. 30, registration deadline of intending pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj exercise.

This is in line with directives of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the state pilgrim’s welfare boards to remit all collections by Feb. 1.

NAHCON has allocated 1,518 seats to the state for 2025 Hajj, while the board had directed intending pilgrims from the state to pay N8.4 million Hajj fare.