By Ishola Balogun

Island Muslim Community, IMC, an umbrella body for all Muslim individuals, organizations, communities, businesses and institutions on the Island of Lagos including Lekki, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, and Ajah has advised the organizers of the planned protest to jettison the idea, stating that “it is an ill-wind that will blow no one any good.”

The group called for caution from all the parties involved in the planned protest to explore other avenues through which those grievances could be communicated to the Government without the attendant risks that going to the streets carries.

In a statement signed by the chairman, Board of Trustees and his vice, Alhajl Rafiu Adlsa Ebiti and Alhaji Tijani Borodo, IMC said while it recognized the harsh economic conditions in the nation where Nigerians have been pushed to near extreme poverty as well as the democratic rights of citizens to protest against real and perceived grievances, the group however said in the light of the tensions already in the land urged the organisers of the protest to put the safety and security of the nation first and foremost, adding, “we need to have a nation first before we could express our grievances.”

The statement reads in part: “The Nigerian nation in the last few weeks has been gripped by the fear of a planned protest by some fellow citizens. This has sent ominous signs across the landscape of the country, not just due to our recent experience of the ‘ENDSARS’ catastrophe which left many dead and billions worth of businesses and properties destroyed, but also by the carnage in places like Kenya and Bangladesh occasioned by protests.

“We recognize the harsh economic conditions in the nation where Nigerians have been pushed to near extreme poverty with many more threatened to be pushed below the poverty line.

“We recognize the democratic rights of citizens to protest against real and perceived grievances.

However, we call for caution from all the parties involved in the planned protest to explore other avenues through which those grievances could be communicated to the Government without the attendant risks that going to the streets carries.

“We applaud the stops taken by the Federal Government to engage in dialogue with all stakeholders in the country. We also implore all associations and bodies who may be privileged to have close affinity with the organizers of the protest to use their leverage to prevail upon them to shelve the protest as the signs around it has set the country on edge even as it is yet to take place.

“We urge the organizers of the protest, in the light of the tensions already in the land to put the safety and security of the nation first and foremost, as we need to have a nation first before we could express our grievances,

“We appeal to all political actors and entities to demonstrate utmost sense of responsibility and patriotism by refraining from utterances and actions that may predispose the nation to anarchy.

“Islam detests the spread of violence, wanton destruction, and needless loss of lives. The Quran equates the unjust killing of a single soul to killing the entire humanity (Q 5:32).

“We advise that since the organizers of the protest do not possess the means to ensure the absence of violence and possible loss of lives, they should postpone the planned protest and enter into dialogue with the government.

“We pray that Allah guides the leadership of the nation, grants patience and wisdom to the aggrieved, blesses the endeavours of our Government with success, and removes from our land the hardship it currently faces,” IMC said.