Muslim leaders protest alleged bias in Sanwo-Olu's commissioner list

Leaders of the Muslim Community in Lagos staged a protest at the State House of Assembly on Wednesday, August 16, 2023.

The protest was aimed at conveying their objection to the recently announced list of 39 commissioner nominees put forward by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

It can be recalled that the Muslim Community had previously voiced their disapproval regarding the composition of the nominee list, which included eight Muslims and 31 Christians. They argued that this composition was unfair to practitioners of the Islamic faith within the state, and they demanded a thorough review of the list.

Despite the community's objections, the state government proceeded with the screening of the nominees in the House of Assembly, beginning on Monday, August 14.

Reacting swiftly to this development, leaders of the Muslim Community, led by President and Elder Statesman Prof. Tajudeen Gbadamosi, took to the premises of the House of Assembly to protest what they deemed as an official discrimination against Muslims within the state.

Prominent figures from various Islamic organisations and scholarly circles joined the protest, standing alongside Prof. Gbadamosi as he presented a formal petition to Speaker Mudashiru Obasa.

During the protest, participants displayed banners and placards adorned with slogans such as "Muslims Reject Official Discrimination," "Fairness is All We Seek," and "Halt the Screening Now, We Demand Justice."

In the petition submitted by President Prof. Gbadamosi, the Muslim leaders expressed their grievances, stating that they were deeply dissatisfied with the "overt disregard for principles of justice, equity, and fairness" in the proposed composition of the Lagos State Executive cabinet, as outlined in the list of commissioner nominees.

The group's main argument focused on what they perceived as a "clear instance of discrimination and religious bias," pointing out that out of the 39 nominees, 31 were affiliated with the Christian faith while merely eight were of Muslim faith.

The Muslim Community emphasised that this composition seemingly violated specific sections of the Federal Republic of Nigeria's Constitution, particularly citing Sections 14(4) and 192(2) that pertain to equity and representation.

Drawing inspiration from a similar situation in the Niger House of Assembly, where a minority Christian population had demanded a revision of the commissioner nominee list to ensure fairness and equity, the Lagos Muslim Community called upon the Lagos House of Assembly to reject the current nominee list.