- UNIPORT has banned all academic and official activities during Sallah and federal public holidays following objections from MURIC
- MURIC confirmed UNIPORT’s compliance with their objections and emphasized the importance of respecting Muslim rights during religious holidays
The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) has announced a ban on all academic and official activities during Sallah and other public holidays declared by the Federal Government. This decision follows objections raised by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) regarding a field trip organized by the university on Eid al-Kabir, coinciding with this year’s celebration.
Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Director of MURIC, confirmed this development in a statement on Thursday night. He expressed satisfaction that UNIPORT responded positively to their objections and instructed all departments and faculties to strictly adhere to public holidays declared by the Federal Government.
“MURIC has confirmed that UNIPORT has instructed all departments and faculties to refrain from scheduling any official university programme or activity during Sallah and other public holidays declared by the FG,” Akintola stated.
He acknowledged the university’s acknowledgment that organizing the field trip on Eid al-Kabir and the subsequent public holidays was inappropriate. He clarified that MURIC does not seek apologies, legal action, or damages, emphasizing Islam’s principles of forgiveness and tolerance.
“We are not pursuing this campaign for personal reasons but to uphold the fundamental rights of Muslims wherever they are infringed upon. We hope other tertiary institutions will learn from this incident,” Akintola added.
He concluded by expressing hope that lessons learned from this incident would guide future decisions regarding religious observances and public holidays in educational institutions.