Ramadan: Muslim groups threaten to boycott Army recruitment, NYSC orientation

A coalition of Muslim groups, Da’Wah Coordination council of Nigeria has threatened to force its members to boycott this year’s recruitment exercise by the Nigerian Army and the orientation programme of the National Youth Service Corps should the acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo failed to prevail on the organisations to shift the date of the two exercises.

The recruitment of the 76th intake into the Nigerian Army and the orientation programme of the National Youth Service Corps were scheduled for this month.


This, the coalition said, was because the programmes coincided with the Muslims Ramadan fasting period and it would ultimately affect their members interest.

The coalition comprises the National Council of Muslims Youth Organizations, Muslims Students Society, Islamic Education Trust, Muslim Sisters Organization, Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Women in Da’awah, Jama’atul Muslmeen Sokoto, National Association of Arabic and Islamic Studies.

Others are the Council of Ulama, Council of Da’awah and Welfare of Coverts, Federation of Muslim Women Associations, University of Nigeria, Nnsuka Muslim Ummah, Enugu, Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria, World Assembly of Muslim Youth, Adabiyya Kamaliya, Islamic Missioners Association, Ilorin among others.

The national President of the group, Mohammed Maidoki while addressing a press conference in Kaduna on Monday, said carrying out the two exercises during Ramadan period would affect the interests of Muslims as they are required to pay adequate attention and absolute dedication during the period.

According to him, Muslim participants in the two exercises may have to stop fasting or break it or fail to qualify in the camp activities.

He said, “We cannot understand why only Muslims sensitivities will be treated with lack of consideration. We wish to remind Nigerian government men and its parastatals such as the Nigerian Army and the National Youth Service Corps that Muslims are part of Nigeria and indeed constitute majority of its population.”

He, therefore, called on the acting president, Yemi Osinbajo to immediately prevail on the Nigerian army and the NYSC to stop the camps and shift the dates till after Ramadan.

Failure to do so, Maidoki said, might lead to advising Muslim leadership in Nigeria to boycott the camps and any other national activities of this nature that involves Nigeria in Ramadan.

Besides, he also called on the leadership of the National Assembly to halt the camp and call to order the leadership of the Nigerian Army and the NYSC.

“We are using this medium to call on all paramilitary outfits and MDAs of the country to respect Muslim rights and Values in the interest of peace and harmony. Even in the western countries where Muslims at minorities, their rights are respected and protected,” he said.