The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has come forward with facts that a Christian, General David Akpode Ejoor (rtd) was behind Arabic inscription crested on the Nigerian Army logo.
This is as the group dismissed as frivolous a suit to remove the Arabic text scripted on Nigeria’s currencies.
MURIC made the revelation in reaction to the suit by Lagos-based lawyer, Malcolm Omirhobo who challenged the Arabic inscription on the Naira notes.
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Barr Omirhobo in his suit stated the Arabic inscriptions on naira notes depicts Nigeria as a sole Islamic state, which is contrary to the nation’s constitutional status of a secular state.
The statement signed by DrIshaq Akintola, Director and founder of MURIC labeled the suit as ‘acrobatic religiousity.’
The statement reads;
“Perhaps the plaintiff thinks Nigerian Muslims were the ones who initiated the inscription of Arabic on both the army badge and the naira notes. Omirhobo needs to be told that even the colonial masters inscribed Arabic on the currency printed by Britain and used in Nigeria. The words: ‘pound daya’, i.e. one pound was inscribed on colonial currency. Omirhobo may therefore need to sue the Queen of England.
Noting how Arabic language came into the Nigerian Army Crest, he said:
“To continue along the lanes of history, it was not even Nigerian Muslim leaders who brought the idea of Arabic in the Nigerian currency in post-independence Nigeria.
“The man who initiated it was a Christian, a Urhobo officer by name General David Akpode Ejoor (rtd). He was the one who introduced the Arabic inscription and the Star emblem into the Nigeria Army crest.
“He was given the assignment and research led him to pick the Arabic words ‘nasrun minallahi’ (meaning ‘victory is from God’) and a committee made up of three ministers of the First Republic : Muhammadu Ribadu (Defence), Festus Okotie-Eboh (Finance) and Yar’adua (Works and Housing) approved his choice. Ejoor confirmed this in his book ‘Reminiscences’ (page 16).
