An Islamic human rights advocacy group, the Muslim Rights Concern, has kicked against examinations taken in two universities in Enugu State on March 9 and 10, 2024.
Executive Director of MURIC, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, made the position of the group known in a statement on Saturday.
Akintola described the examinations as illegal and unacceptable by any standard because they were taken on days declared as public holidays by the Federal Government for the celebration of Eid-el-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan.
The group called for the cancellation of the examination and tests.
It said: “Reports reaching us from the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC) and the Federal University of Allied Health Sciences, Enugu, reveal that both institutions ignored the holidays declared on Tuesday and Wednesday by the Federal Government (FG). While the former conducted examinations on Salah day, the latter held two tests on that day.
“These are acts of insubordination and outright disobedience on the part of the vice chancellors of both institutions. We expect the minister of education to take up the matter with them. Failure to call them to order will only egg them further to act arrogantly against policies and decisions of FG in future.
“It has never been heard that a university based in the Muslim dominated North conducted an examination or test during a Christmas or Easter holiday. Some authorities in the South-East are out-Heroding Herod in their quest to persecute Muslims by all means. Islamophobia is becoming rampant in that zone but what is surprising is that, this time, it is coming from higher institutions where people are expected to be more liberal.
“Meanwhile we are constrained to declare both the examination and the tests taken in both universities as illegal, illegitimate, unlawful and unconstitutional. They are ultra vires, null and void.
“We call on the vice chancellor’s of those two institutions to ensure that no student, whether Muslim or Christian, who missed the examination or the tests is sanctioned. Those events never happened. There was simply no examination.
“Neither was there any test because nothing of that nature is expected to happen during a properly declared holiday. At least there is ample evidence that the holidays were announced ahead of time and long enough for all members of the public to be fully aware.
“That examination and those two tests constitute a void, a sham, a nullity and anything built on nullity remains a nullity. That examination never took place in UNEC and no tests were held in the Federal University of Allied Health Sciences, Enugu. That is the position of the law.
“No examination or test held in any school, polytechnic or university on a public holiday can be recognized by the law. A public holiday is holiday period for all and sundry, civil servants, teachers, lecturers and students. The law does not recognize invigilators and candidates on public holidays.
“MURIC advises the two vice chancellors, through the deans of the erring faculties, with the active participation of the heads of departments, to instruct the lecturers to cancel the ill-conceived, bitterness-loaded and luciferous examination and tests. They never took place. This is the soft landing we can offer the erring lecturers, department and faculty.
“It is our fervent hope that nobody will make any attempt to massage egos because both the heads of departments and the deans of the faculties where this abnormality occurred may have to explain the reason for their dereliction of duty. Damage-control measures may be too late at that time.”
