By Adadainfo
One Chief Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo, a lawyer, has criticised the inscription of Arabic on the redesigned 200, 500, and 1000 naira notes.
He argued in a release made available to our correspondent on Wednesday that, “It is about time we realize as Nigerians that no religion is superior to the other; no ethnic nationality is superior to the other, and no language is superior to the other. We are all equal before the constitution and our Creator.”
Against outcries over the presence of Arabic on the redesigned naira notes, an Islamic group has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria not to tamper with it.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) made their positions known.
According to the group, “Unknown to many, Arabic is not a foreign language in Nigeria because it is actually spoken as the local language by a significant proportion of the population in North Eastern Nigeria called Shuwa Arabs.
“The removal of Arabic from the naira has cut off this section of our population from economic activities. This action constitutes a gross violation of Allah-given fundamental human rights of the Shuwa people as well as that of millions of Nigerian Muslims.”
Recall that the redesigned notes were unveiled yesterday by President Muhammad Buhari in Abuja during the Federal Executive Council meeting.
