MURIC hails Reno Omokri for supporting work-free Friday

MURIC hails Reno Omokri for supporting work-free Friday

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has applauded former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, for advocating work-free Fridays for Muslims, describing his statement as a vindication of the group’s three-decade-long campaign.

Omokri recently stirred debate when he argued that Muslims in Nigeria are unfairly treated, as they are denied work-free Fridays while Christians enjoy weekends on Saturdays and Sundays. His remarks, which went viral, prompted MURIC to issue a statement on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

Professor Ishaq Akintola, Founder and Executive Director of MURIC, said Omokri’s position validates the organisation’s consistent demand since 1994 for governments at federal and state levels—especially in the Muslim-dominated North—to declare Fridays work-free.

“MURIC has been called several unprintable names for demanding work-free Friday while its leader has been falsely labelled an extremist, a religious fanatic, a fundamentalist, a terrorist, etc. But the truth has come to the open through a most unexpected source, through a Christian social crusader,” the statement read.

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The group further described Omokri as “one of the most intellectually active, politically detribalised and religiously liberal Christians in Nigeria,” adding that his courage on sensitive issues makes him “a guiding light, a president-in-waiting.”

While Omokri suggested that work should stop by noon on Fridays, MURIC insists on a full-day holiday. The organisation cited its book, The Friday Question, first published in 1993 and revised in 2021, which outlines six options for restructuring the workweek. It recommends “Option C,” which proposes a three-day weekend (Friday to Sunday), with lost hours recovered by extending work hours Monday through Thursday.

According to MURIC, adopting a work-free Friday will strengthen Islamic education, reduce religious ignorance, and foster family unity among Muslims. The group argued that current arrangements fragment Muslim families on Fridays, unlike Christian families who worship together on Sundays.

“Unknown to those who oppose the idea of a work-free Friday, including the federal and state governments, a work-free Friday will create an enlightened Muslim population. Nigerian Muslims will be able to learn more about their faith. Nigeria stands to gain a lot from this,” Akintola said.

MURIC linked the absence of a work-free Friday to poor religious grounding among Muslim youths, which it claimed contributes to social vices in the South-West. It called on authorities to embrace its proposal for the benefit of both Muslims and Christians.

MURIC hails Reno Omokri for supporting work-free Friday