Lagos to begin cautious opening of worship centres, plans Register-to-Open initiative

— As MURIC cautions Green light for worship centre opening may not be wise enough

Abiodun OBA

Lagos State Government is preparing to open more businesses and other sectors of the economy.

Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu , the state governor who made the announcement, said this would however not be done without putting in place some guidelines with a strict process for monitoring and space management.

Sanwo-Olu said, “The Register-to-Open initiative will be monitored by @safety_lasg and @LasepaInfo to assess the readiness of businesses in the identified sectors for supervised operations.

“We are at a level where we are reviewing other arms of the economy. We want these businesses to begin to tune themselves to the realities of #COVID19 with respect to how their spaces need to look to reopen with a strict process for monitoring and space management.

”We are still in the process of reviewing and considering how the phased unlocking will happen. The length this will take will determine on the level of compliance and the level of conformity to our guidelines that we see.

“I want to reiterate that moving around without a mask and failing to observe other public health guidelines puts you and your family at risk.

“Everyone residing in Lagos must collectively #TakeResponsibility for public health safety. I enjoin banks and markets to strictly enforce order in their premises. It is imperative that we do not take the easing of the lockdown for granted.

In a related development, an Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has cautioned against reports that some state governments have given the green light for the opening of mosques adding that the decision may not be wise enough.

Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has cautioned Islamic authorities in Nigeria against the reopening of mosques.

This is coming against the backdrop of the reopening of mosques on the orders of the state governments in Borno, Gombe and Zamfara.

The director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, in a statement issued on Monday, 18th May, 2020, said: “There are reports that some state governments have given the green light for the opening of mosques. This may not be wise enough. We must be on the side of caution regarding this dangerous virus whose cure has not been found.

“Muslims should not rush to their graves. We suggest that mosques should remain closed until the Federal Government (FG) declares the country safe from the pandemic.

“We know that lockdown hurts. But so does it hurt everywhere else. We urge Muslims to exercise patience. Those who die can never be seen again. Neither can they be part of a safer and better Nigerian society when the lockdown is finally lifted.

“We must join hands with the rest of humanity to defeat COVID-19. No single community, group or country can fight the battle alone.

“Reopening mosques at this time can be interpreted as withdrawing from the battlefield and leaving the rest of the country to face the fight alone. It may also be interpreted as disobedience to FG’s restriction on crowding.

“MURIC reminds the governments and people of Borno, Gombe and Zamfara states whose population is predominantly Muslim of Allah-given fundamental right to life. This right should not be violated through any hasty yet wrongful policy decision.

“The pattern of congregating in mosques may even be more prone to infections than some other places. Unlike others who assemble for worship once in a week or once in a year, Muslims congregate five times daily for the five daily prayers, once weekly for jumu’ah prayer and twice annually for the festivals. It is noteworthy that the last three draw mammoth crowds.

“Though kaleidoscopic and symptomatic of our unity and strength, the manner of our worship in congregation where we stand shoulder to shoulder and feet to feet in rows that allow no gap whatsoever also renders Muslim worshippers most prone to the spread of infectious diseases particularly during a pandemic like this.

“Our prostration where all heads touch the ground simultaneously and rise together gives cause for concern about the likelihood of one worshipper breathing almost directly into another’s nostrils.

“A pragmatic and realistic approach is therefore necessary on the issue of reopening of mosques. It is bad enough that there is fire on the mountain. But it may be worse if we use our hands to draw the fire to our rooftops.

“It is therefore our considered opinion that the authorities in the three states (Borno, Gombe and Zamfara) should reconsider their decisions particularly before the Id al-fitr festival prayer which is fast approaching.

“We remind the three states that the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) had advised Muslims against congregations until further notice.

“We therefore suggest that the leadership of the Nigerian Muslim community, namely, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the NSCIA should be consulted before the decision to reopen mosques can be implemented,” the statement concluded.