As the leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Organization, in Nigeria, I feel it is necessary to speak to thousands of members of the organization, who reside in different parts of the country and youths alike at this critical period of our nation.

There has been unrest in many parts of the country due to the redesign of Naira notes as many Nigerians still have the old notes but could not spend them while others could not have access to their money in the banks due to the unavailability of the new Naira notes.

I understand your concerns about the situation in Nigeria. It’s heartbreaking to see how people are facing so many difficulties as a result of the delay in making the new notes available. I could see how frustrated many of you are as you can’t get the new notes to feed your families and attends to your daily needs. I have witnessed how this is affecting some businesses and I have equally experienced the scarcity of public transport on the road as many people could not go about their activities as the new notes remain unavailable.

In response to these difficulties, there have been reports of aggressive behavior in some places in the country. There are records of attacks on banks, blockage of public roads, and riots in some places.

I want to use this opportunity to tell the citizens that the consequences of aggression and destructive behavior could increase tensions and unrest in the community, potentially harm innocent people, lead to disruption of public services, destruction of public and private property, and loss of life. Such aggressive and destructive behavior can also have long-term ramifications – further weakened economy and political instability.

We should recognize that the general election is fast approaching and should avoid any actions that could trigger political tension and insecurity around the country.

It is important to come together and support one another throughout this critical phase. I encourage those taking part in destructive behavior to use the digital platform to raise awareness about this issue, create campaigns on social media, host webinars, and engage in constructive dialogue with the government in order to come up with possible solutions to the problem.

I encourage Muslim youths to be prayerful during the current crisis in Nigeria and pray towards the upcoming general elections. Prayer is powerful for calming the mind and spirit, and it can also help to give people a sense of hope during these difficult times. Nigeria should come together to stand in solidarity with one another.

I pray that Allah eases there difficulties Nigerians are facing at the moment and appoint us a good leader.

Abdur Roqib Akinyemi
Serving as Sadr, MKA Nigeria
17-02-2023