LAGOS, April 13, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Nigerian Muslims threatened to boycott the forthcoming national population census, due next October, and walk out from the National Political Reform Conference (NPRC) unless the imbalanced Muslim representation in the NPRC is resolved.

“The decision to boycott the national population census and withdraw from the national political reform conference will materialize unless terms of Muslim are fully met,” Sheikh Abdel Rashid Hadiyat Allah, deputy chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN), told IslamOnline.net Tuesday, April 12.

Hadiyat Allah said the decision to boycott the planned census was unanimously taken by all Muslim leaders in the west African country.

“Our terms were set forth by Muslims leaders and representatives from all over the country,” he said.

The national population census has been a thorny issue in the west African country due to its political and economic consequences and distribution of wealth and resources among the ethnic groups in the country.

The first national population census in 1962 was canceled over differences on the rate of Muslim and Christian population in Nigeria.

SCSN President, Dr. Ibrahim Datti Ahmed, had earlier warned that Nigerian Muslims would not participate in the national population census unless a list of conditions is fulfilled.

“Nigerian Muslim leaders have been repeatedly complaining of marginalization in assuming command posts in the country,” Datti said.

Nigerian Muslims have been pressing for enlisting articles showing the religious and ethic identity in the census questionnaire and increasing the Muslim representation in the census higher committee, he stressed.

“Nigerian Muslims occupy only three seats in the 15-seat population census higher committee while Christians have 12 seats, a matter which can’t be justified under any circumstances,” Datti said.

SCSN president further urged the federal government and President Olusegun Obasanjo to allow the Nigerian Muslims to assume command posts in the government institutions, especially in the military ranks.

“Out of the 54 top positions in the Nigerian military institutions, Muslims occupy only four posts while the rest of leading posts are given to Christians.”

“This can’t be a coincidence. Rather it represents a deliberate attempt to minimize the Muslim representation in the military institutions,” he stressed.

Datti further pressed for an increase of the Muslim representation in the 382-member national political reform conference, dominated by the Christians who obtain 236 seats in return for only 166 seats for the Muslims.

SCSN president also said low Muslim representation in the population census higher committee and the political reform conference refer to a hidden agenda adopted by the Nigerian leader against Muslims in the country.

“The decision to boycott the population census is a necessary step. Nigerian Muslims increasingly feel that Obasanjo is activating a hidden agenda against Nigerian Muslims.”

Nigeria’s recent census shows that Muslims make up 55 percent of the country’s 133 million, Christians 40 percent and five percent atheists.

However, other estimates indicated that Muslims make up some 65 percent of the country.

“Muslims make up 70-75% of the population,” Datti stressed.