A lawyer in Lagos, Nigeria, has filed a lawsuit seeking to have an Arabic inscription removed from the country’s paper money.
Malcolm Omirhobo argues that the use of the symbol associated with Islam implies that Nigeria is a religious state, when, in fact, its constitution mandates secularism.
Omirhobo is seeking to compel the Central Bank of Nigeria to cease “approving, printing and issuing … notes with Arabic inscriptions, bearing in mind that Nigeria is a secular state,” reported the newspaper This Day.
Attorneys for the bank argue that the symbol has been used on currency for decades and is not intended to promote Islam. They also assert that it would cost the country “colossal” sums to reprint the money.
The case is pending before Nigeria’s Federal High Court.
