The Nation Newspaper

Category: Femi Abbas

Islamic solution to Leadership Problem

Monologue

Like in any other week, the competition for attention by emerging issues, for this column this week is extraordinarily intense. The choice of one of those issues by any columnist must thus become a problem capable of causing confusion. The case of yours sincerely cannot be an exception. That is a confirmation that the dilemma of any worthy columnist is not a dearth of ideas but a deluge of them. For instance, which national or international contemporary issue in today’s world does not deserve attention of ‘The Message’ column now? Is it the sudden demise of the former Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi in a suspicious circumstance or the implacable tension between Trump’s American government and the Islamic Republic of Iran or the severe persecution of Muslims in China and Myanmar or the seemingly endemic plight of the Kashmiri people who, as Muslims, are being forcefully subjected to Hindu rule in India or the callous murder of an American based Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in cold blood in Istanbul or the frightening menace of banditry and kidnapping across Nigeria or even the incessantly ravaging atrocities of certain voluntary agents of Satan called Boko Haram? Looking at all these issues and many more, not mentioned here, the tendency is to conclude that the modern world is fast approaching its end. Yet, the role of leadership in making success of most of these issues cannot be underestimated. Without leaders, there are no nations.

Preamble

The title of today’s article in this column is not originally a coinage of ‘THE MESSAGE’. It is rather the theme of a public Ramadan lecture organised by Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF) in Ilorin to which yours sincerely was invited as the guest lecturer on August 29, 2010.

Who is Mustapha Akanbi?

The name Mustapha Akanbi cannot be strange to any educated Nigerian of contemporary time. That was a household name in Nigeria and beyond especially for those who are familiar with the Independent Corrupt Practices (and other related offences) Commission (ICPC). The first Chairman of that Commission was Justice Mustapha Akanbi, an erstwhile President of the Federal Court of Appeal of Nigeria. For the entire 35 years of his service in the judiciary, all that can be called his property was just a modest three bedroom bungalow in which he lived in Ilorin till his demise recently.

The MAF Foundation

Established in September 2006 shortly after its founder (Justice Mustapha Akanbi) voluntarily resigned as the Chairman of ICPC despite the overwhelming pressure on him to continue his service, MAF is a non-governmental and non-partisan organisation dedicated to the uplift of mankind and to the enthronement of justice, equity and fair play as well as the promotion of the quintessential virtues of honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability in all human activities.

The Foundation is committed to being in the vanguard of revolutionary changes aimed at reforming and transforming our society from being a body of self-serving individuals to a nation that places high premium on selfless service for the common good of all. MAF Foundation, therefore, has, as its focus, the building and sustenance of a great nation founded on sound ethical values and good governance capable of holding its own in the comity of nations. It is in line with its focus that the Foundation chose the theme of today’s article and invited yours sincerely as the guest lecturer.

At the occasion which was held in the month of Ramadan, I alluded briefly to the significance of Ramadan in the life of an average Muslim.

Point of Reverence

This is a period of relevant reference in Nigeria. This is a time when history displays its duty as the teacher of man. The current trend of dirty banters in the country is both a reminder and a point of reference for men and women of decent pedigree and impeccable dignity. This is a time when disciplined parents and patriotic citizens are identifiable. This is the time in Nigeria’s contemporary history when human wheat can be separated from human chaff. This is the time of distinguishing between shame and shamelessness on the one hand and decency and indecency on the other. This is the time when lovers and haters of Nigeria can be known. It is the above mentioned issues that make this article a point of reference. And the reference is the lecture that yours sincerely delivered at the MAF Foundation in 2010.

The lecture

As a preamble, I told my audience that thinking of leadership in terms of those who are privileged to govern the country alone can never solve the problem of bad leadership in Nigeria. Leadership does not start from the top. It is rather a matter of good home management and excellent upbringing of children. Leadership is like a pyramid which has a base and an apex. Whoever wants to assess leadership in a society must start from the base rather than the apex. It will be unreasonable to start sighting major faults at the roof of a house when the foundation of the same house is evidently faulty. Generally, children learn from their parents’ actions much more than from the latter’s preaching.

Any parent who starts the upbringing of his or her children with lavish celebration of birthday without teaching such children the act of legitimate money making early in life has initiated such children into the cult of reckless spending spree. The tendency for such children when they grow up is to look for money to spend from any source including pilfering, stealing, kidnapping and ritual killing for money. What will be virtuous to such children is to get money to spend. It will never matter to them how they come about such money. And that is the root of corruption in a society like Nigeria where parents assist their children to cheat in examinations or to get admitted into higher institutions with fraudulent pre-requisites.

Leadership in Islam

In Islam, leadership is so sacrosanct that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) never relented in warning all leaders and aspirants to leadership about the delicate nature of ruling the people. In his farewell sermon in 631 CE, he reminded the Muslim Ummah that leadership is a great responsibility entrusted to an individual by the society as ordained by the Almighty Allah. The Prophet also admonished the people on their responsibility to both the state and leadership quoting Qur’an 4, Verse 59 thus:

“Oh you, who believe, Obey Allah, obey the Messenger (of Allah) and those charged with authority among you. If you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger if you do believe in Allah and the last day. That is best and most suitable for final determination”. Quran 4 verse 59.

However, he did not stop there. He went further to explain that obedience to those charged with authority is conditioned by their (those in authority’s) own obedience to God in their deeds as well as the rule of law that governs them.

In one of his statements, he said there is no obedience or loyalty to any human being, ruler or otherwise, who is not himself, obedient to God and the rule of law. He concluded that: “Whoever entrusts a man to a public office, where, in his society, there is a better man than this trustee, has betrayed the trust of God and His Messenger as well as the people of that society”.Hadith.

The Prophet’s Exemplary Leadership

The exemplary leadership of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his great teachings were scrupulously followed by the Caliphs who succeeded him in office. When, shortly after the Prophet’s demise, Abubakr was elected as the first Caliph, his primary objective was to continue the pious administration which the Prophet left behind. He took the mantle of leadership with which he was saddled as a responsibility to Allah.

In his acceptance speech as new Head of State, he addressed the people as follows: “Oh people behold me charged with the cares of government. Yet, I am not the best of you. In carrying out this great responsibility, I need your advice and assistance. If you find me doing well, please support me. If I make mistake, counsel me.

To tell the truth to a person commissioned to rule is faithful allegiance. So long I obey God and act according to law, obey me. But if I neglect the law of God and His Prophet, I have no more right to your obedience. The strong among you shall have no right over the weak on the basis of his strength. Neither shall there be any room for sycophancy, nepotism or undue favouritism. Authority, power and sovereignty belong to Allah alone in whose hand is dominion over all things….”

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Comment

From the foregoing, and contrary to what is happening today, especially in Nigeria, it is clear that leadership is a privilege rather than anybody’s right. It is a public trust which should not be betrayed under any circumstance. It is a responsibility to be carried out, not just with human face but also with human heart. It is a covenant between God and rulers on the one hand and rulers and the ruled on the other. It is a measure of conscience, piety and discipline. No one who is bereft of these traits should be entrusted with leadership.

Other Caliphs after Abubakr followed suit and lived ascetic lives despite their access to unlimited state resources. Ali Bn Abi-Talib, in particular, did not limit those qualities to himself. He extended them to his appointed Governors.

While appointing Malik bn Ashtar as the Governor of Egypt he gave him certain instructions in writing and admonished him to follow those instructions to the letter in his governance in that country. Those instructions were not about the executive arm of governance alone. They also touched legislation and judiciary morally and legally.

Parable of Governance

Governance in Islam is like pregnancy in the womb of an expectant mother. The duration of such pregnancy is naturally defined barring any anomaly or aberration. Its delivery depends on the safety of its carrier and the circumstances of her wellbeing. And, after delivery, the baby is claimed, not by the carrier of the pregnancy but by the impregnator.

There is no pregnancy without semen firmly planted in the womb of a woman. And the semen planter is a man who will eventually be called the father of the baby. For this reason, children bear the names of their fathers rather than those of their mothers as surnames.

By analogy, one can compare governance to a pregnant woman who could not have become pregnant without an impregnator. The impregnator in this case is the populace that gave those in government the mandate to rule them. And just as the product of the womb (the child) belongs to the impregnator as a matter of legitimacy so should dividend of governance be the property of the governed populace. A child who bears his mother’s name as surname is nothing but a bastard.

After life, security, law and justice, nothing else is held as sacrosanct in Islam as governance which can be compared to a magnificent shade under which people are supposed to take cover during torrential rains or burning sun. In a democratic setting, such a shade is owned by the citizenry. Those who claim to be its custodians are just servants holding it in trust for the people.

Democracy in Islam

In Islam, democracy is not about voting and power alone. It is fundamentally about justice in all its ramifications according to the rule of law. It is about tending the lives of others for the overall good of the nation. It is about providing the needs of the people according to the available resources in the nation. It is about protecting the interest of the weak against the oppression of the strong. It is about managing the wealth of the nation with diligent sense of accountability. It is about securing the lives of the citizenry in terms of jobs, feeding, shelter, health and education. It is about boosting the horizon of the youths and sharpening their hope for the future. It is about guaranteeing adequate income per capital and ensuring a standard life expectancy. Any government that claims democracy without all the aforementioned is oppressive and hypocritical. That was Nigeria’s lot from the beginning of the Fourth democracy in 1999 till now, the continuity of which we fervently prayed Allah to forbid.

Governance, like culture, has a variety of colours, flavours and tastes. What is called democracy in a State may amount to despotism in another State. Governance, whether democratic or monarchical, is fundamentally a function of culture. That is why a country like Britain claims to operate politically on a constitution that is partly written and partly conventional. Borrowing a foreign culture to practice democracy through a constitution written in a foreign language is like borrowing another man’s mouth to eat. Into whose stomach will the food go?

If those entrusted with authority and power with which to care for the masses are the ones stealing public funds with audacity and reliability on ethnic or religious inclination, what moral right do they have to govern? Nigeria has now reached a stage where justice, the last hope of the common man, is for sale even as the citizenry continue to be impoverished. For a country that hopes to progress, to where does this lead?

Justice Mustapha Akanbi was an exemplary judge with an exemplary template in delivery and administration of justice with the fear of Allah. He lived a clean life and groomed some others to follow suit with the expectation that Nigeria would be great. We pray the Almighty Allah to repose his soul in eternal bliss. As for those who have deviated from the path of decency left behind by Justice Akanbi, we pray Allah to guide them aright and rescue them from the manacle of Stan to which they are sternly tied. However, such people should know that:

“Allah does not change a people’s lot unless they change the evil acts in their hearts. If Allah decides to afflict them with a calamity, no one can ward it off. Besides Allah, there is no protector for them”. Q. 13:11.

September 6, 2024
Islam in the Eyes of Nigerian Media

Preamble

In response to a particular question coming incessantly to this column from every conceivable angle in Nigeria, yours sincerely decided to recall an article published in this column in 2007 which answers the recurring question.

The enquirers wanted to know why Muslims and their activities are not as vivid in Nigerian media as those of their Christian counterparts. The article that served as an answer to that question goes thus:

“Information is power. It can make or mar. An informer must be informed. He must know what information to disseminate. He must know, not only when and where to disseminate such information but also how to do it. These are the attributes that can qualify journalists as professionals in their calling.

Journalism as a profession is not about news gathering and news reporting alone. It is also about dissemination of genuine information, transmission of valuable education and even presentation of meaningful entertainment. That is why a journalist is perceived as a professional who knows or should know something about everything in existence. To be a thorough professional, a journalist must be knowledgeable in various fields of discipline no matter how little. For instance, a journalist cannot report space exploration without some scientific knowledge of astronomy. He cannot report war without some knowledge of weaponry and the geography of war areas as well as the social history of the involved warring groups or nations. Also, no journalist can report a religious festival without knowing some jargons of the religion in question.

And, of course, in the process of filing his reports, a journalist must be conscious of the technical reportorial sequence to be followed. This is generally known in the profession as ‘five W’s and H’. The coded cliché here is interpreted as follows: “Who (does) What? Where? When? Why? And How?” Without practical knowledge of that sequence, a journalist cannot claim to be a professional in the practice of that noble profession.

Thus, from whatever angle journalism is viewed, knowledge remains the main axis around which journalists’ activities rotate. In a nutshell, no charlatan can claim an enclave in that noble profession without the required knowledge.

Prophetic Foresight

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had foreseen the effect and implications of positive or negative information dissemination before he implored Muslims to seek knowledge in what became one of his divinely guided prophetic saying (Hadith). This is how he put it: “Seek knowledge even if you will have to travel to as far a place as China”. He made that divinely guided statement at a time when China was known to be the farthest place from Arabia.

Essence of Knowledge

Nothing in the life of man is comparable to knowledge. As a matter of fact, life is worthwhile only if it is based on knowledge.

That was why the revelation of the Qur’an started on the premise of knowledge n 610 CE. The very first chapter of that Sacred Book commenced thus: “Read in the name of your Lord who created; He created man from clots of congealed blood. Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One, who taught by the pen, He taught man what he (man) did not know…”. And, to further emphasize this, the Prophet said that “knowledge is a missing substance and advised Muslims to search for it wherever they could find it”. He did not restrict such knowledge to religion. Without knowledge, there can be no right information.

Origin of Journalism

Contrary to the falsehood documented and disseminated by the Western world that journalism started in Germany in the 15th century, it was the Muslims who actually started journalism in Arabia about 1500 years ago. Though they did not call it journalism, it was they who started what we now call journalism through the process they followed in documenting Hadith (the prophetic tradition and rightly guided statements of Prophet Muhammad).

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In order to prevent false documentation of any fabricated statements in the name of the Prophet, some Muslim researchers took up the task of ascertaining what the Prophet actually said or did as against what some prominence-seekers were trying to attribute to him after his demise. It was a thorough investigative job voluntarily done by certain individuals to retain the authenticity of Islam. Foremost among such great researchers were Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas’ud, Anas Bn Malik, Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nisai, IbnMajah and a host of others.

For the purpose of authenticity, these great scholars introduced what they called ‘Chain of Narration’ (Isnad). Through that Chain, they endeavoured to trace the source of every Hadith quoted and credited to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Such narrations were graded as: Sahih (indisputably genuine); Hasanun Sahihun (perfectly authentic); Hasanun (genuine); Dai‘f; Munqatiu’ (broken); Gharib (strange) Mawdu‘ (fabricated) and so forth. Thus, from the final documentation through this process, Hadith was transmitted from generation to generation just as we transmit news stories today in professional journalism.

Without the great efforts of the above mentioned researchers, the world would have been flooded today with all sorts of fabricated expressions falsely credited to the Prophet. And such fabrications would have thrown the Muslim Ummah into total confusion even as Islam itself would have been shrouded in doubt.

Prophetic Recognition of Information

The very first Minister appointed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as Head of State was that of information.

The black man called Bilal, who was charged with informing Muslims of the time of Salat by making ‘Adhan’, was the appointed Minister of Information. That shows how important information is to Islam.

However, when journalism as we know it today was introduced to Nigeria in the 19th century, it was through the perception and mentality of the Christian colonial masters. Although the earliest Nigerian journalists were quick to realize the power of the Press which they used to fight for Nigerian independence, they nevertheless inherited the Christian colonial traditions which are still causing disharmony in our society today. One of such traditions is religious perception. For instance, an average Nigerian journalist does not see anything positive in Islam as a religion because he/she is blatantly ignorant of its tenets. This is not to say that journalists cannot understand Islam if given the opportunity, but the colonial orientation they inherited is such that they must not see anything good in the religion called Islam. And to ensure the effectiveness of that obnoxious indoctrination, most of Nigerian journalists who are based in the Southern part of the country were enlisted on the pay roll of various Churches. And for this reason they had to follow the dictates of those Churches by imitating the Western reportorial orientation which must paint Islam and its adherents in black colour and portray that divine religion as a hub of trouble.

Facts in Retrospect

For well over a century after the introduction of journalism to Nigeria, the word ISLAM and MUSLIMS were reported in Nigerian media, like in European media, as Mohammedanism and Mohammedans respectively. It took the few Muslim scholars and journalists in Europe at that time to counter that obnoxiousness which was deliberately hung on the neck of Islam before it was changed. Even as of today, and against the ethics of their profession, most Nigerian journalists take pleasure in writing or pronouncing word ‘MOSLEM’ rather than ‘MUSLIM’ knowing fully well that the earlier is derogatory to Islam and abhorrent to Muslims.

Editorialisation

In news reporting and even editorials of many newspapers, some journalists have ridiculously embarrassed themselves, their media outfits as well as their Muslim readers by confusing EidulAdha with Eidul-Fitr during Muslim festivals out of deliberate refusal to want to know anything about Islam. On the other hand, no Muslim journalist will ever confuse Christmas with Easter or make reference to Jesus Christ or even Christianity in a derogatory manner. It is rather shameful and ridiculous that most Southern Nigerian journalists behave as if they enjoy special immunity in freedom of expression even as they arrogantly bask in the euphoria of a non-existing monopoly of religious hysteria.

Another instance is the seeming malicious manner in which some Southern Nigerian journalists do report the outbreak of events and occurrences in the country particularly at very sensitive times thereby compounding any problem at hand. It has virtually become a tradition particularly in the Southern axis of Nigerian media to describe youths who engage in any disturbing activities in the north as ‘FANATICS’ or ‘FUNDAMENTALISTS’ or ‘ZEALOTS’ even before the details of whatever happened become known. And in other parts of the country, such restive youths are merely reported as militants or bandits. The implication here is that any disturbance in the Muslim dominated areas of the north must automatically cloaked in garb of Islamic religion which is criminally perceived as the breeder of fanaticism. And when the trend of such restiveness is seen as tortuous to Islamic and Muslim images, the Christo-journalists of Southern Nigeria turn their back by refusing to report the incident.

These and other religiously insensitive reporting can be potentially dangerous for the corporate existence of this volatile country. We had witnessed crises precipitated by such insensitivity in the remote and recent past. But the big question is: why are Nigerian Muslims apathetic to media engagements?

Muslims in Nigerian Media

Muslims in the media generally must have good knowledge of Christianity and the culture of its adherents just as Christian journalist must know the dos and don’ts of Islam and the Muslims. Arabic is not a language meant for the Muslims alone. There are Christian Arabs who speak no language other than Arabic. And, there is no record anywhere to show that Prophet Isa (Jesus) ever spoke English which is the main language of the Bible in Nigeria today. Both Islam and Christianity came to meet us here in Nigeria. Why must we use them to destroy ourselves on the pages of newspapers or on radio and television stations?

One of the responsibilities of the media is to ventilate a peaceful atmosphere for harmonious co-existence of the people. Thus, any educated and civilized professional journalist in Nigeria must not shirk such a fundamental responsibility at this age of internet. For the sake of our collective survival, no combative or provocative journalism should be extended to religious sphere.

Jihad against Corruption

From time immemorial, man has learned through experience that it is better to prevent a disease than to cure it. One old disease which still remains young in contemporary time, despite its age, and keeps growing on the palm of man is corruption. This monstrous human ailment is like an implacable virus constantly threatening to metamorphose into full blown cancer as it eats deeply into the fabrics of its victims. Once it is allowed to so grow, its cure becomes impossible. And, coping with it in that circumstance, is like chasing a mirage.

Corruption is a much more deadly disease than what can be fought with hand in glove. As the mother of all crimes, corruption will be better prevented from growing than to be fought after growing. Incidentally, the societal disease called corruption is not limited to embezzlement and theft of public funds. No abuse or betrayal of public privilege bears any name other than corruption. And the subjective practice of journalism in Nigeria is one of such diseases. That is why the tentacle of the corruption-fighting organs like EFCC and ICPC should be expanded and strengthened. So far, EFCC and ICPC can be called offices without authority. And this is casting a shadow on the acclaimed genuine intention of the government to fight corruption in Nigeria. The first boss of EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was able to put up some bravado while in office because of unlimited financial resources made available to him by the then President Obasanjo for whatever agenda. When Mallam Ribadu left office, the bravado left with him and the scorching EFCC became a subject of unwarranted scrutiny.

On the other hand, the first Chairman of ICPC, Justice Mustapha Akanbi, had to quit office when he observed that the intention of the initiators of that institution was at variance with the mode of operation put in place. And in that situation it would take a miracle to function as effectively as expected by the well-meaning section of the public. His successor, Justice Emanuel Ayoola, had to ensure that some amendment was made to the act that established ICPC before he could make up his mind to accept the job of its Chairman. The summary here is that if we must seriously fight corruption, we must seriously fund the agencies set up to face the task. Corruption is not about money alone. Neither is it limited to public office holders. Fighting the monster should therefore be a matter of national orientation which should be taught in schools. Corruption is as incurable as cancer. Concentrating on merely arresting public office holders who stole public funds alone is like scratching the skin of the monster on the surface.

The seriousness of the government in fighting corruption will be better acknowledged in the area of prevention than that of cure. And that requires not only adequate funding but also sincere mobilization which must be done with all hands on deck now and not later. And the role of Nigerian journalists in this is unlimitedly vital.

August 30, 2024
The Message in Retrospect

Preamble

The Ability to speak or write is a special gift from the Almighty Allah. With time, such ability may become a hobby and eventually grow into a skill. Speaking, no matter how eloquently, cannot be as important as getting audience. So is the case with writing. A speaker can be classified as an orator only by his audience. Radio and television broadcasters as well as public motivational speakers can attest to this fact. Similarly, an author or a columnist can be celebrated or denigrated only by his readers. Any writer who takes his readers for granted, therefore, can only do so at his/her own peril. Such a writer may not be qualified for an author or a columnist.

Memory Lane

Ever since yours sincerely started writing this column in The Nation newspaper, in September, 2006 (18 years ago) no week has passed by without a barrage of reactions reaching me in torrents from venerable readers of ‘The Message’. Even on some occasions when the column is not published for one reason or another, readers’ comments and observations do come torrentially either in form of questions or that of inquiries.

This is not just because I called the column a participatory one in its maiden edition but mostly because some readers who had long been familiar with it since its inception in Concord newspaper, in 1982, acknowledge its quality and appreciate the method with which it is presented to showcase Islam to the world in its true colour every Friday. For instance on a particular topic entitled: ‘NO! MR. PRESIDENT, NO!’ which was published in this column on February 2, 2007, when a onetime Army General from the Southwest, Chief Mathew Olusegun Okikiolakan Aremu Obasanjo was at the twilight of his second term of four years in office as Nigerian Presiden, I received 189 phone calls, 107 text messages and 143 written comments through the e-mail. That was the article that forced me to stop allowing verbal comments on the contents of this column. The article in question was published after the commencement of this column in The Nation newspaper. After I left Concord newspaper in 1989, most readers of this column followed it to other Nigerian newspapers like Vanguard, The Monitor and The Nation. Some even followed it to some foreign magazines such as The Inquiry, Al-Afkar, Africa Now, At-Tawheed and a host of others including academic journals. Thus, questions, observations and comments kept coming consistently into this column from various parts of the world in form of reactions. And that trend continues till date.

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Comment

Now, 18 years after the column named ‘The Message’ debut in The Nation newspaper, I consider it fair to refresh the memories of its original readers by recalling some of those reactions in retrospect if only to further confirm that readers, like customers, are kings and queens in their own rights. After all, it is only a novice writer that will close his/her ears or eyes to readers’ comments even if such comments are incongruent to the writer’s thought and posture. Ordinarily, as a columnist, I often feel psychologically elated when reactions to my column come in from different conceivable angles, based on different interpretations and perceptions.

Published Reactions

It should be noted that the few reactions to some articles published in this column over a decade ago, and recalled below were randomly selected from the piling chunk in my kitty at that time. Those reactions were, however, not necessarily more important than many others which were not published then. Meanwhile, in the spirit of readers’ participation, some new reactions to this column may soon resume random publication as space may permit. This may strengthen the trust of the readers in the consistency of the column.

While thanking all the readers of this 42 year old column, particularly those who have been reacting to it (home and abroad), since its inception, for their encouragement and well wish. I pray the Almighty Allah to appreciate their good intentions and encouraging actions as He (Allah) alone can reward them commensurately.

First Meeting With the Sultan

It came as an undreamt surprise when my telephone rang at exactly 11.50 am on the first Sunday of February, 2007. My first reaction after picking the call was: “please, who is on the line?” especially when the call came without an identity. The caller simply identified himself as SA’AD ABUBAKAR. I immediately tarried a while and searched my brain for a possible familiarization with that identity. But while doing that, I did not know that I was repeating the name Sa’d Abubakar in a seeming soliloquy until His Eminence retorted: “Ah! Don’t you know anybody bearing that name?” Pronto! In my reaction, I said “the only person I can think of that bears that name is the new Sultan”. It was then that His Eminence said: “alright, this is the Sultan”. At that point I became completely bewildered and dumfounded. The only clear words that I could utter thereafter were “Your Eminence!” before I went stammering. I was so much overwhelmed that I thought I was in a dream.

With a tone of commendation in that telephone conversation, His Eminence appreciated my modest contribution to Islamic propagation in Nigeria and said that he had been reading my column since the now defunct Concord days. He counselled me never to relent especially in calling a spade a spade as I had been doing without minding whose ox is gored. And, as the Commander of the Muslim faithful, (Amirul Muminin) in Nigeria, he showered royal prayers on me and promised to be calling again in future.

That was one call that made, not just my day, but probably my year. It was one reaction that confirmed an observation I once expressed in an article published in this column about this new Sultan shortly after his installation.

By that surprise call alone, the new Sultan added to the chain of “FIRSTS’ which I listed in the mentioned article. In my 42 years of experience in journalism, as at that time, I could not remember when any public figure of Sultan’s status ever made a similar call to any ‘common journalist’ except when seeking a media favour. And here was a continental Sultan finding time to call a bloody columnist on telephone to express his appreciation of the latter’s propagation efforts.

A Launch With His Eminence

About two weeks after the above narrated encounter with him on the telephone, His Eminence called again to invite yours sincerely to Kaduna from Ibadan for a launch with him. And, at his temporary palace in Kaduna at that time, this great Sultan sat down with me on bare carpet where we took a special launch together. That was my first experience of royal conduct in Nigeria’s contemporary Sultanate.

By his conduct and actions so far, since he came to the exalted throne, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, has shown, by all means, an exemplary leadership for other Nigerian leaders or aspiring leaders to emulate. With him, Nigerian Muslims are being reminded of the Caliphate time of Umar Bn Khattab and Umar Bn Abdul Aziz when it was established and entrenched that leadership is neither by vicious display of force nor by crude bully and animalistic brutality. May the Almighty Allah be merciful to Nigerian Muslim Ummah by preserving the life of this Sultan with divine guidance and protection for the good of this life and that of the Hereafter. We also pray that his glowing crescent may never experience an eclipse. Amin.

Some Readers’ Reactions

“Femi, EFCC is on the side of the poor. That is why the thieves in high places want to destroy it. Someday, state power will become the oppressed and the oppressors will fall to rise no more”. Amos Ejimonye, Kaduna.

“Mr. Femi Abbas, your write -up on EFCC made my day glorious. Tafa Balogun, former IGP, saw danger in the enormous power conferred on the youthful Ribadu. Ehindero’s greed for power conspired with Ribadu to oust him. The same Obasanjo will consume both Ribadu and Ehindero after April polls. You have said it all. Keep watching. God bless you”. Afolabi, ACP, (rtd).

“Salam alaikun,

I read The Nation Newspaper published on February 2, 2007. In fact, I like the way you advised Mr. President. May Allah reward you abundantly. Keep it up, it is part of Jihad.

May Allah ‘SWT’, continue to protect you as He may continue to enrich your thinking. Last Friday’s essay was prophetic”. A.A. Amoo, Ede .

“Dear Brother, your write-up on Mr. President’s inconsistencies last Friday was very superb. May Allah continue to increase your knowledge”.

Owolabi Abdullah.

“Your article: ‘NO! Mr. President, NO!’ is a great piece and a great voice of hope at a time of sickening sycophancy. God bless you for it”.

Dele, Lagos .

“Femi, your 02-02-07 article brought out tears from my eyes, I found it hard to eat. Seriously, I became sleepless. May God see us through this terrible mess?

Segun Eleshin.

“Salam!

Good write-up in The Nation this morning. Please keep it up”.

Lai Olurode, UNILAG.

“Salam,

Brother Abbas, thank you for your great contribution on Muslim family. What I read in The Nation newspaper last December 2006 concerning Muslim-Family was a good Article. I will be expecting more from you”.

Abdul -Yekeen Mustapha. Owo Poly, H.N.D 2, BAM, Ondo State. Mas-salam.

“Dear Femi Abbas, your article today on the atrocities of the current regime under the topic: ‘NO! MR, PRESIDENT, NO!’ is an eye opener. It reminds me of your powerful column in the good old days of Concord newspaper. You are a special gift to Islam in Nigeria. I hope that one day you will be recognized by Nigerian Muslim community as the late AbulA’la Al- Maududi was recognized in India or Ahmad Deedat in South Africa. And, if not, may Allah recognize you and shower you with the rewards of the Prophet’s great scribe, Zayd bn Thabit. Jazakumu – Llahkhayran”.

Idris Mustapha, Zaria .

“Brother Femi Abbas, I did not know that you write a column in The Nation newspaper until my attention was drawn to it this morning. The last time I read your article was in Vanguard and that was some years ago. The analysis on the EFCC is fantastic as usual. I had always believed that the establishment of the EFCC was a good action based on a dirty intention. The recent developments in the country concerning that commission have vindicated my belief. And, your analysis tallied with my thought on the commission. I totally agree with you that the commission is a peculiar mess to Nigeria, created by the current peculiar ruling class to further oppress the populace in the name of fighting corruption. Now that I know of this column, ‘The Nation’, automatically becomes my premium newspaper. God bless you”.

Sherifah Abdullah, Lagos.

“Femi, thank you for your brilliant Friday sermons, coming up in form of a column. Without a gun or sword, you have voluntarily chosen to be the people’s soldier defending us fiercely against the raging tsunami of the satanic forces who, unfortunately, happen to be our rulers today. I particularly enjoy your writing on Mr. President’s perception of national security and of course, the one on EFCC. If columnists like you were many, who can call a spade its real name, perhaps Nigeria would not have slipped into the hands of devils. Please fire on. Your pen is mightier than their missiles”.

Bayo Jemitan, Ilorin .

“Hello! Femi, Reading your column every Friday is like drinking cold, fresh water after a long trek in a hot desert. I am not a Muslim, but I see your column as one for all good Nigerians and not Muslims alone. With your article: ‘NO! MR. PRESIDENT, NO!’ published on February 2, 2007, you have endeared me to The Nation Newspaper. If what you are doing in that column is what Muslims call Jihad, then I am totally for it. Don’t rest on your oars. May God strengthen your fortress in all directions?”

James Ahamisu, Asaba.

“Thank you for reminding us of the late great leader, General Murtala Muhammed, in your article of last Friday titled-‘EFCC: LET THE TRUTH BE TOLD’. If anybody is qualified to be called the father of modern Nigeria it is General Muhammed and not the leopard called Obasanjo, now parading himself as such. Through your article, we still remember that great leader’s (MurtalaMuhammad) revolution, reformation and reorientation of Nigeria within six months of his governance. Murtala was an impartial creator and executor of ideas. He was an exemplary leader who started reformation of our society with himself. He surrendered his personal property to the state because he believed that he wrongly used his office to acquire it before he became Head of State. And, he never sold any state property to himself at give-away price. Neither did he flout the law of the land despite the fact that he was a military Head of State. That was a leader by all standards. He and not the current impostor, self-styled messiah (Obasanjo), should be called and recognized as the father of modern Nigeria” .Ademola Atolagbe, Owu, Abeokuta .

“Hello! Femi, you are not alone in your opinion on President Obasanjo’s misconception of national security. Having moved from the prison to the Presidency without rehabilitation and reorientation, the man lost touch with modern reality and ruled with a prisoner’s vision. He has forgotten how Abacha started and ended. Such is the characteristic of African leaders. By the time he leaves the office very soon, and joins the league of former Presidents, God willing, his eyes will be opened to the reality of what Nigeria is. Those who refuse to learn from history will surely bear the brunt of history”.

Okey Ibeabuchi, Owerri.

“Mr. Abbas, with your article published on December 1, 2006, entitled ‘- GOD! GIVE US A LEADER….’ You touched the hearts of most living Nigerians. That prayer was a precise summary of all prayers which most Nigerians have been offering especially about leadership. What remains for us is simply to say Amen! God bless you”.

Daniel Akpan, Calabar.

NB: Very soon, this column may begin a Jihad against two major scourges threatening to devour our dear country soul and body. One of the scourges is corruption. The other is religious hate speeches. The damages done to Nigeria by these two vices in the past few decades are better left to imagination. As a religious column, it becomes necessary to address these two vices for the sake of peaceful co-existence of the citizens in the present and in the future. In doing this, issues causing both scourges will be examined and assessed from all angles with a view to educating the populace on how to overcome them. Readers are expected to contribute to this Jihad if only to enable peace and prosperity reign in our country. And, by the grace of God, we shall not fail to succeed. Welcome on board.

August 9, 2024
Markaz : A rare centenary confluence

“There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done ; there are thousands to prophesy failure; there are thousands to point out to you one by one the dangers that wait to assail you; but just buckle in with a bit of a grin; just take off your coat and go to it; just start to sing as u tackle the thing ; “ that cannot be done’’ and you will do it’’ . Edgar A. Guest

Preamble

Philosophers who assert that every new century has a way of producing a great leader may not be wrong after all as their assertion has historically proofed axiomatic. Or how can the coincidence of a unique centenary confluence between two great icons (Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodio and Shaykh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory) be classified? The one died in April 1817 while the other was born in April 1917 and the exchange of baton between them was smooth in spite of the 100 years gap. That centenary coincidence between death and birth is the unique confluence that brought a galaxy of human stars to The University of Lagos penultimate Monday to chorus the historic chanting that “we are here to bear witness”. To discerning men and women of primordial and contemporary times, both icons had been relevant and they will continue to be relevant for many centuries to come.

For the very first time since its establishment in 1962 The University of Lagos hosted on behalf of Markaz a qualitative human galaxy that beat its imagination. And perhaps for the next one century UNILAG may not play host to a similar galaxy. It was unique in all its ramifications. In any event where great personalities like The Sultan of Sokoto, frontline Emir and other traditional rulers as well as governors, Senators, Ministers, federal and state legislators, CEO’s of giant industries, Proprietors and Vice Chancellor of Universities, Professors and other tertiary academia, Imams and Alfas as well as male and female business moguls from all part of the country, no limit can be ascribed to any description.

On the occasion series of historic speeches and remarks were made by people of timber and caliber from all walks of life. Some excerpts from such speeches and remarks are as follows

•The Sultan:

“Islamic education not backward”

The Sultan of Sokoto and President General Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), His Eminence Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar CFR, mni said that Islamic education is robust and not backward as some people often skeptically say.

“We cannot allow people to bring our heads down and say we are useless. We are highly educated. We need to take this challenge up and ask ourselves, ‘Why do people look at us Muslims as illiterates?’ I don’t understand how someone who is very fluent in reciting the Quran offhand with strong ability to read and write in Arabic language be called an illiterate because he doesn’t speak English.

Islamic education is perpetually an entity of self-discipline, which involves physical and spiritual training of man. It is the balanced growth of man through training of intellect. The bulk of Islamic education is meant to facilitate the proper growth of the total personality of man. It is a way of life. When we are talking about Islamic education, don’t think we are being backward because it is the making of a total human being and when you become one, you would shun corruption and avoid illegal dealings.

Al-Ilory was the founder of the great Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies (Markaz Agege,Lagos). He was a renowned Islamic preacher and still acclaimed even after his death in 1992.

Shaykh Adam Al-Ilory was not just a preacher but also a prolific writer who communicated his thoughts and ideas not only to his contemporaries but also to the younger generations. The evidence of his intellectual footprint on the sands of time is manifest today even decades after his demise. Those who want to be like him should emulate his efforts as he emulated the efforts of Shaykh Uthman Dan Fodio. May Allah repose the souls of the two great icons with eternal bliss…….”

•Dr. Bukola Saraki

The then Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, appealed to the audience to continue to do their best for education to ensure it works.

“For those of us who have been opportune, we will ensure that a place like Markaz continues to grow…….. ”

•Ibikunle Amosun

In his own speech, the then Governor of Ogun state, Ibikunle Amosun, said there was no better way to tell the Islam story than through education.

“Markaz satellite Campus will be established in Abeokuta and this will be with the support of the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar. We will support the growth of Islam with whatever we have because Islam is a religion of peace……”

•Dr. Wale Babalakin

The then Pro-chancellor of the University of Lagos, Dr. Wale Babalakin said that for Markaz to complete its proposed university it will need more funds.

“I am aware that Markaz needs to expand its premises and needs to buy neighboring properties but there is no feasibility to do that apart from the opportunity we have now at this gathering…….”

There were several other extemporaneous speeches and remarks made by other prominent personalities but which cannot be published here because of lack of space. However three lectures were scheduled for delivery at the occasion by the Sarkin kano, Alh. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Prof. Razaq ‘Deremi Abubakre and Prof. Is’haq Olanrewaju Oloyede respectively. But only two of those lectures were delivered because his royal highness, The Sarkin Kano was inevitably absent.

The First Lecture

By Professor Razaq ‘Deremi Abubakre

“There are telepathies in the air, or is it a convergence due to commonality of culture or similarity of experiences, between Shaykh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory and Alhaji Muhammad Gidado the Waziri of Kano who mooted the idea of establishing the Northern Provinces Law School, Kano, subsequent to his visit to the Gordon College now University of Khartoum in the Sudan in the early 1930s while on his way to the holy pilgrimage in Makkah. This was achieved with the approval of the Emir of Kano, Emir of Katsina, Waziri Gidado himself and support of the Sultan of Sokoto, Siddique Abubakar III, SarkinMusulmi, all of whom were constituted as a Committee chaired by the Deputy Governor, a British, to establish the College.

The same thing exists between Al-Ilory and Shaykh Muhammad At-Turkumami, Waziri Bida who was a lad followed his dad to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj and chose to stay behind in Egypt to further his education. The same similarity of purpose made Shaykh Ahmad At-Tijani Awelenje, Alfa Shaki (1897-1967), to undertake Hajj in the 1930s but elected to stay in Sudan for a year to benefit from the educational system in that country. This in turn enabled him to demand certain rights for the Muslim children in the prevailing colonial and missionary schools that were busy proselytizing Christianity through education among Muslims and non-Muslims in Yorubaland.

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There was communication between Shaykh Al-Ilory and Alhaji Ahmadu Bello the Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of Northern Nigeria as he embarked on Islamization of colonial education in spite of the cynicism of the colonial masters on the matter. The Sardauna, himself, a product of Government College, Katsina, where impeccable English was taught had a cause to minute as follows to the Minister under him as Premier of the North during the colonial time as follows:

I have gone through pp.11-13 but I regret I have seen nothing that attracts my mind to show that any immediate help is forthcoming to our Koranic Schools. I know your Ministry is full of British officials who are only out to help the Missionaries to firmly establish their own faith in this country and for that reason the large amounts of money you give to Voluntary Agencies are nothing compared to what I am asking for our people who are in majority.

This memo emanating from the desk of the Premier addressed to the Minister of Education in 1960, Alhaji Isa Kaita, showed that ‘the rich also cry’ so to speak when the concluding part is considered.

I am sorry to be so critical but I feel if anything at all is to be done for our common people which they can see in the near future it has to be done without delay. I have done my work as a leader but I leave the judgment to God.

I am sending copies of this minute to M. Ibrahim Musa Gashash, Alhaji Ahman Pategi and Alhaji Ibrahim Biu.

This was how the stage was like when Shaykh Al-Ilory established his Arabic and Islamic Training Centre, our beloved alma mater, first at Abeokuta in 1952 which was moved to Agege in 1954.

It is instructive to note that one century before the establishment of Markaz in Abeokuta, the Church Missionary Society headed by Henry Townsend was active here in the Christian evangelism. He was publishing the Iwe Iroyin fun Awon Egba ati gbogbo Yoruba. This environment encouraged Bamigbola to establish the Arabic Printing Press here with the literary prowess of Al-Ilory feeding the Press and nurturing it. However, it is in spite of and because of the experiences of Al-Ilory that he was the first to establish a modernized Arabic school with known curriculum, use of register, clear-cut division of students to different levels according to their performance, use of school uniform, use of students chairs and desks as well as teachers’ tables and chairs in a well-ventilated classroom with learning aids such as chalkboard, learning and instruction charts placed on the walls of the classrooms, use of jingle bells to announce assembly, change of period, and break for recess as well as closing….

One striking activity of the Shaykh which has made an indelible mark on the minds of the students was his introduction of external examination system for final year students. For us who ran through the ladder of education in Nigeria and beyond, we were amazed that the Shaykh was totally committed to quality assurance right from the 1950s towards the mid-60s when we passed out of the College. It also sent a message to the students about the impeccable integrity of the examinations which are to be vetted externally both in the quality of questions set and the quality of answers given by the students. Students had to therefore gird their loins as the standard of the examination cannot be impugned.

In 1957, Shaykh Al-Ilory wrote what can be termed in language taxonomy a diachronic study of the emergence of the scheme of teaching with focus on the Muslim world but not without delving at length into what happens in the Euro-Christian hemisphere. This book, Nizamu ‘t-Ta‘limu’l-‘Arabiyy wata’rikhuh fi’l-‘Alami’l-’Islami which was published in subsequent editions in Beirut 1967 and Damascus 1981. This book is one centrally written on education which stands out among other scores of publications issued out during his life time and those published after his demise by his noble son Shaykh Habeebullahi Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory OON, his indefatigable scion who is working tirelessly to keep the Markaz flag raised aloft…..

Shaykh propagated interfaith understanding and cooperation especially at the twilight of his life. He emphasized unity, solidarity and positive focus on matters that unite Nigerians irrespective of ethnic or religious differences. He always corroborated this virtue with the fact that when he was honored by the Egyptian government as a laureate of Arabic and sciences, he noted that a female scientist who was a Christian from Europe was also honored along with him and the doyen of Islamic literature in the Arab hemisphere Mahmud A’qqad….

In the task of purification of the society, Al-Ilory established League of Imams and Alfas in the Southwestern Nigeria after the tenth anniversary of Markaz and made Ibadan its headquarters. Here, he united the Muslim scholars in a way never hitherto achieved. He also set for himself the task of guiding many Muslim philanthropists who would spend their resources purely on mundane matters to have a rethink to seek the ways of Allah. Such philanthropists include Are Ariskeola Alao, a man of Ibadan make and stuff, Basorun MKO Abiola and Alhaji Tunde Badmus among others. MKO Abiola’s recognition of Shaykh Al-Ilory as his spiritual guide, contributed in no small measure to the blessings of right guidance bestowed on him by Allah soon after the death of Shaykh when he contested a universally adjudged free and fair election and he was presumed to have won.

One concluding remark is that the same method adopted by non-Muslims to convert Muslim children to another religion when Al-Ilory was reacting with his activities over 66 years ago, lingers on now. The case being handled with levity and disinterestedness by the contemporary Muslims in spite of their stupendous wealth is the lop-sidedness of Muslim owned private universities vis-à-vis others with just six for the Muslims in the whole of Nigeria. Of these six, two are in the Southwest, Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State and Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun State. There are also two in the North Central both of which are in Kwara State with Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin and Summit University, Offa. There is one in the Northeast with America University of Nigeria, Yola, established by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Adamawa State. The last one is from the Northwest with Al-Qalam University, Katsina State. It is ominous that the remaining 68 private universities across the country are owned by non-Muslims.

Second Lecture

By Prof Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, OFR, FNAL. Former Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin. Registrar, JAMB, Abuja and Secretary-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).

“War against Corruption and indiscipline (WAI) in the life of the people and government: the journey so far

An excerpt from this lecture is as follows:…

How could I begin to tell the story of a crime being perpetrated by citizens of a great nation such as ours and not risk being misunderstood? For me this problem becomes particularly more pertinent given my current assignment and more importantly given the current situation in this country where books are being written on indiscipline by those who abhor discipline like death; books are being written on corruption by those who drink and eat corruption and sleep on beds of corruption everyday. Thus I considered the assignment doubly difficult when it is meant to mark the centenary of the birth of a scholar who detested corruption and indiscipline, a Shaykh who fulminated scum and sleaze and an ideologue whose ministrations and evangelizations were circumscribed by campaigns against indecency of all types. Shaykh Adam Abdullah al-Ilori was one of those ornaments of this world who wrote against what he referred to as Taqalid al-Jahiliyyah- the ways and methods of the days of ignorance. If there were sermons and exegetical postures of shaykh which brought out his intellectual acumen, such could be seen in the way he caricaturized and attacked acts of indiscipline and corruption by all segments of the Nigerian society over three decades ago. When I reviewed some of those written and audio-visual materials in which Shaykh deprecated acts of indiscipline and corruption in our society it was as if he wrote and delivered all of them only yesterday.

But again I took all of the above along my stride. I concluded that such is their way; the way of great men. They are great those who take action with the vision of bringing what is beyond the eyes of mere men into reality for them to come to a certain realization. He is great; they are great those who gave people reasons to reason, showed people the essence of life and cleared the path to take people on a journey of self-discovery. It is always their duty, the duty of great men to unearth the forgotten, to make connections that were denied, to cite alternative courses of action. As a great scholar, Shaykh Adam represented all of the above and more. If anyone is still in doubt about how great our Shaykh was/is, let him or her contemplate the assemblage of the ornaments of society in this hall today.

But I must proceed like Shaykh Adam Abdullah al-Ilory would have wanted me to proceed for this lecture. If he were to be alive, he would have loved to be questioned once again on the subject matter of today’s lecture. He would have loved to engage the topic afresh as if he never did before; the topic of indiscipline and corruption. Shaykh Adam would have sought to remind us, like he always did, that to talk about indiscipline is to talk about corruption and to talk about corruption is to talk about indiscipline.

Thus my approach in this lecture becomes clear. I propose to explore the two categories of indiscipline and corruption as mutually dependent or interdependent categories. I intend to account for the reasons indiscipline and corruption have become fashionable today and its costs for our nation or any nation. I equally hope to remind us of the reason why Islam has prescribed harsh punishments as deterrents for the two infractions. I propose to lace my discussions up with interventions from Shaykh Adam on these two cankerworms.

Grappling with Indiscipline

“…..At the individual level, indiscipline is manifested through unruly behavior, disobedience to constituted authorities, involvement in all acts and actions which run foul of decorum and decency. In our schools and institutions of higher learning, indiscipline is seen among students when they flout school rules, when they come late to school, when they refuse to turn in their assignments, when they cheat during examinations, when they wear sagging and deliberately torn trousers to schools, when they riot in the dining hall, when boys wear earrings in the name of fashion, when girls wear jalabiyyah, etc.

Again, indiscipline in our school system becomes manifest when teachers and lecturers come late to school, to classes and to lectures as the case may be; when teachers turn schools to market square for hawking shoes, shirts and other items; when teachers and lecturers engage in immoral relationships with their students; when teachers and lecturers turn lecture rooms and classrooms to missionary grounds where souls are bought in “his” name.

One way the government of former military head of state and then Head of state Muhammad Buhari sought to fight the war against indiscipline in our communal life in 1984 was along two main axes: that of instilling order and decorum in public places and that of criminalizing culture of filth and dirt which had become ‘fashionable’ all around the country. Before his military emergence, Nigerians were in the habit of never waiting for their turns in banks, in hospitals, in pharmacy stores etc. Everybody was always in a hurry. Before the coming of Buhari regime, Nigerian cities had the inglorious reputation of being the dirtiest in the world. Some Nigerians would defecate in the extremities of their backyard and would have no shame while throwing their insuperable stuff in the middle of the road.

But that was not all. In the days gone by we came to appreciate the evil of indiscipline in public offices. We became aware of the indiscipline in the civil service, where files would not move from one table to the other because money had not yet changed hands or the officer in charge had absconded. The indiscipline in government offices where civil servants would resume late for work and close before 4p.m was being challenged.

Causes of Indiscipline

“…..Indiscipline is caused by three major factors namely, bad home influence, lack/incomplete/bad education and most importantly incidences of corruption in the society. In our society today, some of our children have no place to call their home. This is because some parents have little or no time for their children anymore. From age five or seven, a child is taken to nursery or kindergarten school and would not return home until late in the night when the parents would have come back from their pursuit of material comforts….

“……Our society contributes in no small way to the wave of indiscipline assailing us as a nation. Indiscipline pays because there appears to be no punishment in our statutes for it; corruption festers because our laws target not the big men and women who perpetrate corruption but the smaller elements who indulge in sleaze and lucre at the lower level. Unfounded allegations of corruptions also stimulate corruption because the guilty may plead victimization….”

This lecture is too important to publish an excerpt from it. Its full length will be published in this column in the nearest future In Sha ’Allah.

August 2, 2024
Islam in the Eyes of Nigerian Media

Preamble

In response to a particular question coming incessantly to this column from every conceivable angle in Nigeria, yours sincerely decided to recall an article published in this column in 2007 which answers the recurring question.

The enquirers wanted to know why Muslims and their activities are not as vivid in Nigerian media as those of their Christian counterparts. The article that served as an answer to that question goes thus:

“Information is power. It can make or mar. An informer must be informed. He must know what information to disseminate. He must know, not only when and where to disseminate such information but also how to do it. These are the attributes that can qualify journalists as professionals in their calling.

Journalism as a profession is not about news gathering and news reporting alone. It is also about dissemination of genuine information, transmission of valuable education and even presentation of meaningful entertainment. That is why a journalist is perceived as a professional who knows or should know something about everything in existence. To be a thorough professional, a journalist must be knowledgeable in various fields of discipline no matter how little. For instance, a journalist cannot report space exploration without some scientific knowledge of astronomy. He cannot report war without some knowledge of weaponry and the geography of war areas as well as the social history of the involved warring groups or nations. Also, no journalist can report a religious festival without knowing some jargons of the religion in question.

And, of course, in the process of filing his reports, a journalist must be conscious of the technical reportorial sequence to be followed. This is generally known in the profession as ‘five W’s and H’. The coded cliché here is interpreted as follows: “Who (does) What? Where? When? Why? And How?” Without practical knowledge of that sequence, a journalist cannot claim to be a professional in the practice of that noble profession.

Thus, from whatever angle journalism is viewed, knowledge remains the main axis around which journalists’ activities rotate. In a nutshell, no charlatan can claim an enclave in that noble profession without the required knowledge.

Prophetic Foresight

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had foreseen the effect and implications of positive or negative information dissemination before he implored Muslims to seek knowledge in what became one of his divinely guided prophetic saying (Hadith). This is how he put it: “Seek knowledge even if you will have to travel to as far a place as China”. He made that divinely guided statement at a time when China was known to be the farthest place from Arabia.

Essence of Knowledge

Nothing in the life of man is comparable to knowledge. As a matter of fact, life is worthwhile only if it is based on knowledge.

That was why the revelation of the Qur’an started on the premise of knowledge n 610 CE. The very first chapter of that Sacred Book commenced thus: “Read in the name of your Lord who created; He created man from clots of congealed blood. Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One, who taught by the pen, He taught man what he (man) did not know…”. And, to further emphasize this, the Prophet said that “knowledge is a missing substance and advised Muslims to search for it wherever they could find it”. He did not restrict such knowledge to religion. Without knowledge, there can be no right information.

Origin of Journalism

Contrary to the falsehood documented and disseminated by the Western world that journalism started in Germany in the 15th century, it was the Muslims who actually started journalism in Arabia about 1500 years ago. Though they did not call it journalism, it was they who started what we now call journalism through the process they followed in documenting Hadith (the prophetic tradition and rightly guided statements of Prophet Muhammad).

In order to prevent false documentation of any fabricated statements in the name of the Prophet, some Muslim researchers took up the task of ascertaining what the Prophet actually said or did as against what some prominence-seekers were trying to attribute to him after his demise. It was a thorough investigative job voluntarily done by certain individuals to retain the authenticity of Islam. Foremost among such great researchers were Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas’ud, Anas Bn Malik, Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Daud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nisai, IbnMajah and a host of others.

For the purpose of authenticity, these great scholars introduced what they called ‘Chain of Narration’ (Isnad). Through that Chain, they endeavoured to trace the source of every Hadith quoted and credited to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Such narrations were graded as: Sahih (indisputably genuine); Hasanun Sahihun (perfectly authentic); Hasanun (genuine); Dai‘f; Munqatiu’ (broken); Gharib (strange) Mawdu‘ (fabricated) and so forth. Thus, from the final documentation through this process, Hadith was transmitted from generation to generation just as we transmit news stories today in professional journalism.

Without the great efforts of the above mentioned researchers, the world would have been flooded today with all sorts of fabricated expressions falsely credited to the Prophet. And such fabrications would have thrown the Muslim Ummah into total confusion even as Islam itself would have been shrouded in doubt.

Prophetic Recognition of Information

The very first Minister appointed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as Head of State was that of information.

The black man called Bilal, who was charged with informing Muslims of the time of Salat by making ‘Adhan’, was the appointed Minister of Information. That shows how important information is to Islam.

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However, when journalism as we know it today was introduced to Nigeria in the 19th century, it was through the perception and mentality of the Christian colonial masters. Although the earliest Nigerian journalists were quick to realize the power of the Press which they used to fight for Nigerian independence, they nevertheless inherited the Christian colonial traditions which are still causing disharmony in our society today. One of such traditions is religious perception. For instance, an average Nigerian journalist does not see anything positive in Islam as a religion because he/she is blatantly ignorant of its tenets. This is not to say that journalists cannot understand Islam if given the opportunity, but the colonial orientation they inherited is such that they must not see anything good in the religion called Islam. And to ensure the effectiveness of that obnoxious indoctrination, most of Nigerian journalists who are based in the Southern part of the country were enlisted on the pay roll of various Churches. And for this reason they had to follow the dictates of those Churches by imitating the Western reportorial orientation which must paint Islam and its adherents in black colour and portray that divine religion as a hub of trouble.

Facts in Retrospect

For well over a century after the introduction of journalism to Nigeria, the word ISLAM and MUSLIMS were reported in Nigerian media, like in European media, as Mohammedanism and Mohammedans respectively. It took the few Muslim scholars and journalists in Europe at that time to counter that obnoxiousness which was deliberately hung on the neck of Islam before it was changed. Even as of today, and against the ethics of their profession, most Nigerian journalists take pleasure in writing or pronouncing word ‘MOSLEM’ rather than ‘MUSLIM’ knowing fully well that the earlier is derogatory to Islam and abhorrent to Muslims.

Editorialisation

In news reporting and even editorials of many newspapers, some journalists have ridiculously embarrassed themselves, their media outfits as well as their Muslim readers by confusing EidulAdha with Eidul-Fitr during Muslim festivals out of deliberate refusal to want to know anything about Islam. On the other hand, no Muslim journalist will ever confuse Christmas with Easter or make reference to Jesus Christ or even Christianity in a derogatory manner. It is rather shameful and ridiculous that most Southern Nigerian journalists behave as if they enjoy special immunity in freedom of expression even as they arrogantly bask in the euphoria of a non-existing monopoly of religious hysteria.

Another instance is the seeming malicious manner in which some Southern Nigerian journalists do report the outbreak of events and occurrences in the country particularly at very sensitive times thereby compounding any problem at hand. It has virtually become a tradition particularly in the Southern axis of Nigerian media to describe youths who engage in any disturbing activities in the north as ‘FANATICS’ or ‘FUNDAMENTALISTS’ or ‘ZEALOTS’ even before the details of whatever happened become known. And in other parts of the country, such restive youths are merely reported as militants or bandits. The implication here is that any disturbance in the Muslim dominated areas of the north must automatically cloaked in garb of Islamic religion which is criminally perceived as the breeder of fanaticism. And when the trend of such restiveness is seen as tortuous to Islamic and Muslim images, the Christo-journalists of Southern Nigeria turn their back by refusing to report the incident.

These and other religiously insensitive reporting can be potentially dangerous for the corporate existence of this volatile country. We had witnessed crises precipitated by such insensitivity in the remote and recent past. But the big question is: why are Nigerian Muslims apathetic to media engagements?

Muslims in Nigerian Media

Muslims in the media generally must have good knowledge of Christianity and the culture of its adherents just as Christian journalist must know the dos and don’ts of Islam and the Muslims. Arabic is not a language meant for the Muslims alone. There are Christian Arabs who speak no language other than Arabic. And, there is no record anywhere to show that Prophet Isa (Jesus) ever spoke English which is the main language of the Bible in Nigeria today. Both Islam and Christianity came to meet us here in Nigeria. Why must we use them to destroy ourselves on the pages of newspapers or on radio and television stations?

One of the responsibilities of the media is to ventilate a peaceful atmosphere for harmonious co-existence of the people. Thus, any educated and civilized professional journalist in Nigeria must not shirk such a fundamental responsibility at this age of internet. For the sake of our collective survival, no combative or provocative journalism should be extended to religious sphere.

Jihad against Corruption

From time immemorial, man has learned through experience that it is better to prevent a disease than to cure it. One old disease which still remains young in contemporary time, despite its age, and keeps growing on the palm of man is corruption. This monstrous human ailment is like an implacable virus constantly threatening to metamorphose into full blown cancer as it eats deeply into the fabrics of its victims. Once it is allowed to so grow, its cure becomes impossible. And, coping with it in that circumstance, is like chasing a mirage.

Corruption is a much more deadly disease than what can be fought with hand in glove. As the mother of all crimes, corruption will be better prevented from growing than to be fought after growing. Incidentally, the societal disease called corruption is not limited to embezzlement and theft of public funds. No abuse or betrayal of public privilege bears any name other than corruption. And the subjective practice of journalism in Nigeria is one of such diseases. That is why the tentacle of the corruption-fighting organs like EFCC and ICPC should be expanded and strengthened. So far, EFCC and ICPC can be called offices without authority.

And this is casting a shadow on the acclaimed genuine intention of the government to fight corruption in Nigeria. The first boss of EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was able to put up some bravado while in office because of unlimited financial resources made available to him by the then President Obasanjo for whatever agenda. When Mallam Ribadu left office, the bravado left with him and the scorching EFCC became a subject of unwarranted scrutiny.

On the other hand, the first Chairman of ICPC, Justice Mustapha Akanbi, had to quit office when he observed that the intention of the initiators of that institution was at variance with the mode of operation put in place. And in that situation it would take a miracle to function as effectively as expected by the well-meaning section of the public. His successor, Justice Emanuel Ayoola, had to ensure that some amendment was made to the act that established ICPC before he could make up his mind to accept the job of its Chairman. The summary here is that if we must seriously fight corruption, we must seriously fund the agencies set up to face the task. Corruption is not about money alone. Neither is it limited to public office holders. Fighting the monster should therefore be a matter of national orientation which should be taught in schools. Corruption is as incurable as cancer. Concentrating on merely arresting public office holders who stole public funds alone is like scratching the skin of the monster on the surface.

The seriousness of the government in fighting corruption will be better acknowledged in the area of prevention than that of cure. And that requires not only adequate funding but also sincere mobilization which must be done with all hands on deck now and not later. And the role of Nigerian journalists in this is unlimitedly vital.

June 21, 2024
Islamic solution to Leadership Problem

Monologue

Like in any other week, the competition for attention by emerging issues, for this column this week is extraordinarily intense. The choice of one of those issues by any columnist must thus become a problem capable of causing confusion. The case of yours sincerely cannot be an exception. That is a confirmation that the dilemma of any worthy columnist is not a dearth of ideas but a deluge of them. For instance, which national or international contemporary issue in today’s world does not deserve attention of ‘The Message’ column now? Is it the sudden demise of the former Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi in a suspicious circumstance or the implacable tension between Trump’s American government and the Islamic Republic of Iran or the severe persecution of Muslims in China and Myanmar or the seemingly endemic plight of the Kashmiri people who, as Muslims, are being forcefully subjected to Hindu rule in India or the callous murder of an American based Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in cold blood in Istanbul or the frightening menace of banditry and kidnapping across Nigeria or even the incessantly ravaging atrocities of certain voluntary agents of Satan called Boko Haram? Looking at all these issues and many more, not mentioned here, the tendency is to conclude that the modern world is fast approaching its end. Yet, the role of leadership in making success of most of these issues cannot be underestimated. Without leaders, there are no nations.

Preamble

The title of today’s article in this column is not originally a coinage of ‘THE MESSAGE’. It is rather the theme of a public Ramadan lecture organised by Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF) in Ilorin to which yours sincerely was invited as the guest lecturer on August 29, 2010.

Who is Mustapha Akanbi?

The name Mustapha Akanbi cannot be strange to any educated Nigerian of contemporary time. That was a household name in Nigeria and beyond especially for those who are familiar with the Independent Corrupt Practices (and other related offences) Commission (ICPC). The first Chairman of that Commission was Justice Mustapha Akanbi, an erstwhile President of the Federal Court of Appeal of Nigeria. For the entire 35 years of his service in the judiciary, all that can be called his property was just a modest three bedroom bungalow in which he lived in Ilorin till his demise recently.

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The MAF Foundation

Established in September 2006 shortly after its founder (Justice Mustapha Akanbi) voluntarily resigned as the Chairman of ICPC despite the overwhelming pressure on him to continue his service, MAF is a non-governmental and non-partisan organisation dedicated to the uplift of mankind and to the enthronement of justice, equity and fair play as well as the promotion of the quintessential virtues of honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability in all human activities.

The Foundation is committed to being in the vanguard of revolutionary changes aimed at reforming and transforming our society from being a body of self-serving individuals to a nation that places high premium on selfless service for the common good of all. MAF Foundation, therefore, has, as its focus, the building and sustenance of a great nation founded on sound ethical values and good governance capable of holding its own in the comity of nations. It is in line with its focus that the Foundation chose the theme of today’s article and invited yours sincerely as the guest lecturer.

At the occasion which was held in the month of Ramadan, I alluded briefly to the significance of Ramadan in the life of an average Muslim.

Point of Reverence

This is a period of relevant reference in Nigeria. This is a time when history displays its duty as the teacher of man. The current trend of dirty banters in the country is both a reminder and a point of reference for men and women of decent pedigree and impeccable dignity. This is a time when disciplined parents and patriotic citizens are identifiable. This is the time in Nigeria’s contemporary history when human wheat can be separated from human chaff. This is the time of distinguishing between shame and shamelessness on the one hand and decency and indecency on the other. This is the time when lovers and haters of Nigeria can be known. It is the above mentioned issues that make this article a point of reference. And the reference is the lecture that yours sincerely delivered at the MAF Foundation in 2010.

The lecture

As a preamble, I told my audience that thinking of leadership in terms of those who are privileged to govern the country alone can never solve the problem of bad leadership in Nigeria. Leadership does not start from the top. It is rather a matter of good home management and excellent upbringing of children. Leadership is like a pyramid which has a base and an apex. Whoever wants to assess leadership in a society must start from the base rather than the apex. It will be unreasonable to start sighting major faults at the roof of a house when the foundation of the same house is evidently faulty. Generally, children learn from their parents’ actions much more than from the latter’s preaching.

Any parent who starts the upbringing of his or her children with lavish celebration of birthday without teaching such children the act of legitimate money making early in life has initiated such children into the cult of reckless spending spree. The tendency for such children when they grow up is to look for money to spend from any source including pilfering, stealing, kidnapping and ritual killing for money. What will be virtuous to such children is to get money to spend. It will never matter to them how they come about such money. And that is the root of corruption in a society like Nigeria where parents assist their children to cheat in examinations or to get admitted into higher institutions with fraudulent pre-requisites.

Leadership in Islam

In Islam, leadership is so sacrosanct that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) never relented in warning all leaders and aspirants to leadership about the delicate nature of ruling the people. In his farewell sermon in 631 CE, he reminded the Muslim Ummah that leadership is a great responsibility entrusted to an individual by the society as ordained by the Almighty Allah. The Prophet also admonished the people on their responsibility to both the state and leadership quoting Qur’an 4, Verse 59 thus:

“Oh you, who believe, Obey Allah, obey the Messenger (of Allah) and those charged with authority among you. If you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger if you do believe in Allah and the last day. That is best and most suitable for final determination”. Quran 4 verse 59.

However, he did not stop there. He went further to explain that obedience to those charged with authority is conditioned by their (those in authority’s) own obedience to God in their deeds as well as the rule of law that governs them. In one of his statements, he said there is no obedience or loyalty to any human being, ruler or otherwise, who is not himself, obedient to God and the rule of law. He concluded that: “Whoever entrusts a man to a public office, where, in his society, there is a better man than this trustee, has betrayed the trust of God and His Messenger as well as the people of that society”.Hadith.

The Prophet’s Exemplary Leadership

The exemplary leadership of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his great teachings were scrupulously followed by the Caliphs who succeeded him in office. When, shortly after the Prophet’s demise, Abubakr was elected as the first Caliph, his primary objective was to continue the pious administration which the Prophet left behind. He took the mantle of leadership with which he was saddled as a responsibility to Allah.

In his acceptance speech as new Head of State, he addressed the people as follows: “Oh people behold me charged with the cares of government. Yet, I am not the best of you. In carrying out this great responsibility, I need your advice and assistance. If you find me doing well, please support me. If I make mistake, counsel me.

To tell the truth to a person commissioned to rule is faithful allegiance. So long I obey God and act according to law, obey me. But if I neglect the law of God and His Prophet, I have no more right to your obedience. The strong among you shall have no right over the weak on the basis of his strength. Neither shall there be any room for sycophancy, nepotism or undue favouritism. Authority, power and sovereignty belong to Allah alone in whose hand is dominion over all things….”

Comment

From the foregoing, and contrary to what is happening today, especially in Nigeria, it is clear that leadership is a privilege rather than anybody’s right. It is a public trust which should not be betrayed under any circumstance. It is a responsibility to be carried out, not just with human face but also with human heart. It is a covenant between God and rulers on the one hand and rulers and the ruled on the other. It is a measure of conscience, piety and discipline. No one who is bereft of these traits should be entrusted with leadership.

Other Caliphs after Abubakr followed suit and lived ascetic lives despite their access to unlimited state resources. Ali Bn Abi-Talib, in particular, did not limit those qualities to himself. He extended them to his appointed Governors.

While appointing Malik bn Ashtar as the Governor of Egypt he gave him certain instructions in writing and admonished him to follow those instructions to the letter in his governance in that country. Those instructions were not about the executive arm of governance alone. They also touched legislation and judiciary morally and legally.

Parable of Governance

Governance in Islam is like pregnancy in the womb of an expectant mother. The duration of such pregnancy is naturally defined barring any anomaly or aberration. Its delivery depends on the safety of its carrier and the circumstances of her wellbeing. And, after delivery, the baby is claimed, not by the carrier of the pregnancy but by the impregnator.

There is no pregnancy without semen firmly planted in the womb of a woman. And the semen planter is a man who will eventually be called the father of the baby. For this reason, children bear the names of their fathers rather than those of their mothers as surnames.

By analogy, one can compare governance to a pregnant woman who could not have become pregnant without an impregnator. The impregnator in this case is the populace that gave those in government the mandate to rule them. And just as the product of the womb (the child) belongs to the impregnator as a matter of legitimacy so should dividend of governance be the property of the governed populace. A child who bears his mother’s name as surname is nothing but a bastard.

After life, security, law and justice, nothing else is held as sacrosanct in Islam as governance which can be compared to a magnificent shade under which people are supposed to take cover during torrential rains or burning sun. In a democratic setting, such a shade is owned by the citizenry. Those who claim to be its custodians are just servants holding it in trust for the people.

Democracy in Islam

In Islam, democracy is not about voting and power alone. It is fundamentally about justice in all its ramifications according to the rule of law. It is about tending the lives of others for the overall good of the nation. It is about providing the needs of the people according to the available resources in the nation. It is about protecting the interest of the weak against the oppression of the strong. It is about managing the wealth of the nation with diligent sense of accountability. It is about securing the lives of the citizenry in terms of jobs, feeding, shelter, health and education. It is about boosting the horizon of the youths and sharpening their hope for the future. It is about guaranteeing adequate income per capital and ensuring a standard life expectancy. Any government that claims democracy without all the aforementioned is oppressive and hypocritical. That was Nigeria’s lot from the beginning of the Fourth democracy in 1999 till now, the continuity of which we fervently prayed Allah to forbid.

Governance, like culture, has a variety of colours, flavours and tastes. What is called democracy in a State may amount to despotism in another State. Governance, whether democratic or monarchical, is fundamentally a function of culture. That is why a country like Britain claims to operate politically on a constitution that is partly written and partly conventional. Borrowing a foreign culture to practice democracy through a constitution written in a foreign language is like borrowing another man’s mouth to eat. Into whose stomach will the food go?

If those entrusted with authority and power with which to care for the masses are the ones stealing public funds with audacity and reliability on ethnic or religious inclination, what moral right do they have to govern? Nigeria has now reached a stage where justice, the last hope of the common man, is for sale even as the citizenry continue to be impoverished. For a country that hopes to progress, to where does this lead?

Justice Mustapha Akanbi was an exemplary judge with an exemplary template in delivery and administration of justice with the fear of Allah. He lived a clean life and groomed some others to follow suit with the expectation that Nigeria would be great. We pray the Almighty Allah to repose his soul in eternal bliss. As for those who have deviated from the path of decency left behind by Justice Akanbi, we pray Allah to guide them aright and rescue them from the manacle of Stan to which they are sternly tied. However, such people should know that:

“Allah does not change a people’s lot unless they change the evil acts in their hearts. If Allah decides to afflict them with a calamity, no one can ward it off. Besides Allah, there is no protector for them”. Q. 13:11.

June 14, 2024
Nigeria’s Democratic Cobweb

“….Whoever deviates from my (divine) guidance will surely live a hanging life and he/she will be resurrected as a blind person on the Day of Judgment”. Q. 20 verse 124.

Monologue

Besides being man’s natural teacher, history continues to serve as man’s principal reminder about the past occurrences and human experiences in handling those occurrences. Such is for the purpose of shaping the future,in proper perspective, to the benefit of mankind. This is a period in Nigeria when history’s role as a reminder can be most active.

Memory Lane

At the main entrance of the University of Cordoba in Spain, a unique, historic   inscription was conspicuously hung. The contents of that inscription are as follows:

“The world is sustained by four formidable pillars: the wisdom of the learned; the justice of the great; the prayers of the righteous and the valour of the brave”.

For centuries, that inscription served as an impeccable template that guided people seeking knowledge acquisition through academic prowess and exemplary conduct in the ivory towers of all other Universities subsequently established around the world.

University of Cordoba was the very first University ever established in the world. It was established by the Muslim Arabs of the second Umayyad dynasty in Spain, in the 9thcentury. After its establishment, that University came to partner with another tertiary research institution that had preceded it existence and named Baytul Hikmah (Home of Wisdom).

BaytulHikmah was established in the early 9th century, by the Abbasid dynasty, in Iraq.

However, It was the University of Cordoba that opened the eyes of the entire world to tertiary education and enabled the Caucasian race of the West to attain unthinkable pinnacle of technological heights in human history.

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It must be remembered that the three oldest Universities in the world today are offshoots of the University of Cordoba. They are the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt; the Qarawiyyin University in Fez, Morocco and the Zaytuniyyah University in Tunis, Tunisia. Those three Universities were established about the same time in the 10th century. Each of them had celebrated 1000th years of existence in the 1970s.

If the managers of Universities around the world had held on tenaciously to the contents of the mentioned inscription hung at the entrance of the University of Cordoba or anything similar to it, perhaps, the world would not have become as restive intellectually,politically and economically as it is today.

Democracy of Doom

Philosophers who came up with the idea of democracy and defined it in the primordial time as the government of the people by the people and for the people, might be right, relative to their time and their cultural situation. But in contemporary time, that definition seems to have become obsolete and inconsistent with the reality of today.

In theory and in practice, the aims and objectives of initiating democracy as an alternative to monarchy have so drastically changed that the original meaning of democracy has been stripped of the real civilized value.

Democracy by Manipulation

Apparently, because of the situation in their own time, the originators and definers of democracy did not consider the changing nature of man vis-a-vis the possible manipulation that democracy could pass through in its implementation by man’s innate desperation and greed for power. It is therefore clear now that with the frequency of change in eras as well as in the nature of man, the definition of democracy has been rendered practically unsuitable for the cultural situation of the 21st century. And this is not peculiar to Nigeria or Africa. It is evidently global. The point here is not that democracy is bad for the contemporary world. But its handling by the selfishly desperate people is its calamitous bane.

Evidence of Rigging

In the United States of America, where democracy is globally believed to be referentially entrenched, the fierce political battle between George H. W. Bush junior and Anold Al Gore, during the 1999/ 2000 election in that country, remains an eye opener of historic reference. In the political logjam that ensued and lasted about six weeks, unbelievably, at that time, Al Gore of the Democratic party, who had been Vice-President to Bill Clinton, scored much more votes than Bush.

But the latter was declared the winner and sworn into office as President for two undisclosed ambiguous reasons:

•Bush’ younger brother, Jeb, was the Governor of Florida, where the raging controversy over that election was most pronounced and he was firmly on ground to manipulate the results of the election in his State in favour of his brother.

•The father of both Bush, ie: Bush the Presidential candidate and Bush the Governor of Florida, was the 41st US President that preceded Bill Clinton as President. What else is called hegemonic democracy? It was that unpalatable historic election that brought a new political paradigm called ‘too close to call’ into American democratic dispensation for the first time since that country’s declaration of independence in 1776. And incidentally, the outcome of that volatile election was said to be in the overall interest of America as a nation even at the dawn of the 21st century.

Also, in 2015, the fierce presidential contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton which put the latter ahead of the former by over three million votes, ended up with a historic award of Presidency to Trump of the Republican party through a controversial international manipulation that   allegedly involved a clandestine Russian hand under the watch of Vladema Putin. And the deed was sealed and justified with the claim of ‘national interest’. Yet, it is the same America that some Nigerian political demagogues are banking on to reap political fortune. If we may ask, in whose national interest was the mentioned 2016 political abracadabra in America upheld by an unbeatable cabbal? And with that, who says democracy, even in the United States, has no hegemonic window?

The June 12 Saga

Here in Nigeria, after some decades of post- independence political rigmarole, the Almighty Allah deliberately guided the citizenry aright and showered them with a rare political mercy in the name of Option A4 which came with only two political parties: Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC). Besides instilling unprecedented political discipline in all the citizens of Nigeria that ingenuous political invention had no better alternative in economic management of politics anywhere in the world. And nothing else has, since June 12, 1993, shown Nigerians any factor of peace and harmony in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society other than that year’s election. Even the weather of that day, throughout the country, joyously came with an unfathomable clemency to bear witness to the impeccable serenity of the day. It was one special mercy from Allah which the supposed beneficiaries refused to acknowledge with gratitude. That was an election that cost the government virtually nothing as there was no need either for polling booths or for ballot boxes or even ballot papers. The voting pattern was such a clear evidence of discipline and political tolerance that most foreign observers started to think of selling the idea of recommending it to their home governments for adoption.

At the voting centers, the candidates’ posters with their parties’ logos and their photographs were displayed side by side and the electorates were asked to queue up in front of their preferred candidates or parties. The system was so apt that it required no heavy security.

After queuing up in the open, the voters were counted openly and everybody knew the results immediately while those results were promptly endorsed by the party agents without any controversy.

On that historic day, the two presidential candidates were Bashorun Moshood Kashimowo Olawale (MKO) Abiola for SDP and Alhaji Bashir Tofa for NRC. It did not take more than three hours before the final results were known throughout the country, even though, the official announcement of those results were delayed for the reason of a hidden agenda which the designers of the system had surreptitiously kept in secrecy like a land mine meant for an enemy.

The suspicious lull that followed that historic exercise after some days turned the psychological cloud of the nation into an unpredictable pregnant womb.

Exactly 11 days after that historic election (on June 23, 1993, a flimsy radio announcement was made which claimed to have annulled the Presidential election. It turned out that the same self-acclaimed military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida who had acted as the giant spider that weaved the democratic cobweb was the destroyer of that cobweb.

That was how Nigeria’s democratic mercy was rejected by the military cabal without a replacement. Now, after spending almost 300 billion naira and losing so many lives, will tomorrow’s general election pave way for hope or for despair? That is a major question for today awaiting a major answer in the near future. More will be written about June 12, 1993 election in this column, in a foreseeable future in sha’Allah.

Analysis

Anybody who is well familiar with the contents of the Qur’an will understand that that Glorious Book of divine Law was revealed, by Allah, to mankind, through Prophet Muhammad (SAW), in coded language. And to decode that language for the purpose of meaningful understanding, the need to resort to expository analysis is a necessity. But since such expository analysis can only be obtained from the words and actions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) the adoption of Hadith and Sunnah as supplementary divine laws is a sine qua non.

That is why the analysis of every verse of the Qur’an requires deep and thorough analysis

June 7, 2024
The beginning of the end

Here is the period of life against which we had been warned through the words of Ubayyi Ibn Ka‘b and those of Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud. Here is the predicted era in which truth is to be totally rejected while falsehood and rebellion are to be loftily upheld. Should this period linger further without any change, the world might zoom into a stage where the bereaved would rather smile than cry over the demise of a deceased relation and parents would rather cry than rejoice over the birth of a newly born baby”. By an Arab poet

In retrospect

The title of this writing was culled from the late Dr. Tai Solarin’s style of writing. In his heydays as a versatile newspaper columnist in the Nigerian Tribune, Tai Solarin, a renowned educationist and atheist, had a way of casting the titles of his articles to suit his ideas and thoughts. One of such titles was the one adopted here. It was the title of an article he wrote in 1974 as a reaction to General Yakubu Gowon’s renege on his earlier promise of democratising Nigeria in 1976. (In that year General Gowon suddenly told Nigerians in a nation-wide television broadcast that his promise of returning power to civilians in 1976 was unrealistic after all. He did not mention a new date. That audacious military assault on the populace prompted Tai Solarin to write his famous article entitled ‘The Beginning of the End’.

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And, incidentally, that article was the premonition that culminated in a military coup which swept General Gowon out of power in July 1975 after nine years in office as a military Head of State.

I will bomb Lagos

The same Tai Solarin wrote another article in 1975 entitled ‘I will bomb Lagos’ which led to the change of Nigeria’s capital city from Lagos to Abuja. In the latter article he did not only condemn Lagos as the most unbefitting capital city to any civilised human being in the world which he said he would have bombed with an intention to rebuild it if he was the Head of State, he also gave a vivid physical, geographical and environmental description of a place called Abuja and recommended it as the country’s new capital. Through that famous article, Solarin could be called the founder of Nigeria’s new capital city and that was why he was appointed as a member of the Aguda panel that worked out the modalities for the establishment of a new federal capital that was Abuja.

Season of letters

This writing was to be entitled ‘Yuletide Season of Letters’ because of the barrage of tendentious and damning letters flying across the wishes and interests of certain political, economic and religious demagogues who seem to be married to ephemeral politics or courting transient power. First among those letters was from the Governor of the Central Bank, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who, for a patriotic reason wrote a probing letter to the Presidency on September 25, 2013 reporting the failure of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to remit 19 months proceeds of oil sales to the Central Bank as statutorily required by the constitution.

According to him, the total quantity of Nigerian oil sold between January 2012 and July 2013 was 594.02 million barrels and the unremitted amount accruing from the sale of that figure was $49.8 billion amounting to N8 trillion. He said the total amount of money remitted so far within the mentioned period constituted only 24% of what ought to be remitted while 76% could not be traced by the CBN.

Speaker’s Observation

Based partly on Sanusi’s revelation and partly on his own observation, the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, accused then President, Goodluck Jonathan of reluctance or unwillingness to fight corruption. Many other well-meaning Nigerians spoken in the like manner.

Those who dogmatically believe albeit ignorantly that religion and politics are incompatible and should not be lumped together can now see why Islam is rather a total way of life than a mere dogmatic religion. In Islam, the theory of ‘giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s’ holds no water because both Caesar and whatever he portends to own belong to God alone who never slumbers nor dies. Thus, in a situation where public funds are brazenly stolen with impunity in public glare, Muslims cannot and should not keep silent. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) once counseled Muslims about this kind of situation through Hadith. He said: “Whoever sees something obnoxious among you should change it (physically) with his hands. If he is incapable, let him change it with his tongue (by condemning it). And if he is still incapable, he should then endeavour to change it with his mind (by praying for its stoppage)”. He however added that “the last option signifies the weakest faith”.

In a situation like the one currently being witnessed in Nigeria, should religious people, especially the Muslims, keep silent and watch their future being eroded by those who do not care about other people’s lives? It is rather a sin for Muslims to keep silence in the presence of tyranny and oppression. Speaking out is in tandem with the above quoted Hadith. And whoever keeps silent is dead person waiting to be interred.

The second letter

The second letter was written to President Goodluck Jonathan by Ex- President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on December 2, 2013. It was a kind of epistle loaded with undisguised missiles of allegations that came frontally to the nation through the media. The main gist of the letter contained allegations of corruption, bad governance and insecurity. It was heavily pregnant with political bile the summary of which can be called tit for tat. The contents of the letter are a bundle of message that conspicuously outweighs the messenger. And reading carefully between its lines, the letter can be compared to a pot trying to paint a kettle black. In a nutshell, the addresser and the addressee can be described as two sides of an un-spendable coin.

Though the letter has generated a loud brouhaha across the land, it remains a mere rhetoric with which Nigerians are quite familiar. If anything sounds strange in that letter, it is the allegation of a killer squad allegedly being kept by the Presidency against the list of about 1000 political opponents and other perceived enemies of the government. We hope it is not true for such will only remind us of Germany in the time of Adolf Hitler.

The only seeming benefit of the letter is the washing of the supposed leaders’ linens in the open which the populace watched with unbridled embarrassment. It gives the impression that the only expected legacy from this crop of leadership is nothing more than despair in spite of the rare opportunities they have in preserving the tranquility of the country. What lesson can the youths learn from such a political rancor engendered by calamitous grid based on selfishness?

For politicians, political drama can never be strange. But the peculiarity in this case is the tacit mobilisation of the suffering masses as archers deployed to forage ahead on foot while the gladiators remain on horses. Like an accursed nation, Nigeria has the misfortune of engaging misfits in the name of leaders to pilot their affairs, especially in a very cloudy environment. Or how can one classify a situation where two supposed national leaders decide to strip naked for competitive dance in a market place and expect sellers and buyers in that market to clap for the winner. Isn’t that shameful? If these leaders are not ashamed, we are.

Like in the past, Nigerians have once again found themselves in a hollow ship wandering through an implacable Atlantic Ocean. Its destination remains unknown. Its pilots have lost the compass. An urgent need for a Noah to sail this drifting ship to the Cape of Good Hope should now be a matter of priority if Nigeria will continue to be called and known as Nigeria.

The third letter

While Nigerians were kept busy tossing around the ball of economic and political trouble surreptitiously kicked into their court by the combatant leaders, as they debate the two letters mentioned above with jabs of verbal pundits, a third letter emerged from a rare corner.

It was written by a cluster of Bishops to the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. The letter was written in protest against what the writers perceived as spiritual trespass.

According to media reports, “it would be recalled that the Bishops and Clerics Forum of Nigeria (BAFCON) from the Niger Delta, under the aegis of Global Peace Relief Initiative, led by its President, Prophet Jones Ode Erue, visited the former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the Adamawa State Governor, Muritala Nyako seeking to broker a peace deal between the G7 governors and the presidency”.

That was in September 2013.

That visit did not seem to go down well with the President of CAN who reacted by slamming suspension against them in the name of CAN. The CAN President had thought that the concerned Bishops’ action was partisan, especially when the CAN Chairman of the South-South took exception to the mediation visit without consultation. In his immediate reaction to that visit, the regional Chairman reportedly said: “There is nothing wrong with clergymen initiating or brokering peace process between two factions but for some bishops to do so in the name of a body that I head without consulting other executives gives a wrong signal and suggests a dangerous trend in the body of Christ.” Thus, about 11 Bishops were consequently suspended. This provoked the protest letter that has now constituted ripples in the brook of CAN.

All these are confirming that things are not well with Nigeria. One can understand the turbulent economic and political situations in the country. The expectation is that when those two spheres go turbulent it is only the religious sphere that can pacify them through spirituality. But if the religious sphere too goes turbulent where will tranquility come from?

The Message hereby appeals to CAN to please close ranks and show the usual example to the other spheres that the hope of Nigerians can once again be kindled. Religion is the last bastion of peace in Nigeria. It cannot afford to go berserk, especially at this crucial time when Nigeria needs it most. God save Nigeria that this may not be ‘The Beginning of the End’ for our dear country.

This article was published in ‘The Nation’ newspaper of Friday, December 20, 2013

May 17, 2024
Letter to Nigerian youths

Dear Nigerian youths,

This letter being addressed to you through this medium (The Message)is not by design but by accident. Nigerians of my age and beyond (70+) never had an opportunity to be so addressed. Let it be known to you that except life and sound health, none of Allah’s bounties to man is as treasure-able as youthfulness. The definition of youth varies from place to place and from faith to faith. But generally, youthfulness spans from the age of puberty (at 16) to that of reasoning (at 40).

That is the second stage of human life as it follows that of adolescence. It can be said therefore that the juiciest part of human life is what people call youth. And whoever is blessed with it is blessed with all hopes of life.

Youth is the spur of ambition and risk. It is the period of determination and resolution. It encourages attraction between genders and engenders association across boundaries. All efforts in human life that yield results in old age are made at youthful age. To an average youth anywhere in the world, the sky is never the limit. There are still many other firmaments beyond the sky. Youth is the stage of hard work. It is the stage of planning. It is the stage of vision and mission. That is why the youths of any nation are seen as the bone marrow of such a nation and the beacons of the future. And fortunately, youths invariably constitute majority of the existing people at any given time in any given nation.

Youths before now

In the years past when life had meaning and culture had value, youths were seen as the pride of the nation. They were the natural arrows fixed to the parental bows which were often shot through the iron gate of life. This was the case in Nigeria before and during the colonial era. And after the country’s independence, the youths constituted the glory and hope of their parents. Their role in the family encouraged the bearing of many children as they partnered their fathers in tilling the farm land and harvesting the crops. In short, they formed the live wire of their families.

When a father was said to be rich in those days, it was only because he had many children (male and female) who constituted the workforce of the family. The father’s pride then was not just the number of children he had but the volume of contribution made by those children to his wealth. Thus, children were considered as wealth.

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In those days, youths were not just helpers of their parents on the farms or in their trades they also assisted them in training the younger ones. Yet, they had the highest esteem for those parents in their utterances and in their conduct. The level of discipline in those days was such that boys were handled by their fathers while girls were mostly handled by their mothers. And the mothers dared not utter a word while any child was being subjected to discipline by the father. In a nutshell the upbringing of a child was the main key to societal serenity.

Change of trend

Today, Nigeria is a different story altogether. The youths of yesteryears have become the elders of today. They have left the chord of discipline that escorted them into the world of decency to the new train of indecency. And that chord is no longer suitable for either today or tomorrow as the trend has changed dramatically. The current trend began in January 1966 when some uncultured youths in military uniform, spurred by blind ambition, threw the value of age and experience to the winds and killed the then leaders of the Nigerian nation in what was called a military coup d’état. By that unfortunate act they plunged the nation into a precipitate civil war that rendered the youth wild and eroded the value of youthfulness.

For 13 years thereafter, the vagabonds remained in power using whim in place of experience. And when a brief civilian interlude came on board in 1979 for only four years, the vagabonds perched on the governance again and like hungry vultures, they fed on the carcass of democracy to their fill. Through that unbridled usurpation of power, the so-called Nigerian military weaned themselves from the ladle of integrity and destroyed whatever was left of their nomenclature.

Here we are today, looking desperately like a starved hawk and hanging restlessly in the balance like a gagged hyena. Virtually every Nigerian has forgotten the real cause of our calamity. The cry everywhere is now about the effect of that calamity on the nation. No one endeavours to look back and see where the downfall started from.

And without looking back, there can never be any correction as to how to rise again. A Yoruba adage states axiomatically that when a toddler falls down he looks forward (to see if there is any adult around to lift him up). But when an adult falls he looks backwards (to see the cause of his fall). That is the difference between experience and potential.

Banking on potential to govern a nation that requires experience as did the eaglet Nigerian military can never bring any meaningful result. Both potential and experience have their roles and chances in any society. But neither can take the place of the other.

The difference

You the youths of today are different from those of yesteryears in many ways and the differences are clear. The youths of the past were very hardworking and dedicated. They served their parents diligently and stood by them in all circumstances. They sought their parents’ advice and learned from the latter’s experiences. You the youths of today are very lazy, slothful, time wasting and lackadaisical in your attitude to life even as you are served by your parents from infancy to old age. Yet you despise those parents and treat them with disdain like nonentities. You believe that those parents had worked on your behalves and that you are only in the world to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

The youths of the past were patient, contended and full of respect for the elders. They were humble, obedient, always eager to know as they queued up to learn. You the youths of today are very inpatient, greedily ambitious and you see yourselves as masters of knowledge when in actual fact you are slaves of ignorance. Unlike the youths of the past, you the youths of today are mostly empty-headed, very arrogant, highly materialistic and hastily avaricious.

You always want to start your lives from the peak of your parents’ achievements without asking about what those parents had gone through before reaching the peak.

You spend money lavishly without working for it and you never think of bearing any responsibility either in the homes or in the society. You are generally characterised by all the conducts that were classified as shame in the past. To you shame has its price. And as long as you can pay that price in coins by whatever means, you are important in your own estimation. Thus, shame, as far as you are concerned, is a vital aspect of culture which has no negative effect on your lifestyle. As a matter of fact you have taken shame for pride.

If a few youths of the past can be described as a bunch of problems for their society, due to their misbehaviour, majority of you today’s youths are the real cogs in the societal wheel of progress. To you, life has no meaning except it is heavily coded in money.

Your slogan that “long life is irrelevant in the absence of money” is a testimony to this assertion. That life span in Nigeria has dropped so drastically is due to your disappointing lifestyle which often creates hypertension for your parents and leads to their early death. Few parents talk of heirs nowadays because those of you who are supposed to be their heirs have long thrown away the toga of worthy heirs. In the past, mothers were not known for staying with their daughters in the latter’s matrimonial homes while leaving their husbands behind without care. This strange but new trend that has almost become a part of Nigerian culture arose because of the incompetence of today’s young women, even after many years of training, is questionable. Thus, despite the ubiquity of young men and women, there is scarcity of husbands and wives just as there is dirge of fathers and mothers.

Virtually everything that matters to you today’s youths is devoid of our known core value. By your measure, the value of life can be found only in the volume of naira.

Causes of generational change

Whenever there is cause to review the generational trend with the intention of righting the wrong, you the youths of today are often quick in pointing accusing fingers mischievously at the generations ahead of you saying they caused the debacle. But while pinching the back of the elders you often forget that sooner or later you may become elders whose back will be pinched by the youths who succeed your own generation.

You have forgotten that most of the scientific discoveries and technological advancement of your age which lured you into roguery were not available for the past youths. There were no such things as hard drugs, cyber crimes, armed robbery, sophisticated fraud through manipulation of figures and forgery of signatures. There were no cases of rape, child and human trafficking, audacious prostitution and day light murder with impunity as are rampant among you today.

To you, all these crimes are either professions or callings in which you actively engage. Thus, you do not believe in the existence of any demarcation between decency and indecency an indication that ‘family name’ which was highly valued in the past has no meaning to you. Unlike most youths of the past, you were sent to school but your goal was mere certificate rather than knowledge. And what you acquired in those schools in the name of education is hardly worth the paper on which your certificates are printed. For most of the years you spent in school, your preoccupation was either cultism or other frivolous activities that have no bearing with education. That is why most of you turn out to be unemployable University or Polytechnic graduates. A few of you who secured public employments have been discovered to be sheer misfits on those jobs as your competence remains questionable.

Implications

The implications of all these are many. While most of you are not quite useful to the present you are also not hopeful about the future.

There is hardly any major crime in Nigeria today that is not principally committed by you today’s youths all in the quest for money.

It seems that the only language you understand is money and only those who can speak the language of money command your respect.

Many centuries before our time, an Arab poet intuitively came up with a sonnet fits perfectly into today’s Nigerian situation. He said: “Here is the era against which we had been warned through the admonitions of Ubayy Bn Ka‘ab and that of Abdullah Bn Mas‘ud; an era in which truth would be totally rejected while falsehood and insurgence would be glorified and held aloft; Should this era linger without any change (of attitude) neither cry at a funeral nor smile on the announcement of a new birth would be experienced”.

Which of the situation expressed in the above poem is not applicable to Nigeria today. What impact does religion have on the society again?

We used to know of motor spare parts. Today, spare parts are no more of motor but of human beings. And the most active merchants of this queer business are you the youths of today. When we talk of illegal oil bunkering, it is the business of the youths. When we talk of kidnapping, it is the business of today’s youths. When we talk of suicide bombing and terrorism, it is the business of today’s youths.

And all these are for money and nothing else. Where is Nigeria going from here?

Conclusion

The aim of this expository article is not to malign or denigrate the youths of today. All the children of this columnist are today’s youths who do not constitute a separate island. But preaching is like a mud surrounded by men and women in immaculate regalia. No one of them will be spared if the mud is splashed. As a onetime youth and now a father qualified to be called an elder, it is not expected of my type to start throwing stones while residing in a glass house. But truth knows no boundary. It cruises on like a surging train without minding whose ox is gored. To rekindle Nigeria’s old hope or create a new one for the future, the youths of today must return to the established values of the past. It was through those values that the tranquility of the world was solidly upheld. And it was through deviation from it that the world became as restive as it is today. If tranquility must return as wished by many, you the youths of today must change your loins. And that is the only atonement that the world requires to return to tranquility.

May 10, 2024
Breaking the Muslim unity

Preamble

If anything is called Satan, and that diabolical entity truly lives in the midst of humans, Nigeria must be his abode. As a mysterious entity, Satan may not be physically perceived but his shadow is evidently vivid in the evil machination generally called politics. And the elements in the society often called politicians are his undeniable agents.

Politics is like infectious leprosy. Any contact it makes with human fingers will surely render those fingers ineffective with contagious implication. The evil of politics in any given society is like the slough of a snake which has no life of its own but scares the people around with its empty appearance.

Since her independence in 1960, Nigeria has hardly experienced any calamity that did not emanate from politics. Thus, like the Island of Ithaca of yore in Greek mythology, Nigeria harbours a sphinx today that poses unanswerable question to her citizens. And any individual or group that fails to answer the question correctly may be instantly devoured by the mythological sphinx.

Paradoxical Odyssey

Today, Nigeria has become a paradoxical odyssey on which the only ferrying vessel is politics. And the driving engine of that vessel is money which seems to be the main determinant of individuals’ Hell or Heaven on earth. We are now in an era when the source of money no longer matters as much as money itself. What really matters today is not how decent you are as a person but how rich no matter the source.

In a nutshell, a rich rogue is by far more relevant and more important in Nigerian society today than a poor gentleman. As a matter of fact, there is no gentlemanliness without money in Nigeria today. The size of your purse determines the status by which you are recognised in the society. And that is the new definition of pedigree.

It is not surprising therefore that men and women of letters as well as high caliber professionals are now struggling to become servants to mere nonentities who by hook or crook have stuck the opportunity to occupy public positions in a clueless government and thereby control a treasury. The world has changed so much that the same money which used to serve man in the past is now the master that man serves with relish. In the face of money, conscience has become a lost paradise that no one seeks again. And with its disappearance, human dignity has also become an old wife’s tale. Whither Nigeria’s tomorrow in this?

In the wilderness of avarice and aggrandisement imposed by money, Nigerians of today have lost the culture of dignity highly cherished by Nigerians of yesterday and there is no sense of nostalgia for it. In solo and chorus, the song of this era is ‘STOMACH INFRASTRUCTURE’.

When a hopeful country finds itself in this kind of situation she quickly resorts to the last bastion for solution. The last bastion in the case of Nigeria is religion which is supposed to be the first estate of the realm. But can there be religion without clerics? Where are the clerics in Nigeria? That is the indication that Nigeria, as of now, is a hopeless country.

Sailors without compass

The so-called clerics in both Islam and Christianity in Nigeria today are like sailors on a strenuous voyage who have lost the compass that guides them through the waves of water while their congregational passengers continue to pray fervently for safety on a turbulent ocean.

To them (the clerics) religion is no longer the path to salvation but a means to material wealth even as they have relegated morality to the background.

Here is a country where clerics do not only preach material prosperity but also live in stupendous affluence in the midst of their wretched congregations. Here is a country in which clerics are either known for trafficking in drugs or gun running or patronage contract for supply of ammunition to the government as in the notorious episode of a recent South Africa mission that ended up in a fiasco or even for taking bribe from the government as in the case of alleged N7 billion that caused wild brouhaha in Nigeria recently. Here is a country where neither conscience nor morality has a role to play in religion any more as the so-called clerics have banished both and thus become not just accomplices of political rogues but also their dogs.

Meetings without agenda

As a result of self-denigration by these clerics, the government has turned them into a willing tool in the game of political machinations to the benefit of the political gladiators. And in their desperate search for votes in recent times, the politicians have consistently chased the clerics around with money knowing very well that nothing remains of religion these days in Nigeria beyond money for which the so-called clerics will fall for anybody with money.

Not long ago, a stone was deliberately thrown into the serene brook of Nigeria’s Southwest Muslims by politicians with the intention of causing implacable ripples in that brook. A clandestine meeting of the League of Imams and Alfas was initiated by the presidency and scheduled to take place in Akure, Ondo State. The agenda of the meeting was not disclosed but its timeliness and manner of mobilisation clearly suggested its undisclosed purpose.

A similar clandestine meeting had earlier been arranged for Lagos penultimate week by the same Presidency which was botched by the region’s Muslim leadership for fear of being politically blackmailed.

Yet another clandestine meeting was initiated also by the Presidency this time with the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) which was scheduled for the Presidential Villa in Abuja. This is yet to take place as the arrow head and chief mobiliser for the meeting is finding a brick wall on the assignment. The Nigerian media has widely reported these clandestine moves by the government with the headline that read thus: ‘Meeting: Yoruba Muslims Snub Presidency Again’.

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Media report

Here is how the media reported the incident: “Yoruba Muslim clerical leaders under the aegis of the League of Imams and Alfas have snubbed the Presidency over an invitation to them for a meeting that was apparently meant to lure them into endorsing the joint ticket of a particular party (Jonathan/Sambo ticket) in the coming presidential election.

The meeting in which Vice-President Muhammad Namadi Sambo was to represent his boss was earlier scheduled for another day in Akure, Ondo State but had to be shifted to Wednesday in the same state for lack of adequate mobilisation.

Learning from the experience of their Christian counterparts who were recently enmeshed in a controversial N7 billion scandal that has caused a crack among Nigerian Christians, the leadership of the League of Imams and Alfas in the six Southwest states plus Edo and Delta decided not to be involved in an embarrassing meeting that could cause a crack in the rank of the Muslim Ummah.

A similar meeting earlier arranged with Yoruba Muslim leaders and fixed for Lagos by the Presidency recently was equally aborted for the same reason cited by the League of Imams and Alfas just a day before it was to come up.

Our reporter’s investigation revealed that the leaders of the League contacted one another and resolved not to be part of any meeting with any political group or individuals at this time to maintain their neutrality as worthy clerics.

The Akure meeting said to be coordinated by the Chief Imam of Owo, Sheikh Ahmad Aladesawe, who incidentally, is the current Secretary-General of the league. He (Aladesawe) was said to be passionately involved in mobilising his colleagues in the league for the meeting which ended up in a fiasco.

Besides Imam Aladesawe, some other Imams who flouted the decision of the League and attended the meeting for a seeming personal gain were the Chief Imam of Osogbo, Alhaji Rabiu Animasaun and the Chief Imam of Ekiti, Alhaji Bello Keulere. The few others who claimed to have attended the meeting as Imams were quite peripheral and not prominent at all in the league.

From Ibadan, Lagos, Markaz, Agege, Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode, Osogbo, Ilaro, Ado Ekiti, and Auchi as well as other major cities of the region, the common question on the lips of the Imams was “why now?

Following the failure of the Lagos meeting, the Presidency, in a bid to break the ranks of the Yoruba Muslim Ummah, embarked on an alternative meeting with the League of Imams and Alfas and another with the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN).

The President of MSSN, Alhaji Sirajudeen Abdul Azeez, who was said to volunteer to mobilise the leaders of the group for the meeting with the Presidency, despite a resolution at a recent leadership meeting in Akure, Ondo State, not to attend any such controversial meeting could be said to be acting on his own.

Reflecting on the repercussion of such controversial action, the leadership of MSSN resolved to disown any such meeting at this politically volatile period and warned that nobody should use the name of the group for any selfish political gain.

No particular date was fixed for the Presidency’s purported meeting with the leadership of MSSN but inside information suggested that is supposed meeting would come up at the Presidential Villa in Abuja before the Presidential election in March 2015″.MUSWEN’s Communiqué

Meanwhile, the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN) has called on the Muslims in the region to once again pray congregationally for peace in Nigeria as the 2015 general elections approached.

The apex body of all Muslim organisations in the region made the call in a communiqué issued at the end of a three- day retreat that was held between 13th and 15th of March, 2015 at the Wale Babalakin Estate in Gbongan, Osun State. The communiqué was signed by its executive secretary, Prof. Dawud Noibi.

MUSWEN specifically slated Sunday, March 22, 2015 for the prescribed prayers that were expected to hold at the Eid praying grounds or local Mosques in every town within the region.

Quoting the Prophetic Hadith that classifies prayers as the weapon of the Muslims, the Organisation implored the Muslims not to relent in offering prayers especially at this precarious time of the nation’s history.

MUSWEN however decried the lukewarm attitude of the Southwest Muslims to the institution of Zakah, saying the consequences of such attitude are very detrimental to the propagation and progress of Islam in the region.

Leaders of prominent Muslim Organisations from Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo and Osun states, who participated in the retreat said the necessity for prayers by Muslims was most apt then given the prevailing cloudy political atmosphere in the horizon.

The Apex Islamic body in the Southwest also stressed the need for unity of Muslims in line with the mission and vision of the Organisation stressing that without unity there could be no progress.

In another vein, the Organisation frowned at the lopsidedness in the federal appointments to political offices from the Zone, saying such appointments clearly put the Southwest Muslims at a great disadvantage and paved the way for unnecessary suspicion.

It therefore called for equity, fairness and justice by the Federal government in its treatment for the people of the zone irrespective of their religious inclinations.

Prominent among the Muslim personalities who attended the retreat were Alhaji Najeem Awodele,former Minister, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Justice Abdul Fatah Adeyinka (deceased), a retired Chief Judge of Lagos State, Alhaja Latifah Okunnu, a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Sekinat Adekola, the Iya Adini of Yorubaland and Dr. Jubril Oyekan.

Delegates at the retreat also paid a courtesy call on Justice Bola Babalakin (now deceased), the former acting President of MUSWEN in his Gbongan country home.

Members also prayed for the repose of some of its late founders such as Prof. Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa, (Pioneer President), Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Arisekola- Alao, Dr AbduLateef Adegbite and Sheikh Sadrudeen Biobaku. May their souls be blessed.

The theme of the retreat was ‘MUSWEN: SUSTAINING THE MOMENTUM’.

April 26, 2024