The Nation Newspaper

Category: Friday

  • Nigeria, a mind-bending country

    Mad men and specialists An Igbo saying notes that no matter how much you treat a sick mind, you can never cure it of murmuring. In other words, you can never tell with a psychiatric case because the fear of relapse remains an ever-present reality. After about two and a half decades of active study of the Nigerian condition, one has come to the conclusion that just when you think things have changed, or are about to change, they remain the same.

    One is beginning to fear whether this is not a mad house after all with ‘madmen’ and ‘specialists’, the one feeling superior and contemptuous of the other. And what are you dear reader, I dare ask, are you a madman or a specialist? One asks because the Nigerian situation is once again so surreal and subhuman that it can easily bend even a sane mind.

    A few weeks ago, just before the announcement of the cabinet, this column had made strident calls against the unhidden intention of President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) to assume that most crucial seat of Petroleum Ministry in addition to holding the number one job. But reactions had been most vitriolic with mellower ones admonishing that PMB needed to take the oil seat to harness the nation’s primary source of revenue. Even an aide had concluded that only oil thieves were afraid of the presidential wisdom to take on the petroleum portfolio.

    The magnitude of the presidency Today, sooner than we expected, there is crisis already. Fuel shortage has lingered for nearly one month and nobody is speaking coherently about the situation. The Senate cannot summon the Oil Minister before it because he is also the President. Today, we see in simulcasts, pictures of our president in nifty, foreign lands basking in the limelight and relishing bon mot, while at home, the citizenry are living in utter frustration and despair.

    Acute and prolonged fuel scarcity across the land has brought so much hardship on Nigerians that many are already asking whether this was the CHANGE they voted for just last May. Now if there was an Oil Minister, he would have been the one answering our questions and carrying the can. Some will point to the Minister of State; but a junior minister is a mere errand person. He still will have to look up to his boss for initiative and direction. It’s double jeopardy if his boss is also the president, for he would probably be in a permanent frozen condition through his tenure.

    One more thought on the folly of president-as-minister and we look at a few other matters that numb our minds in this wearisome polity. PMB is on record to have said that all the reports and counsel he got on the irksome fuel subsidy matter did not meet his expectations. So what is his take? This evil has been with us for over 20 years, draining the very life blood of the country. He has been directly in charge for six months, he has incurred a fat bill of N413 billion (and he says there is no money!), and everyday he dithers on this matter, debts (real and fictitious, pile up on us). WHAT IS HIS TAKE ON THIS ABOMINABLE, SO-CALLED FUEL SUBSIDY! (Sorry I am yelling).

     

    And one dares ask, is there anything the president wants to get done in the oil ministry he cannot do sitting in Aso Rock? Is there any file he cannot access from the Ministry of Petroleum in 10 minutes sitting in the comfort of his Aso Rock office? He could even get the minister to live in the presidential quarters if that would help. It is simply about appreciating the magnitude of presidential powers. The president wearing the tag of minister would therefore, only diminish the effectiveness of and benefits derivable from a substantive, sound, visionary minister. Recall that former President Olusegun Obasanjo held the position of Oil Minister for eight years.

    We cannot recall any value he added to the oil sector apart from irrational increases in products’ prices. He never built any refinery or petrochemical complex; instead, he engendered mind-boggling corruption in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Yet we do not have a proper account for that era. We can go on and on about the futility of PMB micro-managing the oil industry, but we must move on.

    Quest for prudent, creative governors

    The other day, governors in the land gathered in Abuja for their now too frequent Governors’ Forum meeting. Rising therefrom, they unabashedly told Nigerians that the states they manage are too poor to continue to pay even the minimum wage pegged at N18,000. By the way, this wage, which was agreed over four years ago, ought to be due for a review now.

    What now, you ask? If the 36 states have failed, what then is left of the country? Huge bailout loan was recently doled out to these governors by the Federal Government; now they ask for more. Very few of them can account for that loan and one wagers that fewer still applied it judiciously and for the purposes it was meant.

    This is our tragedy. Most of our governors have proven to be fiscally immature and lacking in prudence. Their budgets are still mere formalities; they can neither plan nor apply states’ funds with thrift. Many are building monstrous white elephants, such as airports and fountains. They largely misuse funds when they cannot divert them. This is perhaps our gravest misfortune.

    This crude oil price crisis is about one year on now. We would expect the Governors’ Forum to be proffering smart alternatives they have devised to earn revenues to run their various states. It must be said again that it is a fallacy to say that a state made up of millions of people is not viable. It must be the manager who is not viable because he is not creative. Our agric and forest resources are still largely untapped, to give one example. The whole country lived on these before we struck oil.

     Of handout, fake rice and exhumed chickens In the throes of dwindling revenues and inability to pay salaries, the Federal Government throws in an ill-digested welfare package that seeks to handout N5000 each to 25 million poorest Nigerians, monthly. Whoever conceived this economic hara-kiri should be put in solitary confinement. This is recipe for chaos and calamity.

    One, it is not sustainable; two, it will gulp about one-quarter of federal budget; three, it will imbue more social and economic crises on recipients; four, it would be fraught with fraud; five, most of it would go to the North, which already has more than its fair share of the national wealth, etc. It’s a no-brainer, to put it starkly and it is being pursued because someone had said it during electioneering. Another vacuous campaign promise being bandied now is school meals. Goodness gracious! What is the Federal Government doing in this age with primary schools, not to mention federally-funded meals?

    Over one trillion naira to be thrown into this populist fantasy should be applied to agric, which will expand the economy and create quality jobs. We must make agric the new crude.

    And one last word, did you read that Nigerians now exhume and resell contaminated poultry products impounded and buried by men of the Nigerian Customs Service? The truth is that smugglers are still having a field day, colluding with the Customs, damaging what is left of our economy and invoking health havoc upon the land.

    If these and more don’t affect the mind, then one is probably out of one’s mind in the first place.

  • Cardinal Arinze: 50 years on the throne of grace

    This weekend, His Grace, Cardinal Francis Arinze, will mark the 50th year of his ordination as a Roman Catholic Bishop and 30th year as a Cardinal.

    Born 83 years ago in Eziowelle, Idemili, Anambra State, he schooled at All Hallows Seminary, Onitsha; Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu; Urban University, Rome and Institute of Education, University of London. It will be a weekend of prayers and thanksgiving by the faithful for the life of this sacred instrument of our Lord.

  • Cardinal Arinze: 50 years on the throne of grace

    This weekend, His Grace, Cardinal Francis Arinze, will mark the 50th year of his ordination as a Roman Catholic Bishop and 30th year as a Cardinal.

    Born 83 years ago in Eziowelle, Idemili, Anambra State, he schooled at All Hallows Seminary, Onitsha; Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu; Urban University, Rome and Institute of Education, University of London. It will be a weekend of prayers and thanksgiving by the faithful for the life of this sacred instrument of our Lord.

  • Thankfulness

    Thankfulness

    Today, I take a break from political discourse. I am sure it won’t really be missed that much because for the majority of our people, including regular readers who have kept faith with our weekly dialogue, politics is not really all that matters in life. And for many, it is at best a necessary evil that one must keep at a distance when possible. For some others, it is not only that politics is not all that matters; it does not matter at all. Therefore they would rather focus on what matters in life.

    I believe that politics matters to the extent that it has an unmistakable grip on everything that matters. This is especially so in a neo-colonial enclave with an underdeveloped private sector that is completely dependent on the public sphere. You certainly cannot call the bluff of your benefactor! Being about who gets what, where and when, is a very big deal. That is what politics is about.

    Yet with all its eminence, politics is not all that matters for our humanity. It is not what makes us humans. It certainly is not what makes us good human beings. It could help when it is done right; but on its own, there are so many unsavoury properties that make it more of a burden on its practitioners than a benefit.  Even in this era of change, we are living witnesses to the ugly side of politics. For many, power-grab is the objective and self-aggrandisement is the ultimate goal.

    Therefore, I leave politics aside for once. And I take advantage of an annual ritual in my adopted homeland to discuss one of the few ideas and practices that really matters in human life. This is the idea and practice of thankfulness.

    As the Yoruba have it, thankfulness presupposes thoughtfulness. A thoughtful person is a thankful person. There are so many challenges of life that an average person encounters on a daily basis: poverty, disease, loss of loved one, troubled and emotionally disturbed children, joblessness, problematic relationships, etc. As the saying also goes, it is the wearer that knows where the shoe pinches. Eni kan lo mo!

    Yet the scripture instructs us to be thankful “in all things!” How is it possible for a person dealing with a sudden loss be thankful? On what might such a thankful spirit be based?

    What the Yoruba position on this matter means is that whoever is a deep thinker (as opposed to shallow thinker) would see the reason and the need to be thankful even in the face of unimaginable loss or calamity. After all, it could be worse.

    It is the season of Thanksgiving in the United States of America when family and friends gather around the dinner table with a feast of turkey and all its accompaniments and a desert of apple pie. Everyone around the table would have a story to tell, especially about what is worth being thankful for. On top of the list around every family table is the joy of family. Having a family to look up to is a special gift for every human species. And this is well-noted in far away America, the proverbial land of privacy and individualism.

    Two issues strike me watching and participating in this ritual in the last 26 years. First, the historical and sociological account of American individualism is not as simple as it has been presented. The majority of Americans, especially in the rural communities of the north and most communities of the south, are as family-oriented as typical Africans. I have seen this in the way that families rally round loved ones admitted to hospitals, and in the number of family members who witness their loved ones graduate from college.

    Second, it may be argued that Americans in general have good reasons to be thankful and there is no basis for comparing them with Africans in general or Nigerians in particular. After all, Americans have state and national governments that are responsive to their needs or at least to their complaints, while that is not the case in a typical African nation.

    Obamacare was the response of the Obama administration to the need of tens of millions of Americans for health insurance. For those who have benefitted and would not have to worry seeking medical care, there is a good reason to be thankful. One might then ask: “What reason does a poor Nigerian have?”

    Opalaba has an answer with his story of the three swimmers. I have heard the same story a thousand and one times and each time, it has a new meaning.

    The first swimmer is the wealthy man who decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather, serene environment, and clean river for a good swimming exercise at the end of a profitable business day. He carefully removed his shirt and trousers, revealing his beautiful swim suit. He jumped into the river, swam for a few minutes, and got out of the water gracefully. Thanking God for his wealth that afforded him the luxury of leisure, he walked to his chauffeured car and was on his way to enjoy the rest of the evening.

    The second swimmer didn’t have a top to remove. He was not wealthy. Indeed, he was dirt poor, having only a vest and a pair of underwear. He jumped into the river, swam joyfully and got out thanking God as he lay on the bank of the river so the sun can dry his vest and underwear. It could be worse, he intoned.

    Lastly, the third swimmer approached the river as he appeared to the world on his day of birth, with nothing on his skin, joyfully singing: “Now Thank We All Our God.” He also jumped into the river, swam heartily and got out, expressing gratitude to God for being alive.

    The naked swimmer was not blessed with the luxury of leisure. He probably left the river a-begging. He did not have clothing to cover his skin or to protect him from the elements. Yet he was thankful to his creator for the unquantifiable gift of life. As miserable as he must be in the thinking of the wealthy swimmer, the naked swimmer was the most thoughtful of all.

    This is how Opalaba always ends the story. For him, everyone alive has something to be thankful for. This is understandable. Only the living is in a position to be thankful, not just to God, but also to fellow humans who benefit him or her in one way or another. As one Yoruba chorus has it: The living will give you praise. I am thankful that I am one of them. Only the living can praise you.

    The idea that only the living can give thanks seems to exclude the dead. Yet, the living can also be thankful on behalf of the dead because death is not the worst thing that could happen to a human being. Otherwise, “ikuyajesin” (death is preferable to ridicule) would be a meaningless jargon. While the loss of a loved one is heartbreaking, there is always room for gratitude.

    The practice of thankfulness elicits a positive response from benefactors, giving them good reasons to do more. On the other hand, an unthankful recipient of a benefit is compared to an armed robber. Therefore no matter our situation, we have good reasons to be thankful to those who benefit us, and to the creator for the unmerited grace of being human.

    I am thankful for my loving wife, children and grandchildren, extended family, loyal friends, teachers, mentors, moral leaders, royal fathers and elders who still believe in me. And yes, I am thankful for those honest political leaders who selflessly and thoughtfully guide the destiny of the nation.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  • Ekiti: A taste of history

    Ekiti: A taste of history

    Of course, the path of honour doesn’t lie down in flat miles. It’s in the imagination with which you perceive this world and the gestures with which you raise your banner that the honour finds its domicile”.

     

    Preamble

    Saturday, November 21, 2015 was a day of honour in Ekiti State. For two days before that Saturday, Ado Ekiti, the capital of the state, had come alive with a memorable history. The people of the state trooped out in their thousands to take a glimpse of a rare guest on a rare occasion. The guest was no other personality than His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for (NSCIA). He was there as the first Sultan ever to visit Ekiti State.

    The occasion was for the installation of an indigene of the state and a gentleman of honour as the President of the League of Imams and Alfas of Yoruba Land.  He is Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere Bello who incidentally is also the Grand Imam of Ekiti State. It was a special day of joy on the part of Ekiti people as it was on the part of the Sultan.

    Two days earlier (Thursday, November 19, 2015, His Eminence had travelled down to Ado-Ekiti from Ibadan where he had been installed as the new Chancellor of the University of Ibadan on Tuesday, November 17, 2015. The day of Imam’s installation in Ado Ekiti was his sixth day in Southwest Nigeria. Shortly after his arrival in Ado Ekiti, penultimate Thursday, His Eminence paid a courtesy visit to His Royal Majesty, Oba (Dr.) Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe Aladesanmi 111, CON, JP, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti (at his palace) who hosted him and his entourage including yours sincerely with the grandeur of royalty.

     

    Observance of Jum’at Prayer

    On Friday, November 20, 2015, His Eminence commissioned the newly renovated city’s Central Mosque after paying a courtesy visit to the State Governor in his office. The Jum’at prayer observed in that Mosque was led by the Rector of the Centre for Arabic and Islamic Culture, (Markaz) Agege, Sheikh Habibullah Adam Abdllah Al-Ilory. In his sermon, Sheikh Al-Ilory laid emphasis on the duties of an Imam and the importance of Mosques in Islam. He counseled the new President-General of the League of Imams and Alfas on the challenges ahead of him and how he could surmount those challenges. While admonishing the Muslim Ummah against hearsay and tutored them on the need for cooperation with their leaders for the purpose of   unity.

     

    Dignitaries

    Among the dignitaries that observed the Jum’at prayers were His Eminence, the Sultan, His Royal Majesty, the Ewi of Ado Ekiti (though a Christian) who regarded joining His Eminence in the Mosque as part of hospitality. Others were His Royal Majesty, Oba Akadiri Momoh the Olukare of Ikare; His Excellency, Chief (Dr.) Sakariyau Olayiwola (S. O.) Babalola, OON, DSC, President of the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN) who made the highest single monetary donation to the installation day; the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, OFR, FNAL,  the Head of Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan, Dr. Kamil Koyejo Oloso and all the chiefs and senior Imams of the six states of the Southwest as well as those of Edo and Delta states.

    Some of those dignitaries included Chief S. O. Babalola; the Magajin Rafi and Galadima of Sokoto; Professor T. G. Gbadamosi; Dr. Abdullah Jibril Oyekan; members of MUSWEN’s Secretariat Task Force as well as a retinue of other Muslim dignitaries from various states had been parts of the entourage of His Eminence since his arrival in the Southwest the previous Monday. The Vice Chairman of the Task Force, Alhaji Murziq Bidemi Siyanbade’s role in this was particularly distinct as he virtually relocated to Oyo State Government House, Ibadan, where His Eminence was officially hosted and was shuttling between that place and the University of Ibadan to ensure that the protocol was properly maintained.

     

    Grand Finale

    At the grand finale held at the Ado-Ekiti pavilion, a galaxy of traditional rulers, Imams and Alfas as well as representatives of various Islamic Organisations were present in their joyful mood, an indication that the long awaited unity of the Southwest Ummah had come at last.  Governor Ayodele Fayose was represented by his wife, Feyisara; Delegates of Hausa communities from various states and representatives of some emirs who came from the North were also there to grace the occasion.

    The Chairman of the occasion was Alhaji Khamis Tunde Badmus of Osun State who was ably represented by Senator Adebayo Salami and made a very handsome monetary donation.

    The President-General designate was presented to His Eminence, the Sultan and the public for turbanning by the Secretary-General of the League, Sheikh Ahmad Aladesawe who also gave the welcome address. And the installation lecture was delivered by Sheikh Habibullah Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory, the Rector of MARKAZ, Agege, who is well renowned for apt oration and electrifying delivery power. In the lecture, he spelt out duties and responsibilities of an Imam globally and locally. He emphasised the fact that the President-General of the League of Imams and Alfas would now have more time for his office than for his office. The President of MUSWEN, Chief (Dr.) Babalola also gave a goodwill message.

     

    Profile

    The 63-year-old  President-General of the League of Imams and Alfas of the South West, Edo and Delta, Sheikh Muhammad Jamiu Kewulere Bello, was born on January 2, 1952. After his primary education at Ansar-ud-Deen, Ajilosun, Ekiti, he attended the famous Arabic/Islamic Institute (Zumratu Diyau Salihin) and later became a student at Aabic Training Centre, established by Sheikh Mahally Badrudeen, Ami of Iwo in Osun State. He was also a student of Sheikh Agbarigidoma of Ilorin in Kwara State and a number of other renowned scholars were his teachers.

    Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere Bello briefly dabbled into transportation business before he was persuaded to become the Chief Imam of Ado Ekiti in 1985. He was turbaned by the then Chief Imam Yusuf Olatunji Ogunlayi of Ikole Ekiti. When Ekiti State was created from the old Ondo State in 1996, the Muslim leadership in Ekiti State unanimously appointed him as the Grand Imam of Ekiti State.

     

    Appointment

    On June 4, 2015, Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere Bello was unanimously appointed as President-General of the League of Imams and Alfas of the South West, Edo and Delta at a meeting of the League thereby becoming the 5th Imam to occupy that post. After his installation by His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, the new President-General thanked everybody who played a role in his emergence and in making the occasion a success. He then promised to strengthen the Unity of the South West Muslim Ummah on the one hand and that of the latter and the Northern Muslim Ummah on the other.

     

    Acceptance Speech

    In his word Sheikh J. K. Bello said: “At this juncture, I wish to say with humblest humility and spirit of devotion to Allah (SWT) that I accept this responsibility that you have all placed on my shoulders via my appointment as President-General, League of Imams and Alfas, South Western, Edo and Delta states. As you are all aware, the responsibility of the office is enormous. However, with the special grace and assistance of Allah (SWT) coupled with the cooperation of all and sundry, I hope to contribute my quota to move forward the entire Muslim Ummah in all states of my jurisdiction in particular and the nation in general……”

    The new President-General also said: “Essentially, I would be ready to work with all Islamic organisations, groups, sects and associations to further the frontiers of Islamic religion towards achieving greater peace, progress, unity and development in our midst and in the nation at large. Good initiatives towards achieving peaceful co-existence and societal peace among various other faiths shall be supported…….”

     

    Chronology

    Among his predecessors in that office were the late Chief Imam Muili Basunu of Ibadan, Oyo State; the late Chief Imam Armiyau Parakoyi of Ijebu Ode, Ogunm State; Chief Imam Yayi Akorede of Akure, Ondo State and Chief Imam Mustapha Olayiwola Ajisafe of Osogbo, Osun State.

     

    History

    The League of Imam and Alfas was established in 1967 at the instance of Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory of the great Institute of Arabic and Islamic Culture (MARKAZ) Agege who served as its first Secretary-General. Other Secretaries-General who served after him include Sheikh Sadrudin Biobaku of Gbagura, Abeokuta, Ogun State and the current Chief Imam Ahmad Aladesawe of Owo, Ondo State.

     

    Comment

    The establishment of the League of Imams and Alfas of Southwest, Edo and Delta was a turning point in the unity of the Southwest Muslim Ummah especially in speaking with one voice on matters of common interest and in fighting for the rights of the Muslims in the region. With the establishment of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria, that unity became formidably strengthened as both bodies began to work together like a pair of scissors. Today, Yoruba Muslims and their Edo and Delta brothers and sisters are one and the same. Their spiritual union has created a strong synergy between the Northern and Southern Muslim Ummah in Nigeria.

     

    Central Planning Committee

    Members of the planning committee for the installation were selected from the states that constitute the League. They included the following: Imam Ahmad Aladesawe (Secretary-General), Owo, Ondo State; Alhaji Morufu Olawale Isola and Imam Rabiu Salahudeen, Osun State; Dr. M. T. A. Alayinde, Imam Wasiu Nuru, (markaz) and Alhaji Saadullah Bello, Lagos State. Others were Imam S. S. Bamgbola, Ogun State, Grand Mufti Batuta, Ondo State; Alhaji Fatai Muili Alaga, Oyo State; Alhaji Abdul Fattah Enabulele, Edo State and Chief Imam of Delta State.

     

    Local Organising Committee

    Some of the Local Organising Committee members included the following: Alhaji Barrister Yakubu O. Sanni (Chairman); His Excellency, Dr. Sikiru Tae Lawal, former Deputy Governor and Chairman, Finance Committee; Aare Sulaiman Afolabi Ogunlayi, Chairman Programme and Publicity Committee;Alhaji Jimoh Dayo Ajayi, Chairman, Security Committee; Alhaja Maryam Ogunlade, Chairman, Welfare and Entertainment Committee; Dr. Ibraheem Azees, Chairman, Medical Committee; Alhaji Ganiyu Ibrahim, Secretary, LOC and Alhaji Jamiu Babalola, Assistant Secretary, LOC and a host of others. Some members of the LOC were also members of the Central Planning Committee.

     

    The Role of MUSWEN

    Since its inception in 2008, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), being one of the two main pair organs of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) in partnership with Jam’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) of the North has been playing a very vital role in solidifying the unity of the Muslim Ummah in the South West Nigeria. For instance, the former Secretary-General of the League of Imams and Alfas, the late Sheikh Sadrudeen Biobaku was a member of the Board of Trustees of MUSWEN until his demise. Also, the late President-General of the League of Imams and Alfas, Imam Mustapha Olayiwola Ajisafe was Vice-President of MUSWEN. And in furtherance of of that unity, the newly installed President-General of the League Sheikh J. K. Bello as well as the current Secretary-General of the League, Sheikh Ahmad Aladesawe have been officially invited to be members of the Central Working Committee of MUSWEN.

    Besides, a special team from MUSWEN, led by its President, Chief (Dr.) S. O. Babalola paid a courtesy visit to Ekiti Muslim Community in the residence of the President-General designate of the League last August in the spirit of unity and cooperation. These and many other gestures are pointers to the fact that MUSWEN’s hand of fellowship is always out for the League to grab with love. Also, last month, another MUSWEN team led by its Executive Secretary, Prof. D. O. S. Noibi paid a courtesy visit to Ondo Muslim community and even observed the monthly meeting of that Community. If all these efforts by MUSWEN are adequately reciprocated and complimented by other stake holders in the Southwest, any tendency for fanaticism and consequent terrorism may be easy to nip in the bud.

     

    Observation

    This is an era of religious uncertainty. What we call religion these days is nothing more than a fraudulent cloak for fraudulent activists. The more we claim to be religious the deeper we sink into the quagmire of iniquities. Some people who claim to be men of God are nothing more than men of evil. There is hardly any crime in the world today that is not aided or even generated by people who masquerade day and night in the cloak of religion. The modern day generation has turned religion into a capitalist mercantile. It is the duty of and responsibility of both MUSWEN and the League of Imams and Alfas to stem any spate of such ugly trend and return sanity to Islam in the region. Meanwhile, ‘The Message’ hereby joins MUSWEN in congratulating both the League of Imams and Alfas and its newly installed President-General. CONGRATULATION!

  • Thankfulness

    Thankfulness

    Today, I take a break from political discourse. I am sure it won’t really be missed that much because for the majority of our people, including regular readers who have kept faith with our weekly dialogue, politics is not really all that matters in life. And for many, it is at best a necessary evil that one must keep at a distance when possible. For some others, it is not only that politics is not all that matters; it does not matter at all. Therefore they would rather focus on what matters in life.

    I believe that politics matters to the extent that it has an unmistakable grip on everything that matters. This is especially so in a neo-colonial enclave with an underdeveloped private sector that is completely dependent on the public sphere. You certainly cannot call the bluff of your benefactor! Being about who gets what, where and when, is a very big deal. That is what politics is about.

    Yet with all its eminence, politics is not all that matters for our humanity. It is not what makes us humans. It certainly is not what makes us good human beings. It could help when it is done right; but on its own, there are so many unsavoury properties that make it more of a burden on its practitioners than a benefit.  Even in this era of change, we are living witnesses to the ugly side of politics. For many, power-grab is the objective and self-aggrandisement is the ultimate goal.

    Therefore, I leave politics aside for once. And I take advantage of an annual ritual in my adopted homeland to discuss one of the few ideas and practices that really matters in human life. This is the idea and practice of thankfulness.

    As the Yoruba have it, thankfulness presupposes thoughtfulness. A thoughtful person is a thankful person. There are so many challenges of life that an average person encounters on a daily basis: poverty, disease, loss of loved one, troubled and emotionally disturbed children, joblessness, problematic relationships, etc. As the saying also goes, it is the wearer that knows where the shoe pinches. Eni kan lo mo!

    Yet the scripture instructs us to be thankful “in all things!” How is it possible for a person dealing with a sudden loss be thankful? On what might such a thankful spirit be based?

    What the Yoruba position on this matter means is that whoever is a deep thinker (as opposed to shallow thinker) would see the reason and the need to be thankful even in the face of unimaginable loss or calamity. After all, it could be worse.

    It is the season of Thanksgiving in the United States of America when family and friends gather around the dinner table with a feast of turkey and all its accompaniments and a desert of apple pie. Everyone around the table would have a story to tell, especially about what is worth being thankful for. On top of the list around every family table is the joy of family. Having a family to look up to is a special gift for every human species. And this is well-noted in far away America, the proverbial land of privacy and individualism.

    Two issues strike me watching and participating in this ritual in the last 26 years. First, the historical and sociological account of American individualism is not as simple as it has been presented. The majority of Americans, especially in the rural communities of the north and most communities of the south, are as family-oriented as typical Africans. I have seen this in the way that families rally round loved ones admitted to hospitals, and in the number of family members who witness their loved ones graduate from college.

    Second, it may be argued that Americans in general have good reasons to be thankful and there is no basis for comparing them with Africans in general or Nigerians in particular. After all, Americans have state and national governments that are responsive to their needs or at least to their complaints, while that is not the case in a typical African nation.

    Obamacare was the response of the Obama administration to the need of tens of millions of Americans for health insurance. For those who have benefitted and would not have to worry seeking medical care, there is a good reason to be thankful. One might then ask: “What reason does a poor Nigerian have?”

    Opalaba has an answer with his story of the three swimmers. I have heard the same story a thousand and one times and each time, it has a new meaning.

    The first swimmer is the wealthy man who decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather, serene environment, and clean river for a good swimming exercise at the end of a profitable business day. He carefully removed his shirt and trousers, revealing his beautiful swim suit. He jumped into the river, swam for a few minutes, and got out of the water gracefully. Thanking God for his wealth that afforded him the luxury of leisure, he walked to his chauffeured car and was on his way to enjoy the rest of the evening.

    The second swimmer didn’t have a top to remove. He was not wealthy. Indeed, he was dirt poor, having only a vest and a pair of underwear. He jumped into the river, swam joyfully and got out thanking God as he lay on the bank of the river so the sun can dry his vest and underwear. It could be worse, he intoned.

    Lastly, the third swimmer approached the river as he appeared to the world on his day of birth, with nothing on his skin, joyfully singing: “Now Thank We All Our God.” He also jumped into the river, swam heartily and got out, expressing gratitude to God for being alive.

    The naked swimmer was not blessed with the luxury of leisure. He probably left the river a-begging. He did not have clothing to cover his skin or to protect him from the elements. Yet he was thankful to his creator for the unquantifiable gift of life. As miserable as he must be in the thinking of the wealthy swimmer, the naked swimmer was the most thoughtful of all.

    This is how Opalaba always ends the story. For him, everyone alive has something to be thankful for. This is understandable. Only the living is in a position to be thankful, not just to God, but also to fellow humans who benefit him or her in one way or another. As one Yoruba chorus has it: The living will give you praise. I am thankful that I am one of them. Only the living can praise you.

    The idea that only the living can give thanks seems to exclude the dead. Yet, the living can also be thankful on behalf of the dead because death is not the worst thing that could happen to a human being. Otherwise, “ikuyajesin” (death is preferable to ridicule) would be a meaningless jargon. While the loss of a loved one is heartbreaking, there is always room for gratitude.

    The practice of thankfulness elicits a positive response from benefactors, giving them good reasons to do more. On the other hand, an unthankful recipient of a benefit is compared to an armed robber. Therefore no matter our situation, we have good reasons to be thankful to those who benefit us, and to the creator for the unmerited grace of being human.

    I am thankful for my loving wife, children and grandchildren, extended family, loyal friends, teachers, mentors, moral leaders, royal fathers and elders who still believe in me. And yes, I am thankful for those honest political leaders who selflessly and thoughtfully guide the destiny of the nation.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  • Reimagining the PMB presidency

    It has become apparent in this epoch that imagination is as lean as the president himself and ‘body language’ is fast becoming an effusion of body odour to the people. And just as ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was branded ‘Mr. Clueless’, and appropriately so, President Muhammadu Buhari is fast earning the moniker of ‘Mr. Fuddy-Duddy’ and it looks like it’s gonna stick. What a pity.

    However, the coming of a belated cabinet may well re-imagine this presidency and rescue it. The executive council formed more than six months after inauguration is no doubt a good pick taken together; if only this cabinet had been set up earlier. Imagine what might have been if we had this team at work since July, about six weeks after inauguration.

    Perhaps the most telling reason to confirm that the PMB presidency is in dire need of deep strategic support (and it needs to realise its acute deficiency) is the statement emanating from last Monday’s workshop organised by the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Represented by the new Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, PMB had blamed the delay in the take off of his government on the Goodluck Jonathan government.

    Hear PMB: “We expected comprehensive report on the state of the economy, the security situation, infrastructure development or deficit and social issues, among others in an atmosphere devoid of bitterness, confrontation and conflict.

    “What we got was the exact opposite of what we expected…The incoming government was completely left in the dark and only got handover notes four days before handover date.”

    One thought a handover note often comprised what the predecessor deemed important. It could come in tomes of a thousand volumes and it could also be only a few sheets. Whatever it may be, no new government with a clear vision would depend on his predecessor’s notes to initiate its actions. Again, we remember PMB told us he was taking his time to restructure; he also told us that he could work without ministers who are essentially noisome.

    One thought every new government must have clear ideas and the directions it wishes to go. What has a handover note got to do with the president appointing quality ministers in good time? Again, does it take so long for a new government to determine the true state of affairs of a country? All one needs do is to mandate the heads of the critical MDAs to generate the requisite reports in one week flat; and it is done.

    Blaming ex-President Jonathan after about nine months of beating him at the polls only lends credence to critics who think PMB has lost touch, or never had it. It is akin to a man who wins a trophy and complains that the loser would not teach him how to pop champagne or loft the silverware and jump for joy.

    Monday’s seeming faux pas may be considered the final denotation in a long narrative of inertia and lost opportunities of the PMB era. Coming on a groundswell of massive goodwill and popular desire for change, the change people are left with today may well be a few coins of disillusionment.

    For a country that literally offered the president a triumphant entry; for a people not only willing to do just anything but actually did everything to allow the president a grand entrée, the honeymoon is surely over now. The PMB government was running on what has been commonly called ‘body language’. In support and deference to the new government, Nigerians had over these few months endeavoured to do the right things even at their own detriment. Most people were acting on the expectation that the new government would latch on to such outpouring of goodwill and restructure certain fundamentals. But nothing of such has happened.

    One example is the petroleum sector, which was in a hail of crisis even as the president was inaugurated in May. Six months down the line, not a thought seems to have been spared on this matter of urgent national importance. What do we have today? The seeming reprieve granted by the stakeholders has been withdrawn, fuel is scarce once again across the country and PMB is about to pay a whopping N415 billion in so-called ‘subsidy’. And this is just the first tranche.

    How much does it cost to build a modern modular refinery? Assuming the president has no thoughts whatsoever on this absurd ‘subsidy’ conundrum before he ascended office, a panel of five, set up in June could have given him the answers he needed and he would have pronounced a clear direction on this ignoble ‘subsidy’ by the end of June. We would have long gone past the current crisis. Now we are back to the sorry days of ex-President Jonathan… with attendant sufferings for the people.

    Electricity supply is another sad example. The new owners of the distribution and generating companies who had begun to behave themselves upon the emergence of PMB, expecting a definitive new order, have simply reverted to their old ways, seeing neither spunk nor substance in PMB. Today, we are back to the old days of anything goes. Now in the middle of the dry season when power supply is needed most, what we have is sustained outages and sabotage. We are back to the Jonathan days… with attendant sufferings for the people.

    The latest we hear is that the presidency has ordered reassessment of the Gencos and Discos. We thought this was the natural action to have been taken in the first weeks of June. Every discerning person in the country could tell that though government divesting from power was salutary, the process was fraught with abuse and irregularities. Further, the new owners have continued to play pranks in the last two years, extorting the people and making little investment. If only PMB had ordered this ‘reassessment’ in July, we would be reaping results now. Today the people harvest woes and weariness.

    The war against graft has even turned out more vacuous, considering that it is the major plank of PMB emergence. Most of PMB’s energy seems to have been poured here, but not one person has been named, not to think of pulling anyone in for prosecution (apart from former NSA, Sambo Dasuki). Just a few days ago we were told that suspects were innocent until proven guilty. How profound! Six months after, we are still building up cases against those accused.

    How effective can that be with no Attorney-General and Minister of Justice? How can we fight graft with a smeared template? From one’s seat here in Lagos one can perceive the stench in graft agencies in faraway Abuja; there ought to have been a clearing out and cleansing in order to start on a clean slate. Can you clean with a dirty mop?

    Many Nigerians are truly apprehensive now about the PMB presidency and his ability to lead Nigeria out of the woods and back from the brink. The utter lack of urgency where speed is of essence is most frustrating. The ship of state is sinking, yet government struts as if it has 40 years to work. Now that a cabinet has been formed, it is hoped that purposeful activities will commence on all fronts.

    But who would lead change. PMB’s capacity is in doubt, yet he bugs himself down the more with the Petroleum Ministry as if he is going to go to the ministry and pore over files or go to the creeks and remark crude pump calibrations. Many are therefore apprehensive of the quality of vision available at the helm, thus individual brilliance would be key and perhaps engender competition.

    The party has not shown a brilliant core either. One thing that is certain, however, is that between the party, the president and the cabinet, there is need to re-imagine this epoch.

  • Obi, T.A. Orji and Igbo enweze syndrome

    The sterling examples set by former governors Peter Obi and Theodore Orji of Anambra and Abia states respectively would remain the pride of the Southeast for a long time to come. The Obi phenomenon is stuff for business school books about prudence in public office. T.A. Orji on the other hand, rescued Abia from the death-grips of a family cabal that had hijacked the state for its own.

    For instance, until TA took over effectively, Abia had become a wasted ghost land where worthy sons dared not return to. He changed all that. Obi transformed Anambra from a near-jungle to a model state. This duo that ought to be shining lights in Igbo land are being abused and disparaged daily by their successors and predecessors just to taint them and bring them down. Any wonder miscreants are taking over and not a single guiding voice in the land. N’ezia, Igbo enwe eze, what a shame.

  • A virtuous woman goes home

    A virtuous woman goes home

    The Book of Proverbs is especially important for the wealth of knowledge and universal principles of life that it contains. Many, if not all, of the proverbs present readers with core knowledge about life and what it takes to survive and succeed. With the majority of the proverbs written by the king whose only request from God was the wisdom to deal with the subjects he was tasked to govern, it is not a surprise that the proverbs are veritable sources of divine wisdom.

    As I thought about the most appropriate tribute to the Yeyeoba of Ife, Chief (Mrs.) H. I. D. Awolowo, the sage’s “jewel of inestimable value”, it occurred to me to turn to the good old source of eternal wisdom. One cannot do better than revisit the sagacious reasoning of the author of the Book of Proverbs.

    The writer of Proverbs 31: 10-31 starts the passage with an intriguing question that borders on skepticism: who can find a virtuous woman? There is a suggestion in the manner of the statement that it is going to be a difficult venture. He also provides a reason for the apparent doubt: her price is far above rubies. In other words, assume that one is able to find one; it would take a fortune to have her and keep her.

    The reasoning has a connotation of the economic law of supply and demand. The writer has an understanding of human nature that makes virtue a very rare commodity among men and women. Human nature is generally based and depraved. Recall that God, the omniscient being, once regretted the making of human beings; hence His decision to clean the slate with the deluge. Philosopher Hobbes, from a secular perspective, understood human nature as egoistic, acquisitive and covetous.

    Virtue is rare; but it is in great demand. Even the most depraved human being would like to have a virtuous associate, not for the best of intentions to be sure, but in a logical pursuit of his or her base motive to exploit the innocent. Many a woman or man has fallen into such hands.

    The law of supply and demand makes sure that the virtuous woman, in short supply, must be very expensive to have and keep. This is the meaning of the passage in question. But how is it so? What makes a virtuous woman? What are her character make-up, qualities and credentials?

    First, we are told that the heart of her husband does safely trust in her so that he shall have no need of spoil. The testimony here is to the moral rectitude, excellent understanding and ability to serve as a confidant and companion for her husband. In essence, she is the best counsellor to her husband. This is where we can make sense of Chief Awolowo’s description of H.I.D. as “my jewel of inestimable value.” The metaphor is as telling as the ruby analogy in the Proverbs.

    This was the woman who chose to stay behind when her husband had to travel abroad to pursue higher education. She did so because she wanted to take care of her children. She took good care of the home front so that her husband had the peace of mind to pursue his goal. In the tumultuous days of political persecution, she was her husband’s lieutenant through thick and thin. Even a Mr. Lynn could not intimidate her!

    Of course, she was able to stand her ground because she had no skeleton to hide. She was the ideal of decorum. As she remarked in her memoir, “a wife of the Chief Executive must be level-headed and must understand the feelings of people around and outside her. She can be of good help to her husband if she opens her eyes and ears to what people are saying or doing, especially when her husband is not there. She has to be a good detective and be brilliantly-imaginative. She must be able to warn her husband of impending dangers.”  It wasn’t a surprise that her husband found her a dependable and indispensable ally.

    Second, the writer of Proverbs tells us that the virtuous woman works willingly with her hands; and like the merchant’s ship, she brings her food from afar. Mama Awolowo recalls how her husband insisted that she must not work after they were married. The sage wanted his wife to enjoy her life and just take care of their children, a most noble and selfless interest in the welfare of the family. But after her husband left for the United Kingdom, she launched her business career.

    The decision to engage herself in some business to support the family paid off tremendously as it also helped her husband. But more importantly, when he returned home and got into active politics, Mama demonstrated in action the kind of support a political spouse ought to give to her husband (or wife). Many have ruined the political ambition of their spouses by the kind of ostentatious life that they live while preying on the public wealth.

    Even after her husband had returned from England and suggested that she didn’t have to work because he would make good money as a lawyer, she had her business at Gbagi, Ibadan, selling textile materials. Her husband was the Minister of Local Government and Leader of the Regional Government. That was a great lesson in self-discipline. As the author of our passage remarks, “with the fruit of her hands”, the virtuous woman “plants a vineyard.”

    Thirdly, the virtuous woman stretches her hands to the poor and the needy. We are told that she rises early, a tribute to hard work and industry. But she also cares for others as she does for her children and husband. Beside the non-public philanthropic activities of the sage and his jewel, which must have been many in a society that is so blessed but so poor, they also initiated the idea of Dideolu Specialist Hospital, an idea which has finally come to fruition. It is a befitting tribute to the caring disposition of the virtuous woman.

    Fourthly, with peace at home, the husband of the virtuous woman shines in the city “when he sits among the elders of the land.” This is literally true of the peace that H.I.D. created for Awo in the house. He was able to shine not just in the city but in the country, on the continent and in the world. Among his peers, he was unrivalled. Sure, he had the intellectual endowment and the discipline, but as the elders suggest, if the household was chaotic, the city would just appear like a jungle.

    Fifthly, the virtuous woman is clothed with “strength and honour”, wisdom is “housed in her mouth”, and the law of kindness “resides in her tongue.”  Receiving many honours and awards, including the traditional titles of Mojibade of Ikenne, Iyalode of Remoland, and Yeyeoba of Ife, as well as the academic award of Doctor of Civil Laws, Honoris Causa (Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) is evidence of the wisdom and strength of character that a virtuous woman is endowed with. It is no less significant that she combined all with uncommon humility and fear of God.

    Finally, her children call her blessed. The virtuous woman brings up her children in the fear of God; she guides them in the path of modesty and moderation; she provides for their needs and counsels them against ostentation. She teaches them the virtue of hard work and self-discipline. Therefore they grow up toeing the path of rectitude and they never depart from it because on that path, they succeed and excel. They know how they get there and the mother who led them there is recognised and acknowledged with grateful hearts. They call her blessed.

    In celebrating the life of Mama H. I. D. we must rededicate ourselves to the lessons that her life taught us: trustworthiness, dependability, industry, kindness, honour and integrity, and above all, the fear of the Almighty God to whom we will all return. As she returns home on the centenary of her coming, her good work follows her.

     

     

  • Crescent University’s 7th Convocation Lecture

    Monologue

    University is a city of perspiring dream which some people turn into inheritable reality but which others keep in perpetual suspense.

    The knowledge that propels the world into great hopes may sometimes be packaged in the University classrooms or laboratories.

    But the basis of such knowledge is surely outside the University. The most knowledgeable human beings in history never knew anything called University. Yet, they ventilated the environment that brought University into being.

    Crescent University, Abeokuta held its 7th convocation on Saturday, October 10, 2015. But its Convocation Lecture which yours sincerely was privileged to deliver came up a day earlier (Friday, October 9, 2015).

    The theme of the lecture was ‘Moral Education and Nation Building’. The intention was to publish that lecture in this column today. However, since the lecture was too lengthy to be published in a single edition of ‘The Message’ column, culling an excerpt from it may not be a bad idea. Please, read on:

     

    Preamble

    Any time I remember an historic inscription once placed conspicuously at the main entrance of the University of Cordoba in Spain, my heart throbs. The inscription goes as thus:

    “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”.

    It must be noted that the key words in that inscription are four: Learning, Justice, Righteousness and Bravery. Those words are the real factors of ethics and morality embedded in the University curriculum from inception. The factors were coined to accentuate the high level of discipline and fear of Allah required to form the character of an average University graduate.

    Those factors simply summarise the essence of temporal and spiritual life of man in all ramifications through the vehicle of education. Without them, no life can be said to be worthy of living and no education can be rightly proclaimed.

     

    University of Cordoba

    For those who did not know, University of Cordoba was the very first formal and standardised University ever established in the world. It was established in the mid 10th century CE by Caliph Abdur-Rahman III of the second Umayyad dynasty who ruled in Spain from 912 to 961 CE. University of Cordoba preceded the three oldest universities in the world today: Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt; Qarawiyyin University in Fez, Morocco and Zaytuniyyah University in Tunis, Tunisia. Each of these universities is well over 1000 years old now.

    It was at the University of Cordoba that the Christian Europe first came in contact with the yoke of the knowledge that fetched it what is now called modern civilisation. Thus, at a time when the city of Cordoba under the Muslim rule, was styled ‘The Jewel of the World’ by the Europeans because of its beauty, serenity and grandeur, the University of Cordoba stood out as a second to none citadel of learning in the entire world.

     

    Attestation

    To attest to this fact, a French Historian of the 20th century and author of ‘The Civilisation of the Arabs’, Gustave Le Bon, had the following to say:

    “At an epoch when the rest of Europe was plunged into the darkest barbarism, Baghdad and Cordoba, the two great cities where Islam held sway, were centres of civilisation which illumined the whole world with the light of their brilliance”.

     

    Arabic Numerals

    If some people in the present generation are still in doubt over the above narration and quotes, then, we can shift our focus to a related but more familiar terrain that has no shadow and cannot be doubted.

    At least most of us can still recall that the numerals which we inherited from our colonial masters are called Arabic numerals. Those are the numerals with which we were taught mathematics in schools when we were young. They are the same numerals with which we now conduct our economic activities. It was through those numerals that Muslim intellectuals introduced the figure called zero (0) into the world thereby bringing decimal system into being. Today, everyone knows that without decimal system the achievement of any scientific advancement would have been impossible.

     

    The Roman Numerals

    Before the invention of zero by the Muslims, Europe had relied heavily on the clumsy system of Roman numerals which required enormous expenditure of time and labour. For instance, while the decimal system makes it easy to write such figure as 1848 in only four numerals and within a second, the Europeans used to write the same figure as follows: MDCCCXLVIII in Roman numerals.

     

    Essence of Zero

    The real essence of inventing zero (0) by the Muslim intellectuals was not just to advance the course of science and technology for academic purpose but also to boost human morality by facilitating transparency in economic transactions that could be devoid of manipulation and thereby prevent corruption.

    This further confirms that the end result of education in those days was not just to obtain certificate but to pave way for civility. But can there be any civility in the absence of good human conduct? This is where the question of ethics and morality comes in. It is through high level of discipline and sound ethics that exemplary leaders emerge.

     

    Qualities of Leadership

    University is so named because of the universality of certain human norms and mannerism that distinguish between man and animal. This does not however make it for anybody aspiring to leadership to pass through a university. The greatest leaders in history never passed through a university education even as the most educated human being that ever lived (Prophet Muhammad (SAW), was an illiterate. Yet from the fountain of his education many nonentities have become professors in various fields of learning while many more (literate or illiterate) people across nations and continents have become employees of Islam.

     

    Education and Literacy

    The difference between education and literacy is grossly misconceived in Nigeria. While the one is universally beneficial to all and sundry, the other is beneficial only to the so-called literate. Whereas education is about knowledge, cultural value, responsibility and legacy, literacy is about momentary material benefit that can never become a legacy or a heritage. The death of a literate person connotes the end of literacy in him while an educated person lives on even long after his demise. Prophet Muhammad is a typical example of the latter.

     

    Benefits of education

    Our ancestors who domesticated plants and turned them into edible foods did not attend any school and were therefore not literate. It was from their education that we came to inherit how to turn cassava into gari and eba and yam into yam flour (amala) and pounded yam (iyan) and maize into pap (Eko). It was from their knowledge also that we came to turn melon (egusi) as well as locust beans (Iru) into nutritious soup. It was also those ancestors who cultivated cotton and silk without learning textile technology in any classrooms, and turned them into fabrics with which they designed a variety of dresses for men and women of different generations.

    Thus, if we wear such dresses as Buba and Iro as well as Agbada, Danshiki, Oyala and the likes today it is due to the sound education of our illiterate ancestral fathers and mothers rather than the ingenuity of our literacy. As a matter of fact, the modern Professors have not added anything tangible to those foods and dresses despite their five star certificates in nutrition and textile technology. If anything, they have rather used their so-called literacy to bring various diseases and immorality into the world through malnutrition and nudism. Whereas education abhors corruption literacy encourages and upholds it.

     

    Pseudo-Education

    Today, what remains of most Nigerian universities is mere nomenclature attributable only to literacy rather than education. Even such literacy has so evidently dwindled to a stage of mockery that one sometimes wonders if university as an institution of learning in Nigeria still has anything tangible to contribute to education for the benefit of mankind. The quality of most Nigerian graduates today is so un-befitting to the status of the tertiary institution called university that the phrase ‘University Education’ has virtually a mockery. This is because the main objective of seeking admission into Nigerian universities these days is just to obtain certificate that can serve as meal ticket rather than education that can pave way for quality life.

    The heavily pregnant inscription quoted at the beginning of this speech, in respect of the University of Cordoba, is quite symbolic of the intellectual and humanitarian qualities of the initiators of university education. It enabled the Muslims of that time to pilot the world, with knowledge, into the realm of what is now termed ‘Modern Civilisation’. It constitutes the summary of good leadership theoretically and practically whether in the primordial or contemporary times.

    It connotes the necessary equanimity with which excellent leadership is managed and maintained in any sane society. That is what a well-focused university should be. That is what Crescent University is grooming its graduates to become. We pray Allah to enable the Crescent University also become as great in history as the notable universities that preceded it. Amin.