The Nation Newspaper

Category: Abuja Review

  • Rotary honours its district president

    The Rotary Club of Abuja Maitama District 9125 has honoured Rotarian Winifred Ogbebo as the 7th President, Rotary Club of Abuja.

    Miss Ogbebo, a management staff of Abuja-based Leadership newspaper, joined the club when the offer came, seeing it as an opportunity to reach out more to the less privileged in the society.

    To her, it is a passion to be among great minds in rendering service to the nation. Nothing, she says, gives her peace like seeing some other person happy and satisfied.

    As an undergraduate, she was a radio presenter in the Edo State Broadcasting Service (EBS), and worked during her youth service with the Rivers State Radio Service.

    Ogbebo said being a Rotarian moulded her life completely, especially about philanthropy.

    “It fills you with peace knowing that someone out there has the pleasure of living because of you,” she said. ”I joined Rotary more than seven years ago. It is a humanitarian organisation that one can key into to access the world. You don’t need to have millions of naira to help people. Rotary is about different professionals coming together to give their time, talent and treasure.

    “We call it the three Ts. Time, Talent and Treasure just to impact lives. It is non-religious, non-political. It is for people willing to assist humanity. As a Rotarian you should dedicate your time to assisting humanity. We work to ensure peace in the society.”

    Outgoing President, Victoria Nkem Orakwe said she mounted the realm of leadership as the President of Rotary Club Abuja Maitama on July 1, 2017 with so much zeal, willingness and expectation.  Orakwe encouraged the incoming president to work as a team with others.

    Working as a team, she says, was really helpful during her tenure as the President.

    Orakwe said, “It was indeed a very busy and taxing Rotary year as the club engaged in all rotary six areas of focus namely, water and sanitation, basic education and literacy, disease prevention and treatment, children and maternity health care, economic and community development and peace and conflict prevention and resolution.

    “Rotary Club Abuja Maitama won five awards from the district governor as a result of the club’s outstanding performance during the 2017/2018 Rotary year. This is a new rotary year and I urge every club member to join our President Rotarian Winny Ogbebo to be the inspiration to our society through Rotary so as to retain and sustain this epic of success which the club has attained.”

    Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe urged  Nigerians to imbibe the Rotarian way of life by assisting humanity and living in peace with all,

    He noted that the Rotary four way test of  is it true, is it fair to all concerned, will it build good will and better friendship and will it be beneficial to all concerned should be all Nigerians watchword.

    “This can apply to relationship with others in the home, office and our business environs. The Rotarians are truly peace ambassadors in the society. Two months ago Rotarians treated 1.2 million people in Afghanistan free of charge. They are completely committed to clean water and provide amenities for the society where ever they find themselves. No one has come to this world with anything and they are not taking anything back. The time to stop celebrating mediocrity is over. With Rotary peace will return fully and there will be love amongst us worth celebrating,” Runsewe said.

  • Ending ethno- religious crises 

    One of the greatest challenges facing the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is the ethnic, religious and other divisive crises in the country.

    The crises came to a head in recent times with the killings of innocent Nigerians under what was referred to as herdsmen/farmers clashes.

    Although it was claimed in some quarters that foreigners were camouflaging as herdsmen to kill the innocent Nigerians.

    Others have also linked it to underground plots to discredit the current administration ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    The aim, according to them, was to make the administration score low on one of the three major objectives of the administration, which is to secure the nation.

    While the government is said to have been taking steps to eliminate the herdsmen/farmers clashes, it has also taken several measures to ensure unity, peace and harmony among Nigerians.

    It has rolled out many jingles on radios, television stations and advertisements in the country promoting oneness and unity among Nigerians.

    But as much as it has been trying its best in that direction, it appeared as if not much success has been achieved.

    One major reason for this was that those bent on causing division and disunity among Nigerians, for political or other reasons, are increasing their paces and getting better with their games.

    So today, despite all the talk shops and jingles, the different cultures and religions in the country appeared to be dividing Nigerians more.

    Many Nigerians last week however welcomed another dimension to promoting unity among Nigerians.

    Rather than the past talk shops and jingles, the new initiatives, under the platform of ANISZA, plans to use pictures to promote Nigeria’s unity.

    The initiative started with unity photo exhibition in Abuja, which will then extend to the 36 states of the federation.

    The coordinator of the new initiative, who is also Personal Photographer to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Special Assistant to the President on Visual Communication, Novo Isioro, spoke on the project last Tuesday in Abuja.

    She said “These differences that we have should be celebrated and not become a problem. Why do I have to favour a Yoruba man over Igbo man?  Why do I have to favour Hausa man over Yoruba man? Because we have a country before independence when it didn’t matter where you come from.

    “Then, even a northerner can contest and win elections in the west without any bias. Then, we all saw ourselves as one Nigeria, where we came together to achieve more.

    “But nowadays, its so sad that when you want to rent just an apartment, the landlord will ask you if you are from Benue State or Kogi State or other parts of the country.

    “This is a personal experience and I have constantly been wondering why do I have to be from a particular region to get a house. It is that bad.

    “So, I just thought that this disunity has eaten us so deep and we should just do something about it. I personally thought that as a visual artist and photographer, I understand how image tells a lot more than just talking to a group of Nigerians.

    “So, I thought we should use pictures to tell the stories. I went into the archives before Nigeria’s independence.” she said

    She added “It is to show to Nigerians that there is really no difference among us, humans are humans, whether black or white or from the north, south, west or east.

    “So, we should stop the drama, the agitations and the hate speeches and let’s work together.

    “It is actually focused on young people because people of my generation, that is 40 years downward, do not really understand the depth of our history. History was taken away from our curriculum, I think it is now optional, in a nation where our youths know nothing about our heritage.

    “So, those were the things that were bothering me and we want to do something on, otherwise the young generation and the unborn ones will gradually come to a country where history is zero or dead.

    “It is a mobile gallery. The idea of unity exhibition has never been done in this country before. So the plan is to take the containerised structure to other states after FCT. We will focus on schools. We are inviting at least one secondary school from each state in Nigeria. We plan to host them for three days. The first day for exhibition, second day for workshop and third day a small excursion as they travel back to their states.

    “Then we will now take it to other states, where we will be in a state for up to one month because we want all the young persons in the state to partake in the event.

    “We are presently collaborating with the Ministry of Information,  Ministry of Youths and Sports, and we hope to collaborate with more ministries and state governments.

    “Apart from this project majorly focusing on teaching our youths about our fast lost history, in terms of peace and unity that we used to have in the country, it is also drawing attention to how we should handle our national archives and other related issues.

    “We are also drawing attention to the fact that just like English and Mathematics, we cannot take History subject away from our curriculum even up to tertiary institutions. This is the major reason why ANISZA came to life.” she said

    Supporting the project, a Museum and Heritage Consultant, Mayo Adediran said “There are so many similarities in our differences dating back culturally to the landmarks of Nigeria before 500 AD.

    “So where is that love of our first existence? We should begin to ask how do we get back there. We should trace our steps back to where we missed it.” he added

    Apart from other groups supporting the project, Daily Times of Nigeria is also partnering with it to supply the needed past records from its archives, which has existed in the past 92 years.

    It is hoped that this new initiative will go a long way to unite Nigerians.

    And also rekindle the lost love and end the killings and differences among Nigerians.

  • Nigerian, US defence colleges tackle terrorism

    The National Defence College, Nigeria and the College of International Security Affairs, National Defence University Washington have held a bilateral training workshop for faculty members on combating terrorism and irregular threats. The workshop which took place at the Centre for Strategic Research and Studies of the National Defence College, Nigeria, was another major step forward for the college in its strategic partnership with various global institutions across the world.

    The workshop was geared towards sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas between faculty members of the institutions on strategic level estimates on irregular threats.

    According to the Public Relations Officer of the College, Commander Edward Yeibo, the plenary covered irregular threats in the contemporary security environment, lexicon on operational design and framework as well as strategic framework estimate on the Boko Haram insurgency.

    “It also covered the speciality issues, Sri Lanka on counter terrorism/ counter insurgency, the Nexus and linkages and also practical exercises on Boko Haram insurgency. A strategic estimate framework was developed and used as a critical tool in dealing with current security challenges in Nigeria and the Sahel region,” Commander Yeibo added.

    Commander Yeibo explained in a statement issued by the NDC authority on the partnership that prior to the commencement of the workshop, the leader of the College of International Security Affairs, National Defence University Washington delegation, Ambassador Erica Barks Ruggles paid a courtesy call on the Commandant, National Defence College, Nigeria, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo to discuss issues of interest to both institutions in line with the memorandum of understanding.

    Yeibo said, “She used the opportunity to applaud the developmental strides in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja compared to the last time she visited Nigeria 20 years ago.  Ambassador Ruggles asserted that College of International Security Affairs, National Defence University Washington mission is to educate and prepare senior civilian and military security professionals and future leaders of the United State and partners as nations for the strategic challenges of the contemporary security environment.

    “She emphasized that the College of International Security Affairs, National Defence University Washington is the US Department of Defence flagship training institution for education and the building of partnerships capacity in combating terrorism and irregular warfare at the strategic level.

    “Ambassador Ruggles expressed her appreciation to the National Defence College Nigeria for the collaboration and the hosting of the workshop which she described as unique in all ramifications. She expressed her desire for further cooperation and collaboration between National Defence College Nigeria and College of International Security Affairs, National Defence University Washington”.

    The statement noted that during one of the series of lectures lined up for the workshop, Dr Thomas Marks, one of the resource persons from the United States opined that protecting citizens in all spectrum in a democratic dispensation is the fundamental responsibility of governance.

    To him there is the need to understand the root causes and drivers of radicalization which leads to violent extremism. He added that at the strategic level, it was necessary to develop a framework for a strategic response, which was prompted the one week conduct of the workshop.

    In his contributions at the workshop, the Deputy Commandant and Director of Studies, Major General Peter Dauke, observed that the facilitators have done justice to the subject matter as it relates to terrorism and other irregular security threats

    Major General Dauke submitted among others that a strategic leader must be critical in studying and analysing any given situation before action. He added that, if one cannot be able to identify a problem, he or she cannot be able to resolve it appropriately.

    He told the gathering that as part of efforts to enhance the relationship between the two institutions, the National Defence University Washington has invited the Commandant National Defence College Nigeria, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo, to visit the United States in order to explore areas for further collaboration.

  • 6,000 youths benefit from $4.59m organic fertiliser project 

    No fewer than 6000 unemployed youths in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will benefit from an organic fertiliser and waste recycling project about to kick off there.

    The project initiated by the Agriculture Graduates Association of Nigeria (AGAN) is meant to create jobs, promote environmental sustainability in the territory while the processing plant will be located at the popular Gosa Dump site.

    National President of AGAN, Dr. Egbuta Michael, during a briefing in Abuja explained that a tripartite agreement have already been signed with the Federal Capital Territory Administration and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    Michael said the project will fully commence as soon as the funding is secured but other pre-activities is expected to start after the scheduled stakeholders meeting.

    He expressed concern on the huge tons of wastes being generated daily in the territory but poorly managed except for intervention of waste scavengers.

    According to him, the idea is to convert the wastes such as plastics, aluminum cans, and other non-biodegradable items into raw materials for other products.

    “The produced organic fertiliser will be used for farming and sold to other farms while the non-biodegradable waste components such as metals, glass wares are to be processed into recycled materials and sold to local manufacturing industries.”

    He added that, “a cluster will work in a common facility utilization outfit, which will involve building of standard material recovery facility. It will be compartmentalized into a general waste dumping or sorting bay, metal baling section, plastic crushing and shredding, organic shredding section among others.”

    However, he noted that funding for the project will be sourced through crowd funding with donations from prominent Nigerians and private firms such as Julius Berger.

    He said stakeholders meeting to be chaired by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Babatunde Ogunwunsi will be organised ahead of the event kickoff.

    “Earnings by cooperatives will be by earn-as-you-work basis as records of each member contribution will be kept in a cooperative Bank account,” Egbuta said.

    Representative from the Department of Agriculture Extension Service, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developement, Ime Umoh described the initiative as timely due to ongoing efforts of the current administration to tackle unemployment.

    Umoh pledged to support the project and drive it to success, stressing that it falls within mandate of the ministry.

  • Rotary donates N1m furniture to FCT school

    The Rotary Club of Abuja, Maitama District, has furnished the library of Government Junior Secondary School, Dutsen Alhaji, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

    The humanitarian club said the gesture was part of activities to celebrate its education and literacy month in September by giving back to the society policy.

    District Governor of the club, Mr. Elvis Chukwu, stated that such gesture will be extended to other schools across the FCT.

    He said: “Clubs are carrying out projects like this in all their communities. Some are building schools, donating books, desks and all education projects.

    “I can assure you that it is not only here in Dutsen Alhaji. I have been commissioning projects since I came to Abuja.”

    He charged the school to take charge of the project and ensure its proper maintenance.

    President of the club, Miss Winifred Ogbebo, said that the gesture will help increase the reading culture in the school.

    According to her, the country has a low reading culture which needed to be improved upon.

    She said this is one of many other projects that the club has embarked on, adding that more humanitarian projects will be commissioned soon.

    “We have decided to intervene in this area by providing them with furniture for their library so that they can boost their reading culture.

    “The reading culture of Nigeria is very low and it is going down by the day. We had to do something to boost their reading culture and at the same time enhance education in this area,” she stated.

  • More than a mosque

    The beauty of the Al Noor Mosque is striking, but its greatest service is attracting worshippers of other faiths, reports JIDE BABALOLA

    Its towering magnificence notwithstanding, expanding charitable causes and the deepening of its role as a centre for interfaith dialogue is adding to the significance of Al Noor mosque in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital.

    Under a N500 million expansion plan unveiled by the International  Centre for Islamic Culture and Education (ICICE), the expansive mosque known for its keen children’s education, inspiring sermons and digital recitations as well being a source of succor to the less-privileged now aims to expand its humanitarian works tremendously.

    Like the Al Noor Mosque is a masjid in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, the Al Noor mosque in Abuja has an artistic exterior, including the unique Ottoman ornamental design and ceramic works makes it to stand out so distinctly in the city. Unlike the one in the UAE with a 2,200 worshipper capacity, the one in Abuja is set to accommodate 10,000 worshippers soon. In 2014, the Al Noor mosque in the UAE which was completed in 2005 set a Guinness World Record for the “World’s largest wooden charity box” for their Ramadan donation· campaign and with similar charitable disposition, the one in Abuja aims to go further.

    Unveiling ICICE’s expansion vision before the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, the Centre’s Director General, Dr Kabiru Kabo Usman told the Sultan that the Centre had successfully developed a Code for Ethics of Practice for Imams and other areas of research that will help the Muslim community, particularly on local issues.

    He announced the introduction of  Islamic Lecture Series by the centre and invited the Sultan to be the Special Guest at the maiden edition of lecture series scheduled to hold at Al-Noor Mosque on Saturday, October 6, 2018.

    The maiden Guest Lecturer will be the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, (JAMB) Prof I’shaq Oloyede who is also the Secretary General of Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. The title of the lecture is “Islamic perspectives on Accountability in Public Service” – a standpoint that reflects current national concerns.

    He further requested the Sultan to support in the publication of the Al-Noor Mosque Friday prayers sermons in English, Hausa and Arabic languages for the period from August 2012 to date.

    According to Dr. Kabir Usman’s Special Assistant on Media, Alhaji Abdulkadir Ahmed Ibrahim, the ICICE and Al Noor mosque are also blazing a trail towards impacting people’s economic lives positively.

    For instance, work is going on towards the establishment of an Islamic Microfinance Bank for youth empowerment in addition to plans to  establish an Islamic Banking and Finance Academy.

    Similarly, Dr Kabir Usman said plans were in progress by the ICICE  to organise an International workshop on Sukuk and non-interest banking in Dubai and this is scheduled  for November 19 to 23 this year.

    Explaining further, Dr Kabir Kabo Usman said that the workshop will feature the fundamental principles of Sukuk structuring including Islamic Treasury Bills and other non-interest Capital Market products, Islamic Banking and insurance  for key operators and relevant stakeholders in the Nigerian finance industries.

    In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto who is the President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar pledged to assist  the International Centre for Islamic Culture and Education to achieve its objectives and discharge other responsibilities.

    He commended the centre for its educative activities especially in the training and capacity building  programme among youth who, he noted, are the vanguard for progress.

    The Sultan was particularly happy that the centre focuses on interfaith dialogue and training, adding that new positive viewpoints about Islamic financing can really help the socirty move forward.

    He emphasised the importance of the Guidance and Counselling objectives of the ICICE especially in the teachings of Islamic values, Islamic culture and knowledge.

    Its strong focus on poverty eradication and scholarship programs were also commended.

    Among others, the ICICE through Al Noor mosque aims to help reduce conflict and build peace in the society through  interfaith dialogue processes that would embrace Christians from diverse walks of life.

    A waqf, also known as habous or mortmain property, is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law, which typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitable purposes with no intention of reclaiming the assets. Such assets may be under the supervision of a charitable trust and this is one of the areas that ICICE and Al Noor are seriously looking at.

    In Islam, Zakat, “that which purifies” is a form of alms-giving treated in Islam as a religious obligation or tax, which, by Quranic ranking, is next after prayer (salat) in importance.

    As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, zakat is a religious obligation for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth. It is a mandatory charitable contribution, the right of the poor to find relief from the rich, and is considered to be a tax, or obligatory alms. The payment and disputes on zakat have played a major role in the history of Islam and with processes and infrastructure now being deployed at Al Noor to mobilize stronger participation; the populace will be the better for it. An aesthetically masterful worship environment using its donation booth to rally hope and material resources for the less privileged is surely welcome.

  • Building collapse: Minister inaugurates inquiry panel 

    Worried by the incessant cases of building collapse in the Federal Capital Territory, the minister Malam Muhammad Bello has inaugurated a panel of inquiry to unravel the cause of the building collapse at Plot 711, Cadastral Zone B04, Jabi District, Abuja.

    The FCT Minister, who was represented at the occasion by the Permanent Secretary, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, said the FCT Administration, as a responsible and responsive administration, was committed to unraveling the causes of the unfortunate incident with a view to stemming future occurrence.

    He said some officers directly in charge of monitoring the project site have been suspended pending the completion of investigations.

    The Minister disclosed that the committee, which has three weeks to complete its assignment, has been charged with the responsibility of assessing the quality of the subsoil, foundations and designs that were available for the structure, establish the quality of supervision and nature of construction materials used as well as the experience of the technical personnel at the site.

    The Committee is also expected to assess the level of regulation at the site and recommend appropriate sanction against any person found wanting.

    The Panel which is Chaired by the Director General and Chief Executive officer of the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute, Prof. Danladi S. Matawal, has retired Director of Engineering Services, FCDA, Engr. S. O Ugonabo; the MD, Fola Consult – a Planning Firm; Tpl S.A. Olajide, MD, 2-Habit Concept – Architectural Firm and Arch Philip Z. Iortyer as members.

    Also included in the panel are representatives of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, (COREN), Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC) and Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), as well as the FCTA General Counsel, Barr. Mohammed Babangida Umar, among others.

    According to a statement issued by the minister’s Chief Press Secretary, Cosmas Uzodinma, Speaking after the inauguration ceremony, Chairman of the Panel, Prof. Matawal, stressed that the frequency of building collapse in Nigeria was unacceptable given the level of professionalism in the industry in the country.

    He commended the present FCT Administration for the reduction of the incidence of building collapse in the Territory, noting that the last time this happened was in August 2016.

    He recalled that in 2012 alone, there were over 20 recorded cases, adding that the fact that this has reduced was as a result of the efforts of the present Administration to tame the tide.

    Prof. Matawal appreciated the confidence reposed in the Committee members and assured that the Panel will give the assignment the seriousness it deserves and perform its work with decorum, sincerity and attention to details.

    He said the committee will also work with a vision for the future to ensure that occurrences of this nature which were very much avoidable would be addressed by its report.

    It would be recalled that a three floor structure under construction in Jabi District collapsed on Friday, August 17, 2018 leaving three persons dead while six others sustained various degrees of injuries.

  • Scaling first hurdle 

    The aspiration and desire for President Muhammadu Buhari to retain the number one seat in the country received a major boost last week.

    He eventually emerged the sole Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2019 elections.

    This was in line with the decision of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party, which had earlier endorsed Buhari for second term as President.

    So as at the last day for submission of the Presidential aspirants nomination form, no other individual in the party collected nor submitted the form.

    All members of the party, including those who might have had secret aspirations to run for the number ones  seat in the country, kept it in their minds and gave President Buhari the right of first refusal in line with the provisions of the party.

    None of them took any action inspite of the calls that those who were really desirous of contesting for the Presidential ticket of the APC were free to do so.

    Speak while the Presidential form of the party was still on sale, the National Secretary of the APC, Maimala Buni said “Once the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party passes a vote of confidence on the President, that President stands accepted because the NEC is the highest organ of the party and it met to take the decision, where every interest was represented.

    “So the National Executive Committee of the APC has passed a vote of confidence on our President and that means every APC member has endorsed him.” he said

    Pointing out that Nigeria’s case was not different from what obtains in advanced democracies, he said “In advance democracy, ones the NEC of a party passes vote of confidence on the President, nobody contest against the President. The President has been accepted.”

    Noting that the moment Buhari accepted the nomination form, he automatically became the party’s candidate in 2019 election.

    “But we are in a democracy, we are not saying nobody should come out and contest with him, but he has the right of first refusal.

    “It is unlike the PDP that printed one form.” he added

    Buhari, definitely has scaled the first major hurdle, but must now focus on how to defeat other parties’ candidates that would emerge against him.

    Submitting his expression of interest and nomination form last Wednesday, Buhari said “I am here in person among friends and colleagues to put my name forward to my party, the All Progressives Congress, seeking nomination to contest the Presidential Elections next year, 2019.

    “Fellow party members, I am taking this step with all humility, sense of responsibility and an unquestionable desire to serve and protect the interests of all Nigerians.

    “I am very grateful to those dozens of organizations who have joined together and contributed funds to purchase these forms.

    “I assure them and the rest of Nigerians that, if nominated and if elected, I shall continue to serve you to the best of my ability.

    “Let me today appeal to party members not to be complacent but to prepare, strategize and win in 2019 elections.

    “We must not allow those who brought the country to its knees from 1999 to 2015 to come and take us back.” he said

    While the case of the APC can be said to be settled concerning the Presidential race for next year, the case of the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is a different scenario.

    Many aspirants, under PDP,  have indicated interests to run for the Presidential elections next year.

    Unless a consensus candidate emerge among those who have shown interest, the PDP Presidential candidate would have to emerge through the primary elections.

    So, as it is for now, Buhari is yet to know who will contest against him from PDP next year.

    All he can do for now is for his men to continue to put in place general strategies that will defeat any candidate that will eventually emerge on the PDP platform.

    The ruling party will then zero in on the PDP candidate that will emerge at the end of the primary election.

     Bowing out for integrity 

    It is no longer news that the immediate past Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has resigned from the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    The issue of the non-genuineness of her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) exemption certificate has also been in the public domain for some months.

    But the drama and deception that proceeded her resignation from the office last Friday caused great confusion among Nigerians.

    While some online media reported her resignation from office early on that Friday, there was no immediate official confirmation of the development.

    Journalists, and the nation in general, were even misled to believe that there no truth in the resignation story and that Adeosun was busy with her official duties in her office.

    The journalists covering the beat were shielded from knowing that Adeosun, who did not attend last Wednesday Federal Executive Council meeting,  was busy on that Friday clearing her desk.

    With no information coming from the ministry, pressure was then mounted on Presidency correspondents to get the feelers at the seat of power.

    Those who were supposed to know the correct situation of things kept sealed lips till the last moment.

    An official confirmation of the development was however issued late Friday night to confirm the issue, which engaged the social media earlier in the day.

    Along with the official statement stating that President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted her resignation was Adeosun’s resignation letter.

    She not only thanked the President for the opportunity to serve the nation, she maintained that she had to step aside for the sake of integrity.

    She said “Let me commence by thanking you profusely for the honour and privilege of serving under your inspirational leadership.

    “It has been a truly rewarding experience to learn from you and to observe at close quarters your integrity and sense of duty.

    “I have, today, become privy to the findings of the investigation into the allegation made in an online medium that the Certificate of Exemption from National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) that I had presented was not genuine.

    “This has come as a shock to me and I believe that in line with this administration’s focus on integrity, I must do the honourable thing and resign.” she added

    Only time will tell if that is the end of the episode.

     

    • This instalment was to be published last week

  • More than a mosque

    The beauty of the Al Noor Mosque is striking, but its greatest service is attracting worshippers of other faiths, reports JIDE BABALOLA

    i ts towering magnificence notwithstanding, expanding charitable causes and the deepening of its role as a centre for interfaith dialogue is adding to the significance of Al Noor mosque in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital.

    Under a N500 million expansion plan unveiled by the International  Centre for Islamic Culture and Education (ICICE), the expansive mosque known for its keen children’s education, inspiring sermons and digital recitations as well being a source of succor to the less-privileged now aims to expand its humanitarian works tremendously.

    Like the Al Noor Mosque is a masjid in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, the Al Noor mosque in Abuja has an artistic exterior, including the unique Ottoman ornamental design and ceramic works makes it to stand out so distinctly in the city. Unlike the one in the UAE with a 2,200 worshipper capacity, the one in Abuja is set to accommodate 10,000 worshippers soon. In 2014, the Al Noor mosque in the UAE which was completed in 2005 set a Guinness World Record for the “World’s largest wooden charity box” for their Ramadan donation· campaign and with similar charitable disposition, the one in Abuja aims to go further.

    Unveiling ICICE’s expansion vision before the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, the Centre’s Director General, Dr Kabiru Kabo Usman told the Sultan that the Centre had successfully developed a Code for Ethics of Practice for Imams and other areas of research that will help the Muslim community, particularly on local issues.

    He announced the introduction of  Islamic Lecture Series by the centre and invited the Sultan to be the Special Guest at the maiden edition of lecture series scheduled to hold at Al-Noor Mosque on Saturday, October 6, 2018.

    The maiden Guest Lecturer will be the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, (JAMB) Prof I’shaq Oloyede who is also the Secretary General of Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. The title of the lecture is “Islamic perspectives on Accountability in Public Service” – a standpoint that reflects current national concerns.

    He further requested the Sultan to support in the publication of the Al-Noor Mosque Friday prayers sermons in English, Hausa and Arabic languages for the period from August 2012 to date.

    According to Dr. Kabir Usman’s Special Assistant on Media, Alhaji Abdulkadir Ahmed Ibrahim, the ICICE and Al Noor mosque are also blazing a trail towards impacting people’s economic lives positively.

    For instance, work is going on towards the establishment of an Islamic Microfinance Bank for youth empowerment in addition to plans to  establish an Islamic Banking and Finance Academy.

    Similarly, Dr Kabir Usman said plans were in progress by the ICICE  to organise an International workshop on Sukuk and non-interest banking in Dubai and this is scheduled  for November 19 to 23 this year.

    Explaining further, Dr Kabir Kabo Usman said that the workshop will feature the fundamental principles of Sukuk structuring including Islamic Treasury Bills and other non-interest Capital Market products, Islamic Banking and insurance  for key operators and relevant stakeholders in the Nigerian finance industries.

    In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto who is the President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar pledged to assist  the International Centre for Islamic Culture and Education to achieve its objectives and discharge other responsibilities.

    He commended the centre for its educative activities especially in the training and capacity building  programme among youth who, he noted, are the vanguard for progress.

    The Sultan was particularly happy that the centre focuses on interfaith dialogue and training, adding that new positive viewpoints about Islamic financing can really help the socirty move forward.

    He emphasised the importance of the Guidance and Counselling objectives of the ICICE especially in the teachings of Islamic values, Islamic culture and knowledge.

    Its strong focus on poverty eradication and scholarship programs were also commended.

    Among others, the ICICE through Al Noor mosque aims to help reduce conflict and build peace in the society through  interfaith dialogue processes that would embrace Christians from diverse walks of life.

    A waqf, also known as habous or mortmain property, is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law, which typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitable purposes with no intention of reclaiming the assets. Such assets may be under the supervision of a charitable trust and this is one of the areas that ICICE and Al Noor are seriously looking at.

    In Islam, Zakat, “that which purifies” is a form of alms-giving treated in Islam as a religious obligation or tax, which, by Quranic ranking, is next after prayer (salat) in importance.

    As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, zakat is a religious obligation for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth. It is a mandatory charitable contribution, the right of the poor to find relief from the rich, and is considered to be a tax, or obligatory alms. The payment and disputes on zakat have played a major role in the history of Islam and with processes and infrastructure now being deployed at Al Noor to mobilize stronger participation; the populace will be the better for it. An aesthetically masterful worship environment using its donation booth to rally hope and material resources for the less privileged is surely welcome.

  • Panel probes building collapse

    Worried by the incessant cases of building collapse in the Federal Capital Territory, Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello has inaugurated a panel of inquiry to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the unfortunate building collapse at Plot 711, Cadastral Zone B04, Jabi District, Abuja.

    The FCT Minister, who was represented at the occasion by the Permanent Secretary, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, said the FCT Administration, as a responsible and responsive administration, was committed to unraveling the causes of the unfortunate incident with a view to stemming future occurrence.

    He said some officers directly in charge of monitoring the project site have been suspended pending the completion of investigations.

    The Minister disclosed that the committee, which has three weeks to complete its assignment, has been charged with the responsibility of assessing the quality of the subsoil, foundations and designs that were available for the structure, establish the quality of supervision and nature of construction materials used as well as the experience of the technical personnel at the site.

    The Committee is also expected to assess the level of regulation at the site and recommend appropriate sanction against any person found wanting.

    The Panel which is Chaired by the Director General and Chief Executive officer of the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute, Prof. Danladi S. Matawal, has retired Director of Engineering Services, FCDA, Engr. S. O Ugonabo; the MD, Fola Consult – a Planning Firm; Tpl S.A. Olajide, MD, 2-Habit Concept – Architectural Firm and Arch Philip Z. Iortyer as members.

    Also included in the panel are representatives of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, (COREN), Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC) and Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), as well as the FCTA General Counsel, Barr. Mohammed Babangida Umar, among others.

    According to a statement issued by the minister’s Chief Press Secretary, Cosmas Uzodinma, Speaking after the inauguration ceremony, Chairman of the Panel, Prof. Matawal, stressed that the frequency of building collapse in Nigeria was unacceptable given the level of professionalism in the industry in the country.

    He commended the present FCT Administration for the reduction of the incidence of building collapse in the Territory, noting that the last time this happened was in August 2016.

    He recalled that in 2012 alone, there were over 20 recorded cases, adding that the fact that this has reduced was as a result of the efforts of the present Administration to tame the tide.

    Prof. Matawal appreciated the confidence reposed in the Committee members and assured that the Panel will give the assignment the seriousness it deserves and perform its work with decorum, sincerity and attention to details.

    He said the committee will also work with a vision for the future to ensure that occurrences of this nature which were very much avoidable would be addressed by its report.

    It would be recalled that a three floor structure under construction in Jabi District collapsed on Friday, August 17, 2018 leaving three persons dead while six others sustained various degrees of injuries.