The Nation Newspaper

Tag: abuse

  • ‘2,588 children suffer abuse in 12 months’

    ‘2,588 children suffer abuse in 12 months’

    About 2,588 children in Lagos State were sexually and emotionally abused in the last 12 months, it has been learnt.

    Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Ms. Titilayo Shitta-Bey, gave the data at a media parley to kick-off activities marking the 2023 Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Awareness Month, with the theme ‘SGBV: Not in my Lagos’.

    The SGBV month is celebrated every September.

    Read Also: Akeredolu’s return imminent, says spokesman

    Mrs. Shitta-Bey, represented by the Executive Secretary, Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, added that 40 per cent of the children had undergone counselling to help them deal with the psychological effects of their ordeal.

    She said: “From August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2023, the agency has handled 5,624 cases in the adults and children categories. The agency now receives an average of 250 clients monthly. 91 per cent of adult survivors were female, whilst nine per cent were male. 45 per cent were children survivors and 55 per cent girls.”

  • Abuse of Ramadan

    It is rather ironic that today’s world takes Muslims for the mirror through which Islam is perceived when the opposite should actually be the case. Just as it is wrong to measure knowledge, in a citadel of learning by the quantity or quality of the architectural structures available therein, so it is wrong to use Muslims as the mirror through which to measure the value of Islam nakedly and avowedly. On the contrary, Islam is the mirror as well as the scale with which Muslims are supposed to be seen and measured respectively, not the other way round. For instance no reasonable person will ever blame Nigerian constitution for any   misconduct of some maleficent Nigerians abroad. Nigerian constitution is one thing misconduct of Nigerians is another. The one is not and cannot be a corollary of the other.

     

    Emergence of Islam

    When the sacred religion called Islam emerged through Prophet Muhammad (SAW) almost 1,500 years ago, it was with certain fundamental norms meant to guide humanity towards all   virtuous acts in life. One of the most formidable pillars of that divine religion is fasting in the month of Ramadan. With it, all genuine Muslims are supposed to fortress themselves against any satanic recklessness that could turn them into wild beasts.

     

    Qur’anic revelations

    Now, we are in the sacred lunar month in which the revelation of the Qur’an began in 610 C.E. It was in this divine month that the last divine constitution with which to liberate mankind from the shackles of Satan was revealed. The real spiritual essence of Ramadan is to show mankind the right path to Paradise through a phenomenal transit called the world.

    This allegorical month is like a school in which Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was both the pioneer student and the pioneer teacher. All other students who passed through this school or are still passing through it are heirs to those   forerunners.

     

    Duties of Shepherds

    The duty of those heirs is to serve as shepherds for the wandering flocks of the universe. It is this duty that confirms man as Allah’s vicegerent on earth.

    Anyone who is in a   position to serve as a shepherd but does otherwise has surely contravened the rules of his or her Creator.

    Ironically, most of those we perceive as shepherd in our society are worse than the lost sheep they are supposed to guide aright. For those who know and appreciate it, the opportunity of rebirth provided by this sacred month has no duplicate. It is like a ‘once in a while’ train which everyone should endeavour not to miss. Missing it is like missing a lifelong destiny of fortune. But will the recalcitrant ones heed the warning?

     

    A Season of jamboree

    With the arrival of Ramadan this year, a scene of jamboree took over most radio and television stations as usual, especially in the Southwest of Nigeria. Many pseudo Alfas who had become redundant before Ramadan quickly dusted their gowns and turbans for the purpose of sharing from the annual largess which they believe the sacred month had brought for them. Such pseudo Alfas who might have taken advantage of some ignorant Muslim money bags in the society by asking them to sponsor Ramadan preaching on radio and television stations swarmed the airwaves like bees on a hive. With little or no knowledge at all, those pretenders posed like scholars and dished out rubbish by arrogating to themselves the knowledge they did not possess. Their displayed symbols of scholarship included big gowns, turban, unkempt beards and irrelevant long rosaries.

     

    Clerics or charlatans?

    One of the characteristics of such charlatans in their preaching was to spend the first 10 minutes or thereabout in singing the praises of their sponsors and in chanting some irrelevant slogans even as they relayed primordial stories with neither roots nor any bearing with Islam. Their trade in stock was to seek fraudulent recognition for themselves by showing their faces on television stations or by airing their voices on radio just to be accorded the status of Alfas. Such are people who have no Islamic knowledge and do not see the need for seeking it. Rather than guiding the multitudes of uninformed Muslims aright, which is the primary duty of qualified, genuine Muslim clerics, they further mislead them.

    To this category of so-called Alfas, all that matters is the money they want to make through their deceptive appearances as well as the cheap fame they want to gain as a boost to their fraudulent gimmicks.

    That is their annual deed in the month of Ramadan. And through those deeds, the impression they invariably give is that Ramadan is an annual festive booty celebrated with fanfare.

     

    Faulty Recitation

    The most embarrassing aspect of their action is not only the faulty recitation of the Qur’anic Verses but also the shameless misinterpretation they give to those Verses. This, on its own, is not just an abuse of Ramadan but also a flagrant abuse of the Qur’an. That is how the charlatans turn the sacred month into a gross abuse of Islamic religion. What those charlatans do not understand is that the Qur’an in its original form is not just any book that any charlatan can dust up once in a year as a means of fetching money for selves.

     

    Reading Method

    For the learned ones, reading any book at all has a purpose and a method. No good reader will ever read a book without taking note of its author, its publisher and its date of publication. And to read any new book, the very first point of call is its contents which tell you the topics and the subjects you will read about in it. Then, to have an idea of the entire book in its summary form, before reading it, a good reader goes straight not only to the introduction or preface to such a book but also to the foreword written on it. The combination of both will surely give the reader a pretty idea of what the book is all about. This is the shortest means of familiarizing oneself with a new book before going through its chapters.

     

    Language of the Qur’an

    Most Muslim clerics read the Qur’an in its original language (Arabic) without compreending what they are reading because they do not understand that language.  Some read it as a means of solving their imaginary problems thus taking the Qur’an for a charm which must yield result if manipulated towards their whims. Others believe that the melody of reciting the Qur’an alone, if well mastered, can serve as a means of making money.

    The Qur’an is not meant for that purpose. It is rather the manual of life for man by which he lives his daily life and conducts his daily affairs.

     

    The Meaning of Qur’an

    The word Qur’an means continuous recitation and understanding. It is so called because of its inimitable origin which makes it a compelling daily reading throughout the world, across nations and ages. It is the unsurpassed word of Allah not only in the grandeur of its diction and splendour of its rendition but also in the depth of its meaning, substance and profundity.

     

    Profile of the Qur’an

    The revelation of this Book to mankind through an unlettered desert Arab, Muhammad son of Abdullah and Aminah, began in the month of Ramadan in year 610 CE. It lasted for about 22 years and three months (10 years in Makkah and12 years plus three months in Madinah). The book contains 114 chapters and 6,246 verses (not 6,666 verses often announced by most Imams and Alfas). Any individual can verify this by checking the number of verses in each chapter and adding them together. It does not take more than one hour to do this.

    Of the 114 chapters contained in the Qur’an, 86 were revealed in Makkah and 28 in Madinah. But the 28 chapters revealed in Madinah constitute two thirds of the entire Book. And this is because the Makkah chapters are short and rhythmic while those of Madinah are long and prose-like.

    Although the Qur’an was revealed orally, its writing began almost immediately the revelations started. The writing was however done on primitive materials like wood, animal hides, back of trees and others of the like which were then readily available. It was only much later, after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), that those writings were brought together and rendered into a book form. And one of the wonders of recording the Qur’an in writing is the classification of those revelations into chapters and verses by the Prophet himself despite his illiteracy.

     

    Manner of Presentation

    The manner of presenting the Qur’anic revelations is simple and direct. It employs neither artifice nor conventional poses. Its main appeal is to man’s intellect, feelings and imagination. It does not only touch the anecdotes of the past Prophets in different ages and nations as well as the accounts of earlier revelations, it also covers the period from the beginning of creation to the very last Day of Judgment and beyond.

    Not only that, Al-Qur’an also gives insight into some natural phenomena like sphericity and revolution of the earth (Q. 39:5) the formation of rain (Q. 30:48); the fertilisation of the wind (Q. 15:22); the revolution of the sun, the moon and the planets in their fixed orbits (Q. 36:29-38); the aquatic origin of all creatures (Q. 21:30); the duality of the sex of plants and other creatures (Q. 36:35); the collective life of animals (Q.6:38); the mode of life of the bees (Q. 16:69) and the successive phases of the child in the mother’s womb (Q. 22:5 & 23:14). Yet, the purpose of this Book is not to teach history, astronomy, philosophy or sciences. The details of these will be spelt out fully after Ramadan under a theme to be called ‘ANATOMY OF THE QUR’AN’ in sha’Allah.

     

    Unnecessary Controversy

    Meanwhile, there is a raging controversy among Muslim scholars over the first and last revelations in the Qur’an. Much as this controversy is unwarranted, it may be necessary to clear the coast here (without laying any claim to authority) if only for the purpose of authenticating history.

    It is almost a consensus that the first revealed chapter in the Qur’an is Suratul ‘Alaq (Chapter of the Clot). But the very first revelation reaching   Prophet Muhammad (SAW) through Angel Jibril is ‘BASMALAH’

    (In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful) which precedes every chapter in the Qur’an except one (Suratut-Tawah).

    As a Messenger of Allah to another Messenger of Allah, Angel Jubril couldn’t have commanded Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to read anything without doing so in the name of Allah who sent him with the message.

    Thus, Suratul ‘Alaq, as preceded by ‘BASMALAH’, could only have been the first revealed chapter but not the first revelation. And that is logical.

    As for the last revelation in the Qur’an majority of Nigerian Muslim scholars believe that it is chapter 5, verse 3 of the Qur’an which says: ”Today, I have perfected your religion for you and completed my favour on you. And, I am pleased with Islam for you as religion”.

    That verse of the Qur’an that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) at ‘Arafah while performing his farewell Hajj couldn’t have been the last revelation. It came 81 days before the demise of the Prophet (SAW). And there was another revelation, thereafter, which came about nine days before the Prophet fell sick and died. This can be found in Qur’an 2: 281 which says: “And fear the day when you shall all return to Allah; the day when every soul shall be requited according to its desert and none shall be wronged”.

     

    Clarification

    The earlier verse was an accentuation of Hajj as the last pillar of Islam. And that was why it came on Arafah Day. The latter is a reminder of man’s final destination and the account of his worldly activities. These and many more are what readers of the Qur’an should know inside out. But the big question is this: who will teach them when the supposed teachers have sold out to money and ignorance? To Muslims who are conscious of their spiritual affinity and retain their conscience for the day they will meet their Creator and account for their deeds on earth ‘The Message’ says RAMADAN KARIM!

     

     

  • Govt urges youths to shun drug abuse, trafficking

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Drug Abuse Control Committee (DACC), has called on youths to stay away from drug abuse, trafficking and all related undesirable acts.

    Mr Adamu Bappah, the Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS), gave the advice at a sensitisation for secondary school pupils, on dangers of drug abuse and trafficking.

    The sensitisation, which was held at the Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS), Gwagwalada, in Abuja, was tagged: ‘Listen First.’

    Bappah, who was represented by the Special Assistant, Administration, Mr. Lebi Bankole, said the sensitisation was designed to raise awareness on drug abuse among the youth.

    He stated that drug abuse has become prevalent in the society, because information about the availability and type of drugs, method of ingestion and drug seeking practice, were readily available.

    Bappah listed experimentation, peer pressure, the bid to reduce stress, build self esteem, the desire to be sociable, drug availability, unemployment and social economic frustration, among others, as factors that drive many youths to engage in illicit drugs.

    He stated that health and social hazards of involve

  • Abuse of power

    This column feels justified, by the judgment of the Court of Appeal, per Honourable Justice Agiminthe appeal filled by the former Governor of Taraba State, Jolly Nyame, wherein,the learned appeal judge,described a failure to account for security vote, as “clear stealing of public funds or criminal breach of trust or criminal misappropriation of funds.” Severally, it has argued, that underthe 1999 constitution, as amended, no public fund can legitimately be spent, unless through legislative appropriation, which necessarily requires an accountto be rendered.

    So, the so-called security vote as voted and squandered by all manner of public officialsas if private money,is illegitimate and though a common practice, is an aberration. Indeed, the concept ofan opaque appropriation, euphemistically called security vote,since the advent of the present republic, ispartly at the root of the ‘do or die politics’ of this era. Without the potential for “clear stealing of public funds or criminal breach of trust or criminal misappropriation of funds” without consequences,under the garb of security vote, there will be no desperation to occupy public office.

    In my humble view, the penchant for abuse of public resources, derives from the amorphous entanglement of the resources of state, to the private estate of the chief executive, once it can be dressedin any pseudonym. It was that numbing believe that a security vote, is an impregnable shield of sort, that encouraged former President Goodluck Jonathan, and his power cabal, to drive bullion vans to the Central Bank, fully load them, and move them to the office of the National Security Adviser, where it was scented as security votes, and subsequently shared a pound for a political weight.

    Thankfully, by this judgment, the Court of Appeal has issued a public notice to those who engage in the criminal enterprise of sharing state resources in the guise of spending security vote that the day of reckoning is no more a celestial wish but a sure direct entry to the gaols. Another issue bordering on flagrant abuse of public power, common in thisrepublic, which this column hastrenchantly argued against is the criminal appropriationof our commonwealth, by the National Assembly, in a manner that renders the 1999, as amended, a nugatory.

    Like Governor Nyame,the legislators will in the near future, face brave courts that will deal with that peculiar abuse. And those who think that the power of appropriation, granted the National Assembly in the constitution is a licence for personal aggrandizement will weep and gnash their teeth. The daunting tragedy of that criminal appropriation by the legislators is made worse by their distaste to account even for the so-called constituency projects and otherallocations for all manner of inanities, like allowances for wardrobe, car maintenance, special assistants which they don’t engage, constituency offices which they don’t rent, and similar expenses that should be accounted for.

    Justice Agim, succinctly captured the clear provisions of our extant laws thus: “every public officer or servant who receives government or public funds as security votes or however described for security or other public purposes must use the money for the purpose, or render an account showing that it has been used for such purpose or return the money to the government treasury if it has not been used.”

    For sure, it is simple minded to regard some of the items, I listed above as private, but it should be asked, to what purposeare they budgeted for? To achieve public purpose.

    So, that day will surely come when only public minded persons will seek public office, for the purpose of rendering public service, instead of the present scenario where public service, has become the easiest way to acquire wealth, through disingenuous means. Harping on the debilitating impact of public corruption, the learned judge further held: “in view of the dangerous impact of the crime of public office corruption on the state security and the generality of the people, it comes within the class of crimes against humanity like genocide, terrorism and large-scale violation of human rights.”

    This column agrees totally with Justice Agim and hopes to see such erudition and eloquence, by his learned brothers, at all levels of the courts, if we hope to reenergise our dying country. Indeed, until our courts and political leaders realise that corruption is akin to genocide and terrorism, as elucidated by the learned judge, we will be outraged by the state murder of Khashoggi, by the Saudi Arabian government, while we condone, elect or re-elect those who have made our hospitals mere consulting clinics; those who have made our roads an entrapment; those who have turned electricity to scarce commodity, even when they steal from us, to enjoy the social services abroad.

    To gain a new Nigeria, the courts must find their voice, to speak truth to power, regardless of time and circumstance. That point was made clearly by Lord Atkin in Liversidge vs Anderson (1942) AC 2016 at 244 HL; interestingly, while his country was at war. He said: “in this country, amid the clash of arms, the laws are not silent. They may be changed, but they speak the same language in war as in peace. It has always been one of the pillars of freedom, one of the principles of liberty for which on recent authority we are now fighting, that the judges are no respecters of persons and stand between the subject and any attempted encroachments on his liberty by the executive, alert to see that any coercive action is justified in law.”

    In Nyame’s case, the appeal court judge made the right construction between public corruption and other high crimes, when he held: “there is no justification for imposing capital punishment for serious crimes like murder, armed robbery with less widespread impact and punishing a more serious crime like public office corruption with more widespread impact in terms of imprisonment prescribed in Section 115, 119, 309 and 315 of the Penal Code Act.” It is in recognition of this succinct argument that this column had also argued that public corruption, especially the specie that has render third world countries comatose, be made international crime.

    My argument on that is that like genocide, gargantuanpublic corruption is a mass killer, and because the peopleusually affected, are incapacitated by the very act to bring the culprits to account, within the confines of national laws, it is only the international community that can effectively and adequately bring the perpetrators to account. In furtherance of that, this column hadpreviously suggested the establishment of international economic crime court, to stop the shenanigans of economic brigands, who parade as democrats. Indeed, there should be similar international outrage, against organised economic criminals, like the justified condemnation of Saudi Arabia, over the state murder of Khashoggi.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Candidates worried over abuse of social media

    Candidates in the July 14 Ekiti State governorship election have expressed concerns over abuse of social media by supporters of political parties.

    They accused some social media users of circulating fake, baseless and unfounded information capable of setting the state on fire.

    The matter generated concern at a debate organised by the Ekiti in the United States for governorship aspirants in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    Candidates who participated in the debate include Tope Adebayo of Advanced People’s Democratic Alliance (APDA); Chief Ayodele David-Adesua of Democratic Alternative (DA); Dr. Sikiru Lawal of Labour Party (LP) and Dr. Kayode Fayemi of All Progressives Congress (APC), who was represented by the party chairman, Chief Jide Awe.

    Ekiti indigenes resident in the United States called from their bases to ask the candidates questions.

    The candidates spoke on their development agenda for the state in the areas of workers’ welfare, education, power supply, health, industrialisation, revenue generation, poverty alleviation, agriculture and health, among others.

    Awe recalled how certain characters concocted his resignation letter and circulated it on Facebook without his knowledge.

    Chairman of Ekiti in the US, Dr. Emmanuel Dada based in Houston, Texas stated the body is driven by the consciousness to identify the pedigree of governorship candidates in its quest to contribute to the political development of Ekiti State.

    He said issues agreed on at the debate will form part of the agenda for the incoming governor of Ekiti State.

  • Abuse of Ramadan

    IT is rather ironic that today’s world takes Muslims for the mirror through which Islam is perceived when the opposite is actually the case. Just as it is wrong to measure knowledge in an institution of learning by the quantity or quality of structures available therein so it is wrong to use Muslims as the mirror through which to see Islam in its naked and avowed nature. On the contrary, Islam is the mirror through which Muslims are supposed to be seen. Not the other way round. No reasonable person will blame Nigerian constitution for the gross misconduct of some maleficent Nigerians abroad. Nigerian constitution is one thing the misconduct of Nigerians is another. The one is not and cannot be a corollary of the other.

    When this sacred religion was revealed to mankind through Prophet Muhammad (SAW) almost 1,500 years ago, it was with certain fundamental norms meant to guide humanity towards all that is virtuous. One of the most valuable embodiments of Islam is the month of Ramadan. With it, all genuine Muslims rein themselves against satanic recklessness.

     

    Qur’anic revelations

    Here is the sacred month in which the revelation of the Qur’an began in 610 C.E. It was in this divine month that the last divine constitution with which to liberate humanity from the shackles of Satan was revealed. The real spiritual essence of Ramadan is to show mankind the right path to Paradise by guiding them through the transit called the world.

    This symbolic month is like a school in which Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was both the pioneer student and the pioneer teacher. All other students who went through this school or are still going through it are heirs to the forerunners.

    The duty of those heirs is to serve as shepherds for the wandering flock of the universe. This duty confirms man as Allah’s vicegerent on earth. Anyone who is in a position to serve as a shepherd but does otherwise has surely kicked against the rules of his creator.

    Ironically, most of those we perceive as shepherd in our society are worse than the lost sheep they are supposed to guide. For those who know and appreciate it the opportunity of rebirth provided by this sacred month has no duplicate. It is like a ‘once in a while’ train which everyone should endeavour not to miss. Missing it is like missing a lifelong destiny. But will the recalcitrant ones heed the warning?

     

    Season of jamboree

    With the arrival of Ramadan this year a scene of jamboree took over most radio and television stations as usual especially in the Southwest of Nigeria. Many pseudo Alfas who had become redundant will soon start dusting their gowns and turbans for the purpose of sharing from the annual largess which the sacred month comes with. Such pseudo Alfas who might have taken advantage of some ignorant Muslim money bags in the society by asking them to sponsor Ramadan preaching will begin to swarm on the airwaves like bees on a hive. With little or no knowledge at all, those pretenders will pose as learned scholars and start dishing out rubbish by arrogating to themselves the knowledge they do not possess.

    Clerics or charlatans

    One of the characteristics of such ‘Alfas’ is to spend the first 10 minutes or thereabout singing the praises of their sponsors and chanting some irrelevant slogans even as they tell primordial stories which have neither roots nor bearing with Islam. Their trade in stock is to seek relevance by showing their faces on television or by airing their voices on radio stations just to be recognised as Alfas. Such are people who have no knowledge and do not seek it. Rather than guiding ignorant Muslims, which is the primary duty of genuine Muslim clerics, they further mislead them.

    With this category of Alfas, all that matters is the money they want to make through deception as well as the cheap fame they want to gain.

    Thus, year in and out, this is their deed in the month of Ramadan. The impression they give is that Ramadan is an annual religion celebrated with fanfare only in the sacred month.

    The most embarrassing aspect of their action is the faulty recitation of the Qur’an and the shameless misinterpretation they give it. This on its own is not just an abuse of Ramadan but also a flagrant abuse of the Qur’an. Thus, they turn the sacred month into one of gross abuse of Islamic religion. What they do not understand is that the Qur’an in its original form is not just any book which any charlatan can dust up once in a year in order to fetch money for self.

    For the learned, reading any book at all has a purpose and a method. No good reader will ever read a book without taking note of its author, its publisher and its date of publication. And to read any new book, the very first point of call is its contents which tell you the topics and the subjects you will read about in it. Then, to have an idea of the entire book in its summary form, before reading it, a good reader goes straight not only to the introduction or preface to such a book but also to the foreword written on it. The combination of both will surely give the reader a pretty idea of what the book is all about. This is the shortest means of familiarising oneself with a new book before going through its chapters.

     

    Language of the Qur’an

    Most Muslim clerics read the Qur’an in its original language (Arabic) without understanding what they are reading because they do not speak that language.  Some read it as a means of solving their imaginary problems thus taking the Qur’an for a charm which must yield result if manipulated towards their whims. The Qur’an is not meant for that purpose. It is rather the manual of life for man by which he lives his daily life and conducts his daily affairs.

    The word Qur’an means continuous recitation and understanding. It is so called because of its inimitable origin which makes it a compelling daily reading throughout the world, across nations and ages. It is the unsurpassed word of Allah not only in the grandeur of its diction and splendour of its rendition but also in the depth of its meaning, substance and profundity.

     

    Profile of the Qur’an

    The revelation of this Book to mankind through an unlettered desert Arab, Muhammad son of Abdullah and Aminah, began in the month of Ramadan in year 610 CE. It lasted about 22 years (10 years in Makkah and12 years plus a few months in Madinah). The book contains 114 chapters and 6,246 verses (not 6,666 verses often announced by most Imams and Alfas). Any individual can verify this by checking the number of verses in each chapter and adding them together. It does not take more than one hour to do this.

    Of the 114 chapters contained in the Qur’an, 86 were revealed in Makkah and 28 in Madinah. But the 28 chapters revealed in Madinah constitute two thirds of the entire Book. And this is because the Makkah chapters are short and rhythmic while those of Madinah’s  are long and prose-like.

    Although the Qur’an was revealed orally, its writing began almost immediately the revelations started. The writing was however done on primitive materials like wood, animal hides, back of trees and other materials of the like which were then readily available. It was only much later, after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), that those writings were brought together and compiled into a book . And one of the wonders of recording the Qur’an in writing is the classification of those revelations into chapters and verses by the Prophet himself despite his illiteracy.

    The manner of presenting the Qur’anic revelations is simple and direct. It employs neither artifice nor conventional poses. Its main appeal is to man’s intellect, feelings and imagination. It does not only touch the anecdotes of the past Prophets in different ages and nations as well as the accounts of earlier revelations, it also covers the period from the beginning of creation to the very last Day of Judgment and beyond.

    Not only that, Al-Qur’an also gives insight into some natural phenomena like sphericity and revolution of the earth (Q. 39:5) the formation of rain (Q. 30:48); the fertilisation of the wind (Q. 15:22); the revolution of the sun, the moon and the planets in their fixed orbits (Q. 36:29-38); the aquatic origin of all creatures (Q. 21:30); the duality of the sex of plants and other creatures (Q. 36:35); the collective life of animals (Q.6:38); the mode of life of the bees (Q. 16:69) and the successive phases of the child in the mother’s womb (Q. 22:5 & 23:14). Yet, the purpose of this Book is not to teach history, astronomy, philosophy or sciences. The details of these will be spelt out fully after Ramadan under a theme to be called ‘ANATOMY OF THE QUR’AN’ in sha’Allah.

     

    Controversy

    Meanwhile, there is a raging controversy among Muslim scholars over the first and last revelations in the Qur’an. Much as this controversy is unwarranted, it may be necessary to clear the coast here (without laying any claim to authority) if only for the purpose of authenticating history.

    It is almost a consensus that the first revealed chapter in the Qur’an is Suratul ‘Alaq (Chapter of the Clot). But the very first revelation reaching   Prophet Muhammad (SAW) through Angel Jibril is ‘BASMALAH’

    (In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful) which precedes every chapter in the Qur’an except one (Suratut-Tawbah).

    As a Messenger of Allah to another Messenger of Allah, Angel Jubril couldn’t have commanded Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to read anything without doing so in the name of Allah who sent him with the message.

    Thus, Suratul ‘Alaq, as preceded by ‘BASMALAH’, could only have been the first revealed chapter but not the first revelation. And that is logical.

    As for the last revelation in the Qur’an majority of Nigerian Muslim scholars believe that it is chapter 5, verse 3 of the Qur’an which says: ‘’Today, I have perfected your religion for you and completed my favour on you. And, I am pleased with Islam for you as religion’’.

    That verse of the Qur’an that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) at ‘Arafah while performing his farewell Hajj couldn’t have been the last revelation. It came 81 days before the demise of the Prophet (SAW). And there was another revelation, thereafter, which came about nine days before the Prophet fell sick and died. This can be found in Qur’an 2: 281 which says: “And fear the day when you shall all return to Allah; the day when every soul shall be requited according to its desert and none shall be wronged”.

     

    Clarification

    The earlier verse was an accentuation of Hajj as the last pillar of Islam. And that was why it came on Arafah Day. The latter is a reminder of man’s final destination and the account of his worldly activities. These and many more are what readers of the Qur’an should know inside out. But the big question is this: who will teach them when the supposed teachers have sold out to money and ignorance? To Muslims who are conscious of their spiritual affinity and retain their conscience for the day they will meet their Creator and account for their deeds on earth ‘The Message’ says RAMADAN KARIM!

     

     

  • Pastor: my wife can abuse even a ghost

    A pastor,  Paul Dawodu, yesterday asked an Ikorodu Customary Court  to dissolve his 18-year-old marriage to  Adijat for her alleged abusive behaviour.

    The petitioner sought the dissolution of the marriage because his wife is quarrelsome and usually curses people.

    Dawodu, 48, who lives at Ogalami Street, Ikorodu, said the respondent fought a lot and did not take corrections.

    “My wife finds joy in abusing and cursing fellow human beings; she can abuse even a ghost and she fights me regularly.

    “I have tried coping with her for years but I can’t anymore.

    “She no longer lives with me as she deserted the house 12 months ago. She reported me to the Human Rights Commission and accused me of irresponsibility.

    “She still went to abuse the people at the commission’s office recently, where I was ordered to pay the children’s feeding allowance through them,’’ he said.

    Dawodu prayed the court to dissolve the marriage and award the custody of the couple’s  four children to him.

    Denying the claims, Adijat, a trader, said her husband was not telling the truth.

    The 38-year-old third wife to the pastor said : “All that my husband said is not true; I only fought them at human rights office when they refused to give me my children’s feeding allowance which my husband drops monthly.

    “Help me to beg him; I still want to be his wife,” she prayed the court.

    The court’s  President , Mrs

  • Govt to end gold mining abuse

    Govt to end gold mining abuse

    The Federal Government will, in the next few months, end the indiscriminate mining and exportation of gold.

    The development is aimed at ensuring that product is well mined, processed, and exported to attract good prices at the international market.

    The Special Assistant on Media to Dr Kayode Fayemi, Minister for Solid Minerals, Mr Yinka Oyebode, said the idea would enable both the private and the public sectors to achieve good profit margins.

    In an interview with The Nation, Oyebode said plans were afoot to improve the mining, export and sale of gold from Nigeria at the international market, adding that the government is experimenting the idea of transforming the process of mining gold, first with two states.

    Oyebode said: “With respect to the issue of mining gold to attract good pricing in the international market, the government has started the pilot studies with Osun and Kebbi states. More would join as time goes on.

    ‘’Hitherto, local miners are selling the product to the Congolese and the Chinese at a ridiculous low price, a development, which informed the decision by the government to try and find solution to the issue.”

    He said pilot studies were taking place, adding that in the next few months, there would more exploration and earnings from the resource.

    According to him, the development would enable the government to improve its earnings in form of royalties from exploration of gold, and help the private sector operators.

    He said solid mineral activities were private sector-driven since  mining and export were handled by private operators, stressing that the government is only providing guidelines on what, where and how things should be done in order to improve the growth of the sector.

    He said the government will allow private sector operators to buy into the initiative to encourage the industry growth.

    “The reasons behind the transformation of the solid minerals sector, especially the gold aspect of it by the Federal Government are many. First is to help in improving the price at which the product is bought at the market,’’ he added.

  • UNICEF wants children protected from abuse, exploitation

    UNICEF wants children protected from abuse, exploitation

    The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged government and the private sector to protect children from online abuse, exploitation, trafficking, cyber bullying and exposure to unsuitable materials.

    Its Communication Specialist, Eva Hinds, said in a statement in Abuja yesterday that the Executive Director of the fund, Anthony Lake, made the call at the unveiling of annual flagship report on “The State of the World’s Children 2017: Children in a digital world.”

    Hinds said Lake had noted that one out of three children worldwide used the internet.

    He added that in spite of children’s massive online presence or usage, too little was done to protect them from the perils of the digital world and to increase their access to safe online content.

    Lake, therefore, emphasised collective efforts by government, the private sector, children’s organisations, academia, families and children themselves to level the digital playing field and make the internet safer and more accessible for children.

    The executive director said: “UNICEF report x-rays the different ways digital technology is affecting children’s lives and chances, identifying dangers, as well as opportunities.

    “It argues that governments and the private sector have not kept up the pace of change, exposing children to new risks and harms and leaving millions of the most disadvantaged children behind.

    “The report also examines how the internet increases children’s vulnerability to risks and harms, including misuse of their private information, access to harmful content, and cyber bullying.

    “It notes the ubiquitous presence of mobile devices, which make online access for many children less supervised and potentially more dangerous.

    “For better and for worse, digital technology is now an irreversible fact of our lives; digital world, our dual challenge is how to mitigate the harms while maximising the benefits of the internet for every child.”

    The report, according to Lake, recommends that government, among others, should protect children’s privacy and identity online, as well as place them at the centre of digital policy.

    He stressed the need for government and the private sector to advance ethical standards and practices that would protect and benefit children while they surf the internet.

     

  • Abuse of power

    The joke last week was on the deposed President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and the Kaduna State teachers. With Mugabe suddenly morphing from hero to villain, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State is lucky that Mugabe’s statute is not amongst those he is erecting in Owerri, the state capital. Any way, if Okorocha’s detractors are to be believed, his pain will subside, if Zuma’s erection falls. At the height of the self-induced pain, Okorocha told those scandalized by the waste of public fund, to get lost.

    But as the Zimbabwe National Force demobilized Mugabe, the penultimate weekend, his rise and fall is a lesson for political office holders, everywhere, including Nigeria. Hailed until few days ago as a national liberator by Zimbabweans especially the by ZANU-PF, an iconic party through which he rode to power in 1980 and held it for 37 years, he has become an iconic laggard.

    In the build-up to his ouster, the leader of the Independence war veterans’ association, Christopher Mutsvangor, said: “we want to restore our pride… we can finish the job which the army started.” He went further: “There is no going back about Mugabe. He must leave.” Because Mugabe stayed for too long, he became an embarrassment, even to his colleagues who were in the trenches with him, during the liberation struggles.

    But it hasn’t always been so. Up to 2008, Mugabe still engaged in reality checks, even though by then he had messed up the economy. With inflation running at 231 percent, Mugabe said: “if you lose an election and are rejected by the people, it is time to leave politics.” But shortly after, he came second to Morgan Tsvangirai in the first round of elections, and instead of leaving, he roused the war veterans to unleash terror on Tsvangirai and his supporters sparking a stalemate. He boasted that only God could remove him from office.

    The crisis that ensured forced him to share power with Tsvangirai for four years after which he regained his dubious bounce. After 37 years in power, and at 93 years of age, Grace Mugabe, his wife, egged him on, on the power-brew. His last undoing was the sacking of his long-time ally, then Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, also a war veteran like Mugabe. To his chagrin, Mnangagwa has been elected leaders of his party.

    But Mugabe was not always a villain. He gained popularity at independence because of his involvement in the liberation struggle, which included an imprisonment in the hands of the British colonialists. A man with huge academic laurels in many fields, it is a measure of human hubris that he fell so thunderously.

    Witty and gregarious, Mugabe is credited with funny and insightful quotations. On society, he said: “when one’s goat gets missing, the aroma of a neighbour’s soup gets suspicious.” On xenophobia: “South Africa will kick down a statute of a dead white man but won’t even attempt to slap a live one. Yet they can stone to death a black man simply because he’s a foreigner.” On indulgence: “Cigarette is a pinch of tobacco rolled in a piece of paper with fire on one end and a fool on the other.”

    Unfortunately Mugabe didn’t figure out that cigarette and abuse of power are similar. He smoked the entire cigarette, and continued smoking until fire burnt his fingers. What a tragedy. In Nigeria, Governor El-Rufai has started a maelstrom in the name of test for teachers. And like old Mugabe, many are egging him on that he has found the final solution to the mess that public schools have become in many states across the country.

    Instead of employing the help of professionals to chart how state public schools in Kaduna State could be revived, El-Rufai has resorted to strong arm tactics and abuse of his privilege as the state chief executive. If as he claimed, 70 percent of the teachers in public primary schools in Kaduna are ignoramuses, who taught the 25,000 new teachers he is threatening to employ to replace the 22,000 he wants to sack?

    Indeed, who taught the officials of the state Ministry of Education who conducted the much advertised primary four standard test used to determine the quality of teachers in the state? Are most of those emergency examiners not likely to be products of the same public schools, which the governor is unwittingly further destabilising with his ambush tactics?

    If El-Rufai is interested in saving public schools in his state, he should take a holistic view of the challenges. He must first ask himself why is there no scandal in the employment of teachers, like when the Central Bank of Nigeria or Immigration Services are conducting employment interviews. Why it is that primary school teachers are amongst the most poorly paid civil servants in the country? Why is it that most of his colleagues who are malignantly incompetent, see it as a fad to owe primary school teachers, several months’ salary?

    Having been in power for two years and a half years, what remedial programme did he put in place to retrain, motivate and enhance the welfare of primary school teachers in the state before he subjected them to this public ridicule and odium? If he had planned to employ 25,000 new teachers this year or early next year, what programme did he put in place to produce the quality teachers he plans to recruit?

    Or is it possible that El-Rufai somehow believes that there must 25,000 qualified idle teachers, waiting in the wings for El-Rufai to wake-up one day, and decide to sack 22,000 teachers in the state’s employ and then, kaput they have jobs? Or is El-Rufai planning to raid other states or foreign countries for the teachers of his dream? If I may ask, what happened to the notion that primary schools are under the purview of local governments?

    The only explanation could be that El-Rufai is overwhelmed by the rot in the education sector; but even if that is the case, to efficiently solve the problem, he has to be methodological. Sacking 70 percent of primary school teaching staff is not the same thing as ridding Abuja of illegal structures or heaps of refuse or auctioning public companies. In this instance, you must take into consideration, the human interests.

    To show how odious El-Rufai tactics is, governors who have failed woefully by all standards are threatening to copy his dubious model. Governors who are owing teachers several months’ arrears of salaries, have reportedly sent their officials to learn how to set primary four questions, how to mark same, and how to stare down the labour unions in the name of reformation.

    I have little doubt that if our public officials are subjected to the same test, allegedly flunked by majority of Kaduna primary school teachers, many of them would fail more comprehensively; yet the monthly emolument of an average public official will pay for a cluster of schools’ teachers.