The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ’gesture

  • El-Rufai’s strange gesture

    SIR: The myriad concerned citizens who have painfully followed the bloody events staged on the theatre of mindless slaughter that Kaduna State has steadily become over the years were hit with another sucker punch when the governor, Nasir Ahmad El – Rufai declared that he paid Fulani herdsmen money to stop their attacks on long-suffering indigenes of Kaduna state, especially the Christian-dominated area of southern Kaduna.

    To put it in proper perspective, the orgy of bloodletting which has convulsed Kaduna State for years now did not start with El Rufai. Years of bloody internecine crises between the predominantly Christian southern Kaduna area and the predominantly Muslim central and northern parts of the state have reduced one of   Nigeria‘s most iconic states to a valley flowing with blood. When the Islamic Movement of Nigeria blindly charged into a confrontation with men of the Nigerian Army obviously lacking in professional restraint and were mercilessly massacred in Zaria, Kaduna State added another trophy to its bulging cabinet of mindless slaughter.

    It was against this background that the recent revelation by El Rufai that he had ladled out undisclosed sums of money to criminal Fulani herdsmen to placate them and staunch their killings has drawn more than a little flak from Nigerians. From whence then, it must be asked, did El Rufai draw his‘ ingenious’ precedent of placating killer-Fulani herdsmen with money which seems in short supply in the Nigeria of today?

    The precedents are not far-flung. As Nigeria has struggled to grow into a stable democratic country after years of insidious and nauseating military incursions, it has had to grapple with discontent from different regions of the country by elements who protesting what they mostly arbitrarily pronounce ‘marginalisation’, pounce on the Nigerian state in order to force their voices into the national consciousness.

    Apart from the mindless carnage by the nauseating terrorist group, Boko Haram, the rampaging killings by criminal Fulani herdsmen simply takes the biscuit. From Agatu   in Benue State to Nibo in Enugu State and Southern Kaduna in Kaduna State, there is hardly any state in Nigeria that has not felt the blood-curdling crimes of these criminals posing as rearers of cattle. Many innocent citizens have been slaughtered and communities have been razed. The federal government‘s response to these chilling crimes has been anaemic at best. Controversial grazing reserves have been proposed but many have warned that it is destined to generate even more controversies. Probably, it was against this backdrop of administrative and security inertia that   El Rufai took the unprecedented step of   paying money to killers to placate them into stopping their killings. It is a shot in the dark which has no prayer and wish of halting the blood thirst of the menacing killers. It has also betrayed the fact that governments at all levels are at sea as to how to curb a security nightmare that is imprinted with ethnic and religious considerations.

    In a country that is richly imprinting into its historical archives a confounding eagerness to reward and placate those who have committed violent crimes against innocent Nigerians instead of summoning them to account, every passing day projects grotesquely, the failures of state institutions to act independently and patriotically. While the circus continues and scant Nigerian money is doled out to criminals who in saner and more serious climes should be cooling their heels in jail, ordinary Nigerians should watch and note with their hearts those who put them up for sale while professing they are putting them on the world map for surely the day of reckoning will break.

     

    • Kenechukwu Obiezu Esq,

    Abuja.

  • Oyo community relishes lawmaker’s gesture

    Residents of Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo State received sufficient democracy dividends when the lawmaker representing them at the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Samson Olasunkanmi Oguntade, decided to give back to them from the little he has gotten from the state government and for giving him their mandate in last year’s general elections.

    At the ceremony attended by National Leader of Accord Party and former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, Accord Party National Secretary, Mr. Nureni Adisa, Oyo State chairman of Accord Party, Bashir Lawal, members of Oyo State House of Assembly, among who were the Minority Leader, Hon Gunju Ojo, Chief Whip, Hon Kehinde Ayinla Oloya, Hon Muideen Olagunju, representing Oyo East/ West, Hon Ademola Ige, Hon Adebiyi Omikunle and Hon Adebiyi Adesina.

    Oguntade, accompanied by his wife, said the empowerment was meant to appreciate his people on whose mandate he was in the Oyo State House of Assembly.

    He expressed appreciation to former governor of Oyo State, Senator Ladoja and all stakeholders in Accord Party, especially from Egbeda State Constituency and all residents of Egbeda Local Government Area.

    He urged all politicians to be honest in all their dealings. He said the gesture was in fulfilment of his campaign promises, adding that he decided to give back to his constituents for their support.

    He said he had reached out to various communities in Egbeda and decided to reach out to his constituents. He added that 10 constituents from each ward will also benefit financially from the gesture.

    Materials distributed included insecticide sprayers, grinding machines, power generating sets, sewing machines and hair dressing implements.

    National Secretary of Accord Party, Mr Adisa, expressed happiness to witness the empowerment programme and also thanked Hon Oguntade for the gesture he extended to his people, despite that the state government was hugely indebted to the lawmakers.

    Hon. Peter Oyetunji, a member of Oyo State House of Assembly, said despite not belonging to the same party, Hon Oguntade has remained steadfast in what he believed in and has never wavered in his membership of the Accord Party.

    He added that in the House, all lawmakers are one without regard to party affiliations.

    Senator Lanleyin congratulated Oguntade on his commitment to reach out to his constituents, despite the economic situation in the country, adding that voting for the Accord Party was not a misplaced action. He also said the gesture was just the beginning of greater things from Hon. Oguntade.

    Chairman of the state Accord Party, Bashir Lawal, said Governor Abiola Ajimobi, is deceiving the people with his decision to conduct local government polls.

    Senator Ladoja praised state lawmakers for their unity of purpose in the House, without regard to party affiliation and despite the economic recession.

    He berated the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for its failure in delivering democracy dividends to the people, not only in the state, but also nationally, adding that the state government has failed in its promise to conduct local government election.

    He said the 2011 election result in Egbeda was better than that of last year, saying the reason was anti-party actions of some members.

    He praised Hon Oguntade for his empowerment gesture, despite the economic quagmire state lawmakers have found themselves under the Ajimobi administration. He also congratulated beneficiaries of the empowerment programme.

    He praised all lawmakers elected on the platform of the Accord Party for not disappointing the party.

    He took a swipe at the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), praying that God showed its leadership the light to come to be part of the Accord family, noting that there is no solution in sight for the crisis bedevilling the PDP.

  • Reps’ good gesture

    •Superlative student Ayodele Dada is given due recognition

    The reception held by the House of Representatives for Mr. Ayodele Dada, the record-breaking Psychology graduate of the University of Lagos (Unilag), is a commendable effort to restore hard work and intellectual achievement to their pride of place in Nigeria.

    It is difficult to fully estimate Dada’s accomplishment. In spite of all the difficulties and obstacles inherent in pursuing a tertiary education in present-day Nigeria, he graduated with an unsurpassable 5.0 Grade Point Average (GPA), scoring “A” grades in all of the courses he offered without exception.

    Like other university students, he endured the privations of power outages and water shortages, the frustrations of inadequate facilities and below-par equipment, the strikes, stoppages, protests and other truncations that characterise the country’s education system.

    Dada attempted the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) twice, his first attempt resulting in withheld results. He got admission to Unilag’s Diploma programme, where he was required to demonstrate his ability to undertake substantive undergraduate degree work. His ability to overcome these difficulties and attain spectacular academic heights is a testimony to his personal qualities of endurance, consistency and commitment to excellence.

    These are the qualities that the House of Representatives has fittingly recognised and honoured by holding a formal reception for the Unilag genius. It is a welcome departure from the cynical politicking and blatant greed that have too often disfigured the activities of the National Assembly.

    By this action, the House has sent the unmistakable message that intellectual achievement and academic brilliance will no longer be relegated to the back bench in favour of money, musical and sporting ability, or birth, as has sadly been the case.

    Dada’s achievement does not spring from his ethnicity or his religion. He did not purchase his success; he did not secure his achievements through dubious connections. Recognising him in the manner the House has done will help to downplay the primordial sentiments that have continued to prevent Nigeria from becoming the truly great nation that it could be.

    Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, must take a great deal of the credit for the reception. He was one of the first prominent individuals to underline the significance of Dada’s achievement and point out its implications for national regeneration and development. In an era where politicians often prefer to be seen with musical and sports stars, reality-show celebrities and billionaires, Gbajabiamila’s understanding of the need to restore intellectual ability to its pride of place cannot be downplayed.

    In spite of the enormity of his achievement, Ayodele Dada is happily not an exception to the rule. Nigeria has many geniuses of similar ability who only require a modicum of encouragement to be able to achieve their full potential to the benefit of themselves and the nation. This is what the country’s government and institutions must now turn their attention to.

    One way to do this would be to ease the acquisition of scholarships. Far too many potentially-great students are unable to pursue their dreams because of financial inability. The experience of other countries has shown that an equitable scholarship system, especially at the tertiary education level, will help to produce the human resource base that expands economies and improves lives.

    It is also important to establish a system of monitoring the educational development of outstanding citizens such as Dada in order to ensure that the nation benefits maximally from their capabilities. Those who wish to pursue further educational opportunities must be fully empowered to do so; Dada, for instance, hopes to meet with globally-renowned psychologists and learn from them. Celebrating geniuses without helping them to fully realise their potential would amount to a waste of time.

    Ayodele Dada is the living symbol of the huge promise that is inherent in Nigeria. The House of Representatives has done well to give him the acknowledgement that he so richly deserves.

  • America’s gesture

    A lot depends on Nigeria concerning U.S.’ promise to help trace our looted funds

    THE latest offer by the United States government to help Nigeria track down billions of dollars in stolen assets must come to Nigerians as good news. Announcing the offer to his audience comprising mostly Nigerians in Washington last week, President Muhammadu Buhari spoke of a new resolve by the U.S. government to help identify the accounts; he spoke of a matching determination by his administration to prosecute the individuals involved – all in the effort to undo the damage done to the integrity of Nigeria by the activities of the individuals and compromised institutions.

    The offer is said to be sequel to the request by the president to his United States counterpart, Barack Obama, to help locate and return $150 billion believed to have been stolen by corrupt Nigerian officials.

    We see the US offer as important in a number of ways. Coming barely two months after coming into office, the offer is no doubt a measure of how seriously the world has come to take the Buhari administration’s resolve to combat the virus of graft and impunity in the nation’s public life. In the same vein, the request stems from the acknowledgement of the role that countries like the United States – with its vast global network of intelligence – can play to stem the scourge of illicit fund transfers from relatively poor countries like Nigeria.

    As important as the offer is, however, we also note that the collaboration is neither a novelty nor does it guarantee that the looted funds will ultimately be repatriated. A lot will certainly depend on what our officials choose to do or not to do. A good example is the Abacha loot. The international watchdog, Transparency International, reckons that the late Sani Abacha actually plundered an estimated $5 billion in the 1990s – all of which was laundered across banks in Europe and America. At the moment, only a fraction of the recovered loot is known to have been repatriated while a huge chunk of the repatriated sum is also on record to have been re-looted by officials. With rigour and integrity missing in the efforts, the result was the scandal that the Abacha loot – and re-loot – has since become.

    If we may restate the point, the offer by the US government is only a first step. We expect our officials to put their acts together by showing that they mean business this time around. The Buhari administration must show in words and in deed that the corruption, sloppiness, under-the-table dealings and outright bad faith which characterised the previous recovery efforts is now a thing of the past. It goes without saying that the nation deserves the services of the brightest and best attorneys as it goes after the looters of the common wealth.

    The bottom-line is that we expect the anti-corruption agencies to pursue every lead, every audit trail to their logical conclusion. That is the context in which the offer makes sense. The lesson must be taught that there can be no hiding place for those who used the privilege of their high offices to abuse public trust. The same goes for their collaborators. All illicit funds must be returned to the treasury just as we expect adequate punishment for the culprits.

    We must say also that a new framework of transparency in the management of recovered funds is long overdue. We see this as the surest way to assure Nigerians and the international community that recovered funds will not disappear into thin air once again. If that calls for a new legislation – so be it.

  • Ibidun Ighodalo Dispenses gesture

    Blessed, the scriptures say, is the hand that gives than the one that takes. It is one message that is never lost on Ibidun Ajayi Ighodalo, the brains behind Elizabeth R, an event management company based in Lagos.

    By her philanthropic gestures, Ibidun has shown that there is more to her than being a pastor’s wife, an event manager or an ex-beauty queen. At the beginning of the year, the wife of Pastor Ituah Ighodalo (founder of Trinity House Church, Victoria Island, Lagos) started a selfie competition on the social media when she announced her decision to give out about N185,050 on Instagram through Elizabeth R. Contestants were to qualify by taking a selfie with any of the Elizabeth R decorations done in certain locations.

    Ibidun shocked the contestants in the selfie competition by inviting all of them over to her house. It was more than a fun session for the lucky contestants. She not only dined and prayed with them, they all left richer as she gave every one of them money and other material gifts. Her Instagram page, the dorchester_by_elizabeth_r  has since been flooded with appreciative messages as most of the recipients were stunned by her act of kindness.

  • A kind gesture

    A kind gesture

    They recognised a kind gesture when they saw one. They talked about it, jumped and danced.

    That was the impact of the visit of Anamabra State governor’s wife, Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano to pupils living with disability in the state. She went to their schools with various items and a promise to bring their suffering to an end. She took with her bags of rice, beans, cartons of tomatoes, noodles, sugar. There were bales of wrappers, shirts and live cows, among others.

    The people loved it, some saying it was the first time the wife of a governor will visit the area.

    Not only that, the Anambra First lady commissioned a water borehole project which she initiated and completed herself for the students.

    She also gave out N50,000 to each of the centres for the meantime for the upkeep of the children.

    Besides, she frowned at the abandonment of the blind, deaf and dumb children by successive administrations, adding that the fact that they are handicapped does not make them less human beings.

    The schools the governor’s wife visited were Basden Memorial Special Education Centre, Isulo in Orumba South local government area and Special Education Centre, Umuchu in Aguata Local Government Area.

    Mrs. Obiano also took time to visit Zion Hospital and Maternity home in Enugu-Ukwu in Njikoka local government area where she promised to adopt an abandoned baby boy by unknown person if nobody comes for his adoption.

    The site of dilapidated and collapsed buildings in the centre made the Anambra first lady to weep, while appealing to the philanthropists and good spirited Anambra citizens to come to the aid of the pupils.

    She reminded the people that the children were not the cause of their problems, rather, the way God wanted them to be.

    Furthermore, she lamented on the abandonment of construction work by contractors and those who claim to be representing donor agencies, accusing them of not doing the job.

    “Those people only rushed to the schools this morning to pretend doing some work on hearing about my visit, we cannot continue in this manner in this state, this is not acceptable to the present government”.

    Twelve-year-old visually impaired Master Nnaemeka Unegbu, who radiated joy as if he was seeing the items or what the governor’s wife had done, said God had used their mummy to remember the needy.

    Also, 10-year-old Uju Okonkwo commended Mrs. Obiano for the gifts, adding that before now, they were forgotten citizens of Anambra State because of their plight.

    “God has used our mother to bring joy and happiness to us; we appreciate your good work and God will equally remember you in a special way one day”

    The Administrative Secretary of Basden Memorial Special Education Centre in Isulo, Mrs. Ebere Ichoku regretted that former Governors in the state never visited the school since its inception 18 years ago.

    However, she appealed for more assistance in the area of funding, arguing that subvention of 580.00 naira monthly to the school is very poor.

    She sought for the upgrading of feeding allowance of 50,000 monthly, saying that the current daily feeding allowance of N33 a day per pupil or N11 per meal is not encouraging.

    Furthermore, she lamented that roofs of the school library, refectory, workshop and staff quarters among others are all leaking, while they need urgent attention.

    At the Special Education Centre, Umuchu, Mrs. Obiano assured the management that whatever is due to them will be given, adding that it was her own way of improving the lives of the children and the yet unborn.

    Again, she promised to explore possibility of recruiting a computer instructor and to make good of the bus and not for somebody to convert it into personal use.

    The school principal, Mr. Sunday S. Nwafor told the Nation that their needs are many since the foundation was established in 1997.

    These, according to him range from teaching equipment, funds, electricity to run the school effectively among others, while commending the Governor’s wife for her magnanimity.

    According to Nwafor, “We are in dire need of water, electricity, clinic, renovation of classrooms, teachers and additional care giver to help cater for the pupils because of the nature and condition of their appearance”.

    When Obiano’s wife got to the maternity home in Engwu Ukwu, she was shocked in seeing an abandoned baby boy where she took up the hospital bills.

    The Medical Doctor of the hospital, Oliver Onwughalu told the Nation that the baby weighed 28 kilometers and thanked Mrs. Obiano for her Care and benevolence.

    After the Commissioning of the borehole at Isulo, Mrs Obiano told the Nation that what she decided to do was to make the conditions of the pupils more conducive and also in fulfillment of her earlier promise to the centre when she visited the place early in the year.

    According to her, “I realised that some of their greatest challenges were lack of portable water where they travelled over two kilometers in search of water, poor feeding and infrastructure, even the condition of the school is highly deplorable”

    “For the fact that they are handicapped, does not warrant such abandonment, they are human beings and must be attended to by all of us”

    “Those with sight challenges can be trained through Braille reading, the dumb, through sound education” she told the Nation.

  • A humanitarian gesture

    A humanitarian gesture

    Who shares his life’s pure pleasure and walks the honest road; who trades with heaping measure and lifts his brother’s load; who turns the wrong down bluntly and lends the right a hand; he dwells in God’s own country and tills the holy land”.

    An unassuming Nigerian Muslim brother is perfectly fitting into the above quotation and ‘The Message’ is a witness to this. In a society like Nigeria where virtually all things are upside down and the rich feed fat on the blood of the poor while about 97% of the national wealth is in the hands of only three per cent of the citizenry, it takes only a divinely guided few to embark on humanitarian gesture to the benefit of the poor. One of such few is Imam Abdullah Shuaib, the Executive Director of a foremost Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation in Nigeria.

    In a famous authentic Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) once counseled Muslims to right the wrong by taking necessary action in correcting any obscene situation. He said: “whoever amongst you sees something wrong should correct it with his hand. But if he is incapable of doing so let him correct it with his mouth (by condemning it). And if he is still incapable of doing that he should then correct it with his mind (by shunning it completely). But the last option is classified as an evidence of a weak faith”.

    Determination

    In accordance with that Hadith, Imam Shuaib observed, painfully, that Nigerian Muslims were suffering from two endemic ailments. One of these ailments is ignorance while the other is poverty. In his intellectual diagnosis he concluded that healing one of the ailments would mean healing the other automatically. And he found his solution in a particular pillar of Islam (Zakah). But then, he noticed that virtually everything was wrong with the manner in which Zakat is administered in Nigeria. And realising that the danger inherent in the neglect to which Zakat was subjected formed the main cause of the two identified ailments, he decided to correct that anomaly in his own little way by embarking on a unique mission of helping the poor through the divine means of administering Zakat as it should be done. He had to resign from his official job to engage in this difficult but highly rewarding venture.

    Testimony

    To bear witness to this noble venture and further encourage the young man, a galaxy of well-meaning Nigerian Muslims assembled at the New Great Hall of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) penultimate Saturday to pay a rare attention to a hitherto neglected pillar of Islam (Zakat). Most prominent among such highly dignified Muslims who attended the occasion was His Eminence, Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar CFR, mni, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). Others were the Chief Imam of Lagos, Alhaj Ibrahim Garba, the Baba Adini of Lagos Sheikh Hafiz Abou, the Chairman of Al-Jaiz bank, Dr. Umar Mutallab, the Secretary-General of the NSCIA, Professor Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede, the Executive Secretary of the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria, Professor D.O.S. Noibi, the Chairman of Mushin Local Government, Lagos, Olatunde Babatunde Adepitan (OBA), the Chairman of Agege Local Government, Alh. Jubril Abdul Kareem, the Chairman of Yaba Local Council Development, Alh. Raheem Jide Jimoh, the Chairman of Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation, Sokoto and a host of others.

    Unlike most Imams in the Southwest Nigeria who turn themselves into illegal collectors and consumers of Zakat when they are supposed to be payers and distributors of Zakat, Imam Shuaib does not only generate wealth through Zakat for distribution to the poor he also encourages others to do same. Recalling what prompted him to venture into the business of collection and distribution of Zakat and Sadaqat in his brief at the Lagos gathering, he said:

    “…It is no longer news that Nigeria is stupendously a rich country blessed with abundant human and material resources that can stand the test of time in the world. But the news is that over the past few years including the year under review, Nigeria is plagued with different challenges and crises such as violence, ethno-religious conflagration, restiveness and insecurity among others. These challenges have compounded the already worsened standard of living of the poor and needy people with youth unemployment on the increase. On the one hand, Nigerian polity is being heated up by inflammatory statements of some ‘do or die’ politicians and, on the other some ethno-religious chauvinists are beating the drums of ethnicity and pseudo-religiosity. These tendencies are tearing us apart and are in apparent contradiction to the last line of the first stanza of our national anthem: “One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity”. As you are aware, the gap between the rich and the poor keeps widening on a daily basis. Who is benefitting from this wicked and ungodly situation? Let us recall the warning given by Allah against this type of situation and its attendant consequences which are very instructive: “And fear a calamity that may afflict not only the iniquitous amongst you but also the innocent ones. And know that Allah’s retribution can be very severe”. Q.8:25.

    Solution

    Islam offers a way out with the institution of Zakat which serves as the beacon of hope for the hopeless. It also stands out as an economic mechanism for the poor and the needy to attain economic freedom as well as a veritable tool for national integration, development and unity of mankind. It is important to remind you of the parable of the faithful in their affection, compassion and mercy to one another which is like the entire body such that if one of its organs is afflicted with an ailment, the whole body will suffer from fever and insomnia. I believe that with proper utilisation and effective disbursement of Zakat fund to genuine beneficiaries, anxiety, fear, rancour, bitterness, enmity, hatred, religious bigotry and violence will cease and the unity of our country and the Muslim Ummah in particular will be strengthened while the poor and needy people will be better-off and the wealthy people among us will feel more secure become more prosperous with Allah’s abundant blessings .

    No discrimination

    At Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation, we do not discriminate on the basis of religion or tribe against any Nigerian seeking for assistance. Our records speak volume about our services to all and sundry without any bias or prejudice. We have been used by Allah to wipe away the tears of many, put food on the tables of thousands of families that were hungry, assisted others to break the circle of poverty, saved lives and supported the educational needs of indigent Nigerian students within and outside the country. All these noble acts were accomplished with the Zakat fund in order to create a socio-economic balance in the society and achieve the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) especially on poverty reduction, qualitative and quantitative education by the year 2015 deadline”.

    Monetary value

    “….To demonstrate this commitment again this year, over 84 million naira is being distributed for the year ended 1434 AH (2013) as Zakat to over 1,900 beneficiaries across the Southwest, Southeast and Southsouth geopolitical zones of the country compared to the N41, 168,930 disbursed last year. This shows an increase of over 51% of Zakat distributed in the past two months in the mentioned zones consisting of Ebonyi, Anambra, Ogun and Osun States. And by the grace of Allah, we hope to be in Abia, Bayelsa, Rivers, Oyo, Kwara and Edo states as well as the Federal Capital Territory for the remaining Zakat disbursement in the next few weeks. (The disbursement was carried out in Oyo State last Sunday).

    Today, (Saturday, January 11, 2014), we are disbursing a total sum of N63, 60, 355 to over 400 beneficiaries in Lagos State alone compared to N35, 461, 661 to 700 recipients last year. This shows a difference of over 43.7% increase in the Zakat collected and distributed in Lagos State within one year. Out of the N63, 060, 335, to be distributed today, 41% is allotted to economic empowerment; 38% to medical support; 8% to provision of hired shelter and 7% to educational needs of indigent students. It is necessary to mention here that the Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation is able to achieve this feat due to the support received from Nigerian Muslim payers of Zakat and Sadaqat…..”

    While acknowledging with thanks, the invaluable roles played by His Eminence, Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, the Pioneer Chairman of the Foundation, the late Dr. Lateef Adegbite and the current Chairman, Dr. Umar Mutallab as well as a host of others too numerous to mention here, Imam Shuaib passionately appealed to all well-meaning Nigerian Muslim to pay Zakah and Sadaqat to the Foundation as at when due for the benefit of mankind.

    Essence of Zakat

    This year’s Zakat distribution by the Foundation is the 9th in series. The Foundation was established about a decade ago to fill a big vacuum. And it has consistently done that since coming into existence. The issue of Zakat as an Islamic pillar is very serious. But unfortunately it is the only pillar held with levity by Nigerian Muslims. Of the five pillars of Islam, only Zakat stands out in connection with other people. Other pillars are for whoever observes them to the exclusion of others. For instance, a Muslim who claims to be strong in faith cannot extend such faith to any other person. A Muslim who observes Salat regularly cannot share it with any other person. It is for him alone. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is only exclusive to the fasting Muslim. He cannot share it with any other person. Ditto Hajj. The only pillar that can be shared with other people is Zakat. And that is the pillar deliberately kept in abeyance by most Muslims.

    Claiming not to have enough resources as an excuse for not paying Zakat is nothing less than self-deception. Some people of other faiths are ordained to pay 10% of their gross income any time they are in possession of such income no matter how often. And they obey. Islam ordains the payment of only two and a half per cent of Muslim’s net income once in a year. And they disobey. One can see why Most Nigerian Muslims are as wretched as they are. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) extols the upper hand in charity and prayed for the givers. He also pitied lower hands and discouraged them just as he dignified hard work and prayed for hard workers while counseling them to keep their hands up permanently.

    The charity rule of law as far as Islam is concerned is that the more you give to the poor, the more prosperous you become. As a Muslim, you cannot eat your cake and still have it. Allah who provides for you knows your capability and your worth. You cannot hide His provided wealth from Him. It is true that there are some contentions about the minimum income from which Zakat is supposed to be paid. But that cannot be used as an alibi for not paying Zakat. We pray the Almighty Allah to continue to guide and assist the payers of Zakat as well as its administrators, especially the Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation that their upper hands may never go under. Amin! Much more will be discussed about Zakat in this column in the near future in sha’Allah.

  • Manko’s ‘rare’gesture

    Manko’s ‘rare’gesture

    This year’s New Year festivities did not go without some alluring side issues. One of them was the gesture extended to ‘suspects’ in police custody in Lagos. On New Year’s Day, Umar Manko, the Lagos State Commissioner for Police, ‘disarmed’ himself and put aside his uniform in order to cater for the needs of suspects in his custody. He transformed into a Father Christmas, dishing out food and drinks to suspects brought out from the cell of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, (SARS), at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja, Lagos.

    When asked for his comments on the unusual gesture from equally unusual quarters, Manko said the suspects deserved to celebrate the New Year like others. According to him, policing the society is not limited to crime prevention and control, but uniting people. He added that being a suspect should not deprive one the enjoyment of his fundamental human rights. Manko further said that the gesture would be extended to other suspects in police custody across the state, adding that Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and Area Commanders (ACs) had been given instructions to that effect.

    In all, no fewer than 125 suspected robbers, kidnappers, arms dealers and receivers of stolen goods, among others, were hosted by Manko. Some of the suspects who spoke to reporters at the occasion thanked Manko for his gesture. This ‘social interaction’ between the police boss and the suspects was the first of its kind in the command’s history, and I doubt if this had happened anywhere before in the history of the Nigeria Police.

    Since he was posted to Lagos as Commissioner of Police, I have watched Manko’s activities on the sidelines with keen interest. In the first instance, I knew he must possess some outstanding qualities to deserve such a posting to a state regarded as the commercial capital of the country. In addition, Lagos is undoubtedly an irresistible attraction to criminals, which is why the government cannot toy with the issue of security.

    In my curiosity, I had inquired from some of his colleagues those qualities that stood him out as a person to police a state like Lagos. One of them, Leye Oyebade, Deputy Commissioner of Police who once called the shots at the state CID, Panti, Lagos and now with Zone 5 Police Headquarters in Benin, spoke glowingly about him. He described Manko as a peaceful, easygoing and hardworking police officer. In terms of policing, he said, the police boss is a tactician, a master strategist who can hold Lagos successfully when it comes to fighting crime and criminals wherever they are.

    Not quite after my ‘inquisition’, late last year, daredevil armed robbers struck on a bright Sunday afternoon. From Agege to Gbagada, Anthony to Mile Two to Surulere and almost everywhere, the rampaging armed robbers left their signature mark – sorrow, tears and blood. It was a day the hoodlums momentarily took over Lagos with little or no resistance from the police. Worst affected by the onslaught of the hoodlums were bureau de change operators who lost huge sums of money and some of their members to the melee that ensued.

    That ‘coordinated’ operation by the hoodlums jolted the police hierarchy. Mohammed Abubakar, the Inspector General of Police, who quickly dashed to Lagos to assess the situation, described his men as “sleeping on duty” on the fateful day. Manko, who later addressed the press, did not betray any emotions. Rather, he ordered all Divisional Police Officers, DPOs, in the command to be on their toes. He warned that any DPO who allowed criminals to have a field day in their areas of jurisdiction would be severely dealt with.

    But Manko did not stop there. He went about diligently to match his rhetoric with actions. Pronto, some members of the gang were apprehended. From there, the Compol spread his dragnet to many states outside Lagos. At the end, almost all the hoodlums who participated in that orgy of violence were reined in. This was followed by the police’ seizure of the cache of arms in the custody of the criminals. The way and manner their ‘armoury’, which included many dangerous weapons and even grenade launchers, was uncovered is a testimony to the job of a “master strategist”. Their chief ‘armourer’ or arms supplier was also taken in.

    From then on, the police boss had recorded streaks of success in his exploits against crime and criminality in the state. I am not saying that crime has totally been wiped out of Lagos, but the fact remains that wherever the call of duty demands, Manko has been able to rise to the occasion.

    However, this is not to say that only Manko deserves to be singled out for commendation for policing Lagos. Security, as we all know, is a collective responsibility. The Lagos State government has made it one of its topmost priorities to ensure the safety of lives and property in the state. Through the Security Trust Fund initiated by the state government, corporate bodies and other well-meaning individuals in the state have, through their collaboration, been sustaining the fund. This is probably why the security agencies in the state have been living up to expectations in recent times. Besides the police, there are other security agencies like the Army, the State Security Service, the Navy, Air Force and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, to name a few. These outfits are toiling day and night to ensure the safety of lives and property in the state. The relative peace in the state is due to the synergy between them.

    But there could be a few slips here and there. If we all live to our responsibilities in the society; if we all volunteer prompt information to the security agencies; and if we don’t engage in any cover-up, whether of our neighbour, relation or even children who may have been lured into crime and criminality, the state and the country will be a better place to live in. This is because criminals live amongst us. They are not visiting ghosts from any other planets. If we turn a blind eye, they could endanger the lives of our neighbours, our relations, our friends or acquaintances, our children and even ourselves. Criminals constitute an intolerable nuisance to the society. That is why they must be exposed and stopped in their tracks at all times.

    Back to the main gist. Manko’s New Year’s gesture is a novel development. This is because suspects in police custody all over the country are usually treated as sub-human beings. Whenever a suspect is arrested, in most cases, when he appears in public, you see a half-clad person almost stripped to the pants. The suspects look unkempt. Some are battered in the course of interrogation to the point that they give up in police custody and are buried as unknown persons.

    Therefore, what Manko has demonstrated is that we should treat the unfortunate ones in our midst with human face. If this is so, perhaps, we might soon be living witnesses to a situation where the police will refrain from extra-judicial killings of suspects; where innocent people will no longer be framed up or railroaded into jail on trumped-up charges; and where policemen will not brutalise innocent people and even suspects in the name of extracting confessions from them. No doubt, this will engender a situation where policemen will respect the fundamental human rights of all regardless of status in the society.

    Manko’s gesture is worth emulating by his colleagues all over the country, many of who are known to be ‘goalkeepers’. As goalkeepers, they grab whatever money or anything that comes their way without any inclination to give to the less privileged or even their subordinates who are usually short-changed.