The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Muslim congress

  • INEC commends Muslim congress on voter sensitisation

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has hailed the leaders of The Muslim Congress (TMC) for sensitising its members for the forthcoming general elections.

    The electoral body gave the commendation during a Political Discourse jointly organised by TMC and Centre for Global Peace initiative (CGPI) on Sunday in Lagos

    INEC Desk Officer in charge of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Mr Luka Buba expressed joy at the massive turn-out for the programme.

    Buba said: “I have attended series of sensitisation programmes organised by different Muslim organisations and mosques, the turn out here today was massive. I am really impressed.

    “Not only did the men come out, their wives and other Muslim women also attended in their numbers. This is what INEC wants and the bodies (TMC and CGPI) should be commended.’’

    He urged the gathering to play active roles in ensuring that their votes count.

    According to him, the first step to take was to collect their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) which is the only instrument through which they can elect their leaders for the next four years.

    Luka enjoined those that have registered but are yet to collect their PCV to do so.

    TMC Amir (President) Dr Luqman AbdurRaheem, said the programme was put together to sensitive people about their civic responsibility as citizens, educate them on the voting process and to highlight the attributes expected to observe in those vying for public offices.

    The Associate Professor at American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola said good governance could only be realistic when leadership emerge through general consensus.

    “Every effort must be geared towards enlightening the public on active participation in election process. We are focusing on this because it is very important in our religion. When you cast your votes, it means you are bearing testimony and that testimony will be held against you on the day of judgement. So, as responsible Muslim organisation, we need to tell the electorate to think through the voting process before casting their votes,” he said

    AbdurRaheem stressed that in Islamic jurisprudence; the process of electing leaders come with some qualities and characteristics which electorate must look out for.

    These, he said, include faithfulness, integrity, prudence, accountability among others.

    Secretary of the Muslim Community of Oyo State Ustadh Ismail Busary, urged the participants to elect God-fearing leaders who will deliver good governance and ensure peaceful society.

    Busary admitted that not all the contestants have the qualities of good leadership.

    “Some of them fare better than others. Hence, we go for the best candidate of the lot. When you have options, you pick the best,” he said.

  • INEC commends Muslim congress on voters’ sensitisation

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has hailed the leaders of The Muslim Congress (TMC) for sensitising its members for the forthcoming general elections.

    The electoral body gave the commendation during a Political Discourse jointly organised by TMC and Centre for Global Peace initiative (CGPI) on Sunday in Lagos

    INEC Desk Officer in charge of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Mr Luka Buba expressed joy at the massive turn-out for the programme.

    Buba said: “I have attended series of sensitisation programmes organised by different Muslim organisations and mosques, the turn out here today was massive. I am really impressed.

    “Not only did the men come out, their wives and other Muslim women also attended in their numbers. This is what INEC wants and the bodies (TMC and CGPI) should be commended.’’

    He urged the gathering to play active roles in ensuring that their votes count.

    According to him, the first step to take was to collect their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) which is the only instrument through which they can elect their leaders for the next four years.

    Luka enjoined those that have registered but are yet to collect their PCV to do so.

    TMC Amir (President) Dr Luqman AbdurRaheem, said the programme was put together to sensitive people about their civic responsibility as citizens, educate them on the voting process and to highlight the attributes expected to observe in those vying for public offices.

    The Associate Professor at American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola said good governance could only be realistic when leadership emerge through general consensus.

    “Every effort must be geared towards enlightening the public on active participation in election process. We are focusing on this because it is very important in our religion. When you cast your votes, it means you are bearing testimony and that testimony will be held against you on the day of judgement. So, as responsible Muslim organisation, we need to tell the electorate to think through the voting process before casting their votes,” he said

    AbdurRaheem stressed that in Islamic jurisprudence; the process of electing leaders come with some qualities and characteristics which electorate must look out for.

    These, he said, include faithfulness, integrity, prudence, accountability among others.

    Secretary of the Muslim Community of Oyo State Ustadh Ismail Busary, urged the participants to elect God-fearing leaders who will deliver good governance and ensure peaceful society.

    Busary admitted that not all the contestants have the qualities of good leadership.

    “Some of them fare better than others. Hence, we go for the best candidate of the lot. When you have options, you pick the best,” he said.

     

  • INEC commends Muslim congress on voters’ sensitisation

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has hailed the leaders of The Muslim Congress (TMC) for sensitising its members for the forthcoming general elections.

    The electoral body gave the commendation during a Political Discourse jointly organised by TMC and Centre for Global Peace initiative (CGPI) on Sunday in Lagos

    INEC Desk Officer in charge of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Mr Luka Buba expressed joy at the massive turn-out for the programme.

    Buba said: “I have attended series of sensitisation programmes organised by different Muslim organisations and mosques, the turn out here today was massive. I am really impressed.

    “Not only did the men come out, their wives and other Muslim women also attended in their numbers. This is what INEC wants and the bodies (TMC and CGPI) should be commended.’’

    He urged the gathering to play active roles in ensuring that their votes count.

    According to him, the first step to take was to collect their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) which is the only instrument through which they can elect their leaders for the next four years.

    Luka enjoined those that have registered but are yet to collect their PCV to do so.

    TMC Amir (President) Dr Luqman AbdurRaheem, said the programme was put together to sensitive people about their civic responsibility as citizens, educate them on the voting process and to highlight the attributes expected to observe in those vying for public offices.

    The Associate Professor at American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola said good governance could only be realistic when leadership emerge through general consensus.

    “Every effort must be geared towards enlightening the public on active participation in election process. We are focusing on this because it is very important in our religion. When you cast your votes, it means you are bearing testimony and that testimony will be held against you on the day of judgement. So, as responsible Muslim organisation, we need to tell the electorate to think through the voting process before casting their votes,” he said

    AbdurRaheem stressed that in Islamic jurisprudence; the process of electing leaders come with some qualities and characteristics which electorate must look out for.

    These, he said, include faithfulness, integrity, prudence, accountability among others.

    Secretary of the Muslim Community of Oyo State Ustadh Ismail Busary, urged the participants to elect God-fearing leaders who will deliver good governance and ensure peaceful society.

    Busary admitted that not all the contestants have the qualities of good leadership.

    “Some of them fare better than others. Hence, we go for the best candidate of the lot. When you have options, you pick the best,” he said.

     

  • Minimum Wage: Muslim Congress backs NLC

    The Muslim Congress (TMC) has backed the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) N30,000 demand for Minimum Wage.

    At its Quarterly State of the Nation briefing, TMC National AbdulWasiu Bamgbala said Nigerian workers definitely deserve a rise in their take-home having been on the receiving end for so long in our chequered history.

    He said: “The long-suffering workers deserve every comfort they can get in order to live a more comfortable and less-stressful life. In 2011, the National Minimum Wage Act set workers’ wage at N18,000 per month and to be revised every five years. An upward review is therefore justified by the fact that the cost of living has increased considerably.”

    Bamgbala urged the Federal government to continue its dialogue with the stakeholders in order to arrive at a figure that will ease the daily burdens of the Nigerian workers.

    He said: “That amount should also be in consultation with the states especially owing from the fact that most of the states are already defaulting in paying the N18,000 minimum wage. But more importantly, governments at all levels must speed up the development of public infrastructure and also step up financial inclusion. These two steps will further complement the increase in minimum wage to make life more meaningful for the people. The organised labour should also show understanding and ensure that the laudable agitation does not lead to the breakdown of services across the sectors.

    “The state governors need to block all leakages especially wasteful spending to meet the workers’ demands. A situation whereby state governor having over 150 aides is not healthy for the polity and should be looked into. Some of these governors need to be prudent in the way they spend public funds.”

    The congress scribe hailed the Federal Government for approving N22 billion as payment for retirement benefits to former workers of the liquidated Nigeria Airways Limited.

    “This amounts to about 50 percent of the N45 billion entitlements for the former workers of the company. The workers have suffered the injustice of not receiving their retirement benefits for about 15years.

  • Meningitis: Muslim congress seeks training for health personnel

    Meningitis: Muslim congress seeks training for health personnel

    The Muslim Congress (TMC) has urged government at all levels to ensure constant training of health personnel, to improve detection, control and prevention of communicable diseases.
    These efforts, TMC said, “will ensure that we will not only prevent the diseases, but also stop the sufferings caused by it and the heavy burden it places on the society.”
    At the quarterly State of the Nation briefing in its Jibowu, Lagos headquarters, the congress National Amir (President), Dr Luqman AbdurRaheem, lamented that some parts of the nation are being ravaged by meningitis in a way that is unprecedented. According to him, “about 90 local governments in 16 states are affected at the moment. If care is not taken, the contagious disease that has already claimed over 400 lives and affected several thousands of people might spread to other states.”
    He said: “Nigeria needs a lot of work to do in ensuring that it is prepared at all times to pro-actively anticipate and respond to the health challenges that may face us as a people. The fact that we have had cases of outbreak of meningitis before now is the more reason we must always be prepared even as we know that the season for this disease is between December and June. What preparation was carried out in terms of creating awareness for the people on how they could avoid or comport themselves during this period? What monitoring of the people especially in the most susceptible areas was carried out? What was the response of state and federal health agencies in nipping the disease in the bud the moment it first broke out in November 2016? These are the questions that the authorities must answer in order for us to know the state of preparedness of our health system.”
    Dr AbdurRaheem said government must put in place an efficient and effective strategy for combating infectious diseases and preventing those that are likely to emerge tomorrow.
    “We must use surveillance and response coupled with applied research into the nature of these diseases. We must also build critical healthcare infrastructure and constant training of health personnel.
    “The rewards of a strong and flexible public health system will be seen in the way it responds to known diseases and the unexpected ones. The Federal Ministry of Health cannot act in isolation but must collaborate with state and local government health authorities, professional societies, universities, research institutes and health-care providers. International co-operation must also be sought with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and many other related international organizations,” he said.
    He enjoined Nigerians to form pressure groups that will make governments see the need to vote more money for healthcare, saying “our healthcare facilities and personnel are inadequate and as such do not possess the ability for tracking and responding quickly to outbreaks of contagious diseases. The media is also complicit in the neglect of our healthcare infrastructure because these are not well-reported in the media with such intensity as would prick the conscience of our politicians and public officials. The question that must linger in our minds is how many more people would need to die before the right things are done.”

  • Islamic cleric urges Muslims to embrace team work

    Islamic cleric urges Muslims to embrace team work

    Dr Abdullahi Eleyinla, lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Ilorin, has called on Muslims to embrace the spirit of team work, rather than individualism, to gain Allah’s mercy.

    Eleyinla made the call on Wednesday in Ilorin, while delivering a lecture at the Special Dawah symposium organised by the Muslim Congress, Kwara state chapter.

    The don, who is also an Islamic scholar, presented a lecture, entitled, “Team work: Solution to modern challenges”.

    He said working together as a team was more rewarding than working alone.

    The lecturer identified such activities expected to be done collectively in Islam to include, observing the five daily prayers in congregation, commencement of fasting in the month of Ramadan, and performance of Hajj operation.

    He said that the reward for collective works were greater than those of individual works.

    Eleyinla also said that there were many verses in the Holy Quran that encouraged Muslims to hold fast onto the rope of Allah and see themselves as one to avoid disintegration.

    Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Badmus Yusuf, Dean, Postgraduate School, University of Ilorin, stressed the importance of cordial relationship among Muslims.

    The professor called on the Muslims to unite, irrespective of the group they belonged and be ready to be supportive of one another.

    Hundreds of Muslim faithful attended the lecture.

  • Muslim congress warns against shielding criminals

    An Islamic organisation, The Muslim Congress (TMC), has warned government to stop shielding criminals.
    This, TMC said, accounted for increase in crimes in the society.
    The group spoke at the Quarterly State of the nation media briefing at its secretariat in Jibowu, Lagos.
    Its Amir, Dr Luqman AbdurRaheem, said insincerity and lobbying to get crime perpetrators pardoned debased the nation’s justice institution.
    “Some people have been caught in the act of crime and were let off the hook due to lobbying. This has continued to entrench criminal acts in the psyche of the people. An average citizen has the notion of going scot free for committing a crime once he is able to press the right button. This is bad for our country,” he said.
    On Southern Kaduna crisis, AbdurRaheem, a senior lecturer at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), enjoined the people to realise that irrespective of differences in language, ethnicity and religion, they must live together in peace and harmony.
    The promoters of violence either for political, economic or religious reason, he said, should know that one day the long arm of justice will catch up with them.
    He wondered how government failed to punish perpetrators of Southern Kaduna crimes after setting up and receiving panel reports on previous crisis.
    “It is due to impunity that a person would take arms against a fellow being and be allowed unpunished. If the culprits are Muslims, punish them. If they are Christians, they should be dealt with. Neither Holy Quran nor Bible supports unjustly killings. We put on religious garments, quote religious books, yet act ungodly. What manner of nation are we running?
    “The Bible says ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ The Quran says ‘You are not a true believer until you love for your neighbour what you love for yourself.’ Can we say the people killing one another in Southern Kaduna are true believers? The answer is capital NO! Lives are sacred and should not be wasted in the way things have gone on so far. The onus lies on government to ensure adequate security personnel is stationed there to stop the violence. It is also paramount at this juncture that the Federal Government must institute a more timely and effective response and logistics framework that enables the deployment and arrival of military personnel in troubled areas in the shortest possible time.
    “We commend and support the stand of the Sultan of Sokoto in calling for the arrest of the Southern Kaduna killers. This is the right thing to do since the killers need to be arrested and brought to justice to serve as a deterrent to other mischief makers in the area. One of the reasons that this carnage has continued for so long is because perpetrators of earlier killings were not brought to book. A situation like this can only create room for hatred and revenge.”