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Tag: scholar

  • Osun students honour scholar

    Osun students honour scholar

    The personality lecture organised by the National Association of Osun State Students (NAOSS) brought high profile dignitaries to the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) last week.

    The lecture with the theme: Intellectualism, moralism and humanism: Focus on Prof Rasaq Deremi Abubakre was attended by the Secretary to the Osun State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, who represented Governor Rauf Aregebsola, Grand Qadi, Kwara State Shariah Court Appeal, Justice S.O. Muhammad, his predecessor, Justice Idris Abdullah Haroon, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof Nahimat Ijaya, who  represented, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Abdulganiyu Ambali and representative of the Vice-Chancellor of Kwara State University.

    The guest lecturer, Dr Abdulraheem Hamzah, said meeting the honoree at Markaz, an Arabic institution founded by the popular Islamic preacher, Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory, was a blessing to him. He said although Abubakre experienced a delay in education but the setback turned out to be blessing for him.

    Hamza described Abubakre as a man of impeccable character, moral integrity and decent manager of men, money and material.  He said the honoree’s integrity could not be questioned, saying Abubakre remained one of the incorruptible Nigerians alive.

    Justice Mohammed, who described the honoree as his teacher, said: “I have learnt from my teacher to be honest, humble and hardworking and tolerate no nonsense. The only thing that makes me hate my teacher is that, he does not give his students bonus mark.” This remark attracted laughter from the audience.

    Prof Ijaya said the event was recognition of the honoree’s integrity and contribution to the development of the nation.

    The event also featured the launch of the association’s magazine and presentation of award to the honoree for his scholarly works and contribution to development of Iwo town in Osun State.

    Other awardees included Governor Aregbeshola and UNILORIN Chief Imam, Prof Abdulganiy Oladosu, among others.

    Prof Abubakre described the honour as “heartfelt joy”, appreciating his family and friends for gracing the occasion. He was born on January 20, 1948 in Iwo and received basic education under the tutelage Sheikh Al-Ilory.

  • Scholar gathers Niger Delta youths, women for agriculture

    When someone is idle, he gets angry with everything around him. He becomes restive and an easy tool in the hands of desperate politicians.

    This was the submission of Dr. Blessing Okogbue, in a lecture and seminar she organised in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State recently, to highlight youth restiveness in the Niger Delta caused by the abandonment of the agricultural sector.

    Okogbue, a lecturer in the Federal Polytechnic Ekowe, studied Fisheries and Hydro-Biology. She is angry that despite the agricultural potential of Nigeria and the Niger Delta , successive governments have paid lip service to the sector which she described as the panacea to youth restiveness.

    Her love for agricultural development and empowerment drove her to pursue a scholarship programme christened, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), sponsored by the Bill Gate Foundation and USAID.

    Having gone through the training at the World Agricultural Centre, Nairobi, Kenya, she became a 2013 AWARD Fellow and has since then been looking for an opportunity to transmit her knowledge to the broader society. The opportunity came recently in a seminar that attracted youths, men and women from all walks of life.

    She lamented that people including the government had abandoned the sector in search of quick oil money. She said others prefered white-collar jobs especially banking. She insisted that the development was the reason why poverty and joblessness had become endemic in the region.

    She said: “A banker will not chew money and an oil man will not drink oil. He will eat food and there is nothing like artificial food. It is real food that comes from the farm. So if all of us decide to go and pursue oil and go for white collar-jobs, nobody will be in the farm and everybody will go hungry.”

    She said AWARD is a programme to mapped out to empower women in agricultural sciences to make them influential and competent enough to reach out to the younger ones in the same profession.

    After the lecture, the participants said they had been educated enough to consider engaging in some aspects of agriculture. They thanked the organiser for putting the seminar together.

    One of them, Isaac Moor, described it as a good avenue and well-conceived seminar. “We thank the convener for such seminar. It has wonderfully enlightened me. It has shed much light on some issues hindering me from starting up something of my own. ”

    The Dean of Agricultural Technology, Federal Polytechnic Ekowe, Dr. Olusegun Kuforiji, said Nigeria was in need of similar lectures to highlight the importance of agriculture.

    He said: “We dwelt too ,much on petroleum and that is why everybody is busy looking for cheap money. Most millionaires that have made money through petroleum should start considering diverting their money to agriculture. It will be of good interest to the country.

    “Some of the people in agriculture should be encouraged, we need to know that agriculture is not meant for the poor. It is also made for the elite. Right now in America, the billionaires are agriculturalists. There is a lot of money in it because it has a lot of diversification.

    “If you don’t want to go into planting, you can go into processing and production of agricultural materials. We have been eating tomatoes from Turkey. It is a very annoying that a country of green revolution, a tropical country should be importing when we are supposed to be producing and sending them to other countries.

    “We have the weather. It is in our favour. We have the dry season and the wet season. We can produce products through out the year. The nature has favored us so much. It is only that we are lazy. If you talk of fabrication, we have a lot of people that finish in technical school. If you go to Ogun, Ibandan, Aba and all over Nigeria, you will see much equipment.”

    Furthermore, Mummy Mary, said the lecture was educative. “I learnt a lot. We never knew that we could have dry pap. I hate custard and I like natve pap. I will impart the knowledge to others and I will also apply it.

    “I naturally like agriculture. Where I live I have a garden. But I will like to expand. Without agriculture there is no way out. It is the only answer to our economic woes.”

     

  • Begging is un-Islamic, says scholar

    The Mudir Markaz, Agege, Lagos, Sheikh Habeebulahi Adam Al-Ilory, has said that begging is un-Islamic and should be avoided.

    He said this during the Tafsir programme in Agege.

    While acknowledging that able-bodied people have taken to begging owing to poverty, Adam said Islam’s position on begging is unambiguous.

    He identified Zakat as a means of reducing poverty, urging wealthy Muslims not to jettison the third pillar of Islam (Zakat). Islam, he said, preaches welfarism, adding that adherents of the religion need to imbibe the spirit of giving to the needy without necessarily demanding for it.

    He cautioned Muslims to pay the correct Zakat, saying they should not short-change Allah.

    He urged those saddled with the responsibility of coordinating Zakat to do so equitably bearing in mind that they are going to be rewarded accordingly.

    “Zakat is playing a prominent role in the circulation of wealth within the society. Governments at various levels need be socially-responsible by giving consideration to masses’ welfare so that the ravaging poverty be reduced to the minimum in no distant time,” he said.  He prayed for Allah’s guidance on those in political leaders.

  • APC’ll win in 2015 if…, says Islamic scholar

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) “will have a successful outing in the 2015 general elections, if it is sincere with the people”.

    An Islamic scholar, Alhaji Saka Ominiwe, spoke yesterday with reporters at his Iwo-Olodo home in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    He said: “I received a revelation in 2012 when I went to Mecca that a merger party would be formed and it would take over power. But members should not put their ambition above the party’s interest, if they want the party to progress.”

    Ominiwe, who is an educationist at the Education Legacy College, Ibadan, urged APC members to be united.

    He said: “I believe APC will make life bearable for the people. In 2015, APC will take over the government at the Villa and through fairness, sincerity and hard work.

    “The hallmark of any administration must be sincerity and the fear of Allah. If any party or leader lacks this, they cannot achieve anything. If any leader wants to make a change, he/she needs to be sincere.”

    Ominiwe said Nigeria can become a business hub as Dubai, if it operates “an open-door policy”.

    He said former Osun State Governor Bisi Akande operated an open-door policy and his “monumental achievements” speak for him till date.

    The scholar said: “Baba Akande was a sincere administrator, who allowed justice to operate. Look at all our politicians today; they can travel abroad five times in a month and spend money on irrelevant things, but they cannot spend money on the education and employment of our youths.”

    Declaring his desire to become active in politics, Ominiwe said: “We need sincere people in politics and I am waiting to see if I can join the APC or any good party or I become an independent candidate.”

     

  • After Ramadan good deeds continues, says scholar

    •Condoles with Fashola

    The good deeds exhibited during the month of Ramadan should not be discontinued, an Islamic scholar Sheikh Dhikrullahi Shafi’I has said.

    Sheikh Shafi’I enjoined Muslims not to reduce the acts of worship and goodness after Ramadan, saying the Holy Month is like a training institute.

    “If one graduated from an institution, the expectation of the people is for such a graduate to put into use the knowledge acquired and lessons learnt for the benefit of the community. All sinful acts we abandoned during Ramadan should be jettisoned to make the society a better place for humanity,” he said.

    The cleric, who spoke yesterday from Makkah, Saudi Arabia where he is performing Umrah (Lesser hajj) condoled with Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola over the demised of his father, Alhaji Ibrahim Ademola Fashola.

    While praying Allah to forgive him, Sheikh Shafi’I advised Governor Fashola to improve on his knowledge of Islam and move closer to Allah.

    “Our affluence and influence do not count when the time is up; this should always be at the back of the mind of our leaders when piloting the affairs of the state. You must not make laws that are anti-God to please mankind. We should fear the day we would stand before Allah to give accounts of our sojourn on earth,” he said.

    The cleric called on world leaders, United Nations in particular to be just in their dealings.

    “The crisis in Tunisia, Libya, Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan and other parts of Middle East is worrisome; UN as world police and peacemaker should live up to expectation; the atrocities the military is perpetrating in Egypt are condemnable likewise Israeli aggression against Palestinians. How can you say you are on the negotiation table and at the same time expanding your occupation of the Palestinians’ land? What manner of negotiation is that?” he queried.

    Sheikh Shafi’I urged Muslims world to be united and fellow clerics to play their role as expected.

  • Scholar warns women against self medication

    Kano-based scholar Hajia Umma Bello, has warned women against self medication to avoid being addicted.

    She spoke at a Ramadan lecture organised for women at Gwangwazo Islamic Institute for women, Kano.

    According to her, many women stay at home and treat themselves with all sorts of drugs instead of attending hospitals for medical attention.

    “As Muslim, we should emulate the wives of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, who always consulted before embarking on any act,” she said.

    She said women were the most vulnerable group in the society, stressing that they needed to be cautious due to their biological make up.

  • Scholar urges leaders to shun corruption

    Bayero University, Kano (BUK) senior lecturer Prof Salisu Shehu has urged Muslim leaders to fear Allah and shun corruption.

    Shehu made the call at a Ramadan lecture organised by the Muslim Students Association (MSA), Nigerian Muslim Women Association (NMWA), Young Muslim Association (YMA) and the Bauchi Radio Corporation (BRC) in Bauchi.

    According to him, bribery, corruption and disrespect for teachings of Islam were factors gaining ground among Nigerians leaders.

    “Leaders must change their attitudes and follow the teachings of Islam before any meaningful change can be achieved in our society,” he said.

    Shehu, a former Special Adviser to Governor Isa Yuguda on Education, urged Muslims generally to unite in practising the good and acceptable deeds as taught by Islam.

    Also speaking, the Grand Khadi of Bauchi State, Alhaji Abdullahi Marafa, called on leaders to be careful in dealing with peoples’ rights.

    On his part, the state representative from the Shari’a Commission, Alhaji Mustapha Hassan, urged Muslim organisations to increase the number of similar lectures to educate people, especially Muslims on things that affected their lives.

    Chairman on the occasion, Malam Yunusa Ado, said the lecture was organised to assist leaders to know their responsibilities in line with the teachings of Islam.

  • Many sides of a scholar and an activist

    Many sides of a scholar and an activist

    At 33, Prof. Akinwande Bolaji Akinyemi was appointed Director-General of the Nigerian Institute for International Affairs (NIIA). It was a rare feat then for a young person to be given such a plum job. Cynics thought he could not stay long in that office, but he ended up spending eight years at the NIIA. He subsequently became External Affairs Minister. Akinyemi has come a long way – from the classroom to governance, politics, diplomacy and activism. Last week in Lagos, he was honoured with two books written by his colleagues, Precious IGBONWELUNDU reports.

     

    It was an impressive gathering. The movers and shakers were there. They all came to honour a man to whom honour is due; Prof Akinwande Bolaji Akinyemi, former External Affairs Minister. Two books: Perpectives on Nigeria’s National and External Relations: Essays in Honour of Prof. A.Bolaji Akinyemi and Nigeria and the World: A Bolaji Akinyemi Revisited were presented in his honour at the Bolaji Akinyemi Hall of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos last week.

    Akinyemi was Director-General of NIIA before he became Minister under former Military President Gen. Ibrahim Babaginda.

    Akinyemi was described as “a man who not only talks the talk but also walks the walk.”

    Some called him a hero of diplomacy, who left his mark in the academia and socio-political spheres. Others called him an astute scholar; a colossus of knowledge and more.

    Babangida described Akinyemi as “an enduring factor in Nigeria’s foreign policy”. His presence at the event, he said, was a demonstration of the services Akinyemi rendered to the nation.

    “That he was my first External Affairs Minister is an established fact. That before then he was the director-general of this Institute for eight years is also an established fact. The fact that as part of today’s programme, there is a symposium on the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) scheme, one of Akinyemi’s enduring legacies in government, is ample demonstration of the relevance of Prof Akinyemi to Nigeria’s foreign policy, a relevance that has lasted for over 40 years.

    “That it is not just one but two books that are being launched in honour of Bolaji Akinyemi is a testament to him being an enduring factor in Nigeria’s foreign policy. If I say that he is often controversial in his views, I am only stating the obvious. He is controversial because he is years ahead of his time in the ideas he articulates. Some people pass through offices and leave nothing but their portraits on the wall. Akinyemi passed through this Institute and the ministry and we are witnesses to his achievements. My presence here and I am sure that your presence here is a demonstration of a grateful nation for services well rendered,” he said.

    Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko described Akinyemi as his hero. He noted that Akinyemi is among the few Nigerians who left academia for governance and exited both with his integrity intact. He said his first encounter with Akinyemi gave him a different view of life entirely, noting that his respect for Prof. Akinyemi cut across all spheres as he remained one of the “true heroes of the country”. He said the prof’s perspective on issues which he canvassed over 40 years ago were needed in today’s Nigeria. Mimiko praised the authors “for honouring a great man in his life time”.

    Mimiko said: “The first time I ever met Prof. Akinyemi was when he was DG of NIIA. I came to interview him as an undergraduate and he offered me a stick of cigarette which I rejected. Talking of dialogue and not revolution like the people from the other blocks we were used to, you made an impression of someone moderate in his thoughts. My encounter with him that day changed my perception of issues.

    “Prof Akinyemi is cerebrally engaging. For him, dialogue is a religion. Even at that time when the rest of us thought revolution was the solution, he believed and still believes there is nothing that cannot be achieved with dialogue.”

    Abia Governor Theodore Orji, who was represented by Secretary to State Government, Mpa Mpa, said he has always admired and respected “Akinyemi’s enthusiasm, commitment to public service, keen intellect and never-ending drive for new ideas that made the difference”.

    Akinyemi’s ideas, he said, helped in building the many legacies the prof is known for. He listed these to be Akinyemi’s idea and intellectual thoughts on Nigeria’s global and regional policies as a middle power.

    He said: “Akinyemi’s legacies have also been evident in the number and quality of his scholar disciples and the human capital that he raised in the area of scholarship in our nation and beyond; his ability to build durable and dependable support institutions for the country’s foreign policy-making and participant elites; and his giving of vibrant life to such institutions, including this great centre – NIIA, where he once held sway.

    “He has proven to be a colossus in more than half a century of Nigeria’s academic history as a leading scholar, teacher, technocrat and philosopher in the study and practice of Nigeria’s international relations and domestic politics. These books’ presentation is a worthy and eloquent testimony to the world that Akinyemi’s legacy will continue to propel our foreign policy elites and scholars-modelling their thoughts and writings and those of the younger generation of scholars. We can through his works, further confirm the creative force of bold and relentless ideas in changing this nation and the world for good.”

    He described Akinyemi as an inspiration, adding that the occasion was a celebration of the power of knowledge and investment in human resources. “For me in particular, I have always been inspired by Prof Akinyemi to know that in leadership and public service, there is no greater attainment we can make in life that is worthier than building memorable foundation legacies that make the difference; legacies that seek to introduce meaningful and sustainable changes and legacies that focus on changing lives. It is a celebration of one man’s resilience to make a difference and of the value of staying strong to the end in defence of knowledge and excellence in public service,” Orji said.

    The books were edited by Thomas Imobighe and Warisu Alli; and Akinterinwa.

    Perpectives on Nigeria’s National and External Relations: Essays in Honour of Prof. A.Bolaji Akinyemiwas reviewed by Ambassador Mark Egbe, Nigeria and the World: A Bolaji Akinyemi Revisited was reviewed by Sokoto State University Vice-Chancellor, Prof Nuhu Yaqub.

    The books were published last year. The former, which is a collection of 22 essays by cerebral Nigerian scholars in honour of Akinyemi, was initially meant to celebrate the prof during his 70th birthday…; the latter comprises 391 pages with 17 chapters, arranged in four parts.

    In his review, Egbe said the book gave some insights into Akinyemi’s personality, scholarship, diplomatic exploits and political activism. He said issues ranging from the role of Nigeria in the United Nations, including its quest for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council to regional matters within the context of the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) were discussed.

    Egbe described the “Akinyemi Dream” as that of a greater Nigeria able to deploy its clearly enormous economic, political, socio-cultural and diplomatic resources, to advance its own interest and those of the African nations and the black community globally. He recommended the book to the political class, practitioners of foreign policy and the Nigerian intelligentsia.

    In his own review, Yaqub saidAkinterinwa focuses on Akinyemi’s many revolutionary ideas on foreign policy making and its implementation which include the concept of the Concert of Medium Power; Balance of Power; Nigeria’s Africa Centre-piece Foreign Policy; TAC; the necessity of Reciprocity in the relationship of nation-states; Black Bomb; Consultation Doctrine, among others. “All in all, the book is a very solid contribution to scholarship. There are few errors the authors would have to look at, in case there shall be an opportunity to have a new edition of the work in the years ahead,” he said.

    Akinyemi said he was humbled by the honour done him by his colleagues. He attributed his success as NIIA’s DG and minister to Babangida’s support.

    He said: “I feel very humbled at the same time honoured. In a country like this, it is unusual to be honoured by one’s colleagues. Usually, what you get is jealousy and envy. So, that my colleagues decided to honour me this way, is something I am proud of and it is a trait in our character we should learn to emulate.

    “I am also overwhelmed by the presence of President Ibrahim Babangida who was my boss, whom I served, because it has been over 30 years since I served in his government yet, the bond that bounds us together is still there. It is now stale news that I was appointed in 1975 as DG of this Institute at the age of 33 years after several years of turbulent existence of the Institute. I was not expected to last in the post. I was supposed to go the way of the previous DGs. Well, I lasted for eight years…Today, I can reveal that one of the people responsible for that survival is President Ibrahim Babangida. Of course he was not the president then. He was a Lt-Colonel and Commander of the Armoured Corps. More importantly, he was a member of the Supreme Military Council.”

    On the state of the nation, Akinyemi said the poor have out of hopelessness, declared war on the middle class and the rich. “The poor cannot sleep because they are hungry and the rich cannot sleep because the poor are awake. The poor feel that their own country has declared war against them. I would have thought this is the time for a robust debate about how to build a more just, equitable and egalitarian society where there will be a safety economic and social net below which no one will be allowed to fall, where the needs of the poor, orphans and widows will command the attention of government; but what I hear, what we all hear, is a raucous debate about whose turn is it to rule Nigeria in 2015. What will it benefit anyone to rule a house whose roof is about to be blown off and whose foundation is in danger of collapse? Zoning, federal character, rotation, marginalisation of the brightest and the best will only make the much prophesied collapse of Nigeria in 2014 a self-fulfilling prophecy. We cannot build a nation on a system that takes care of the few while condemning the many to penury. A system that cannot take care of the many who are poor cannot save the few who are rich,” Akinyemi said.

    Among those in attendance were Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido; former Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba; former Ekiti State Governor Niyi Adebayo; former Foreign Affairs Minister Gen. Ike Nwachukwu; former Federal High Court Chief Judge Rose Ukeje; former Inspector-General of Police Musilu Smith; Air Vice Marshall Hamza Abdullahi (rtd.); renowned political scientist, Prof. Adele Jinadu; Professors Jide Osintokun, Ben Iwogie and Bolanle Iyinla; late Moshood Abiola’s wife, Dr Doyin; former Director-General NIIA, Prof. George Obiozor; Director-General, Technical Aid Corps Directorate, Mamman Daura, Senior Special Assistant to the President on International Relations Daniel Hart and former Edo State Commissioner for Information, Louis Odion.