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Tag: tolerance

  • VC advises students on tolerance,religious harmony

    The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Benjamin Ozumba has urged students to be tolerant and refrain from divisive religious conducts.

    He said students’good conducts and message of unity could help in overcoming ethno-religious problem plaguing the country.

    Ozumba spoke at a party organised by the UNN chapter of the Muslim Students’ Association of Nigeria (MSSN) to mark its Week.

    The VC praised members of the association for their commitment to religious harmony on the campus, urging them to fight teachings that could lead to disagreement with other faiths.

    He said efforts were being made by his administration to eradicate religious discrimination and ethnicity in the university to promote peace.

    Ozumba said the institution would continue to engage both Christian and Islamic groups to make the campus peaceful, pledging the school’s support for the completion of the UNN Central Mosque before end of his administration.

    Speaking on the theme: General misconceptions about Islam: Redirecting the public perceptions for a symbiotic relationship, Alhaji Abu Sufiyan Ridwanullan Sulaiman, the guest lecturer from Osun State, dismissed the notion that Islam is violent, noting that the religion should not be judged by immoral conducts of a few Muslims.

    Abu Sufiyan said Islam promotes peaceful coexistence among Muslims and adherents of other faiths, adding that the religion detests forced conversion and baseless killing of innocents.

    On marriage, he said Islam permit a capable man to marry two or more wives but that he must be fair to all of them. He said men that are not capable of taking care of two women should not marry two wives.

    Chief Imam of Nsukka Central Mosque, Sheikh Adam Abdullahi Idoko, harped on tolerance, noting that religious leaders must speak up against religious discrimination and injustice. This, he said, would promote harmony.

    Highpoint was the presentation of an award to Imam Idoko for his commitment to religious harmony in the state.

    Other activities marking the MSSN Week included members’visit to the Nigerian Prisons Service in Nsukka, and orphanage. The students also held sanitation and prayer for the nation.

  • Clerics preach peace, tolerance among Muslims 

    An Islamic leader, Shewu Hussain-Eniiya and scholar, Sheikabdlai Mudathir have called on Muslims to tolerate people regardless of their religious and ethnic affiliations.
    The duo also appealed to Muslims to maintain peace and love in their immediate environments rather than discriminating against denominations.
    Eniiya, who is the Olori Musulumi of Ede land, was the special guest at the 2017 special Moludnabiyu prayer at Morubo Central mosque, Ibadan.
    He urged Muslims to follow the footsteps of Muhammad in whatever they do.
    Tagged: “Babalamule’s day and 2017 Moludnobiyu celebration”, the prayer was attended by the Islamic leaders in Osun and Oyo states.
    Eniiya said: “It is pertinent to know that as servants of God, we need to follow our leader Muhammad’s closely.
    “Therefore, we need to love our neighbors regardless of their religion.
    “We also need to tolerate then and maintain peace with them. I also want to implore our people to learn from one of our leaders, Babalamule who live his life for God.”
    The guest lecturer, Sheikabdlai Mudathir, said demonstration of love and peace are the primary reasons Muslims worship God.
    He said if Muslims tolerate one another, the level of poverty will be reduced drastically.
    “The primary reason we worship God is love and peace. If we learn to love and tolerate ourselves, there won’t be much poverty in the country,” he stated.

  • Cleric preaches tolerance

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs and Chief Imam of Lagos State House of Assembly, Abdul-Hakeem Abul-Lateef has urged Muslim faithful across the country to embrace and promote religious harmony, tolerance and peaceful co -existence.

    Speaking at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Sallah Lecture, held at Combo Hall, LTV, Agidingbi, Lagos, Abdul-Lateef enjoined Lagos Muslims to shun extremism, saying God has has not commanded anyone to fight for Him.

    He said: “Muslims who are ignorant of the commands of Allah are the enemies of Islam because Allah has not compelled anyone to fast. Fasting is meant for Muslims who are able to and who are strong and able to observe the fast. This is because if one is sick and one observes the fast, one doesn’t have reward because one is killing oneself gradually.

    “Anybody who takes it upon himself to fight for God, such a person is ignorant of the precepts of Allah and we must avoid all forms of violence and anything that will constitute inhumanity to man.

    “The month of Ramadan affords the faithful the opportunity to tirelessly perform all the obligations, which include reading and mastering of the Quran and engaging in supplication to Allah.”

    He also called for peaceful co-existence of all Nigerians and an end to insurgency in the North- east and militancy in the Niger Delta region.

    “Ramadan, being one the pillars of Islam should be when Muslims should earnestly seek the face of Allah to end the scourge of militancy against the country where peace and justice reign,” he said.

    Speaking on the lecture entitled “The Islamic Perspective on Good Governance and Citizens’ Welfare,” Abdul-Lateef said wealthy Nigerians, especially those in position of authority, must remember the poor and care for them.

    He noted that “leaders must restrain themselves from the wealth of the nation so that the redistribution of wealth according to Almighty Allah can be achieved in achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.’’

    Also speaking, Senator Ganiu Solomon implored Muslims to be steadfast in fasting and prayers for the progress of the nation. We need to offer prayers to God for the growth and development of the nation.

    “Nigeria is currently experiencing some challenges ranging from insurgency, militancy, kidnapping, robbery and other vices. Nigeria and Nigerians will survive the challenges and will see a new dawn,” he said.

  • Christian group urges love, tolerance, unity

    A Christian interdenominational group, the Christian Conscience, has appealed to Muslim faithful to abide by the lessons of love, tolerance and unity, learnt during Ramadan.

    A statement by its National Chairman Chief Enoch Ajiboso and Publicity Secretary Tunji Oguntuase, admonished Muslims to preach peace and unity to faithful so that religious organisations and other ethnic groups would maintain and sustain the peaceful co-existence enjoyed in the country.

    The statement reads: “Nigeria is destined to be great and we must make it great. We urge that the lessons learnt during Ramadan be adhered to and allow the will of God to prevail on our country.

    “A country will prosper and progress where there is peace and love. The Buhari-Osinbajo led Federal Government deserve our support now more than ever in this trying period to correct mistakes of the past. When we co-exist in peace, love and unity, it is then the will of God will be done.”

  • Commissioner advocates religious harmony, tolerance

    Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef has enjoined faithfuls across the country to promote religious harmony, tolerance and peaceful co-existence.

    Speaking at Bola Ahmed Tinubu Ramadan Lecture, Held at Combo Hall, LTV, Agindingbi, Ikeja, AbdulLateef chided those who take religion to the extreme, saying there is no compulsion in Islam.

    He said: “Anyone who attacks non-Muslims for not fasting is an ignorant Muslim and enemy of Islam because Allah has not compelled non-Muslims to fast. Ramadan fast should be done by Muslims and even not all Muslims are compelled to fast. It is Muslims who are strong and able to observe the fast that were compelled. If you are sick and you observe the fast, you don’t really have reward because you killing yourself gradually.

    ‘’For anybody to now take it upon himself to be a fighter for God, such a person is an ignorant person and we must avoid all forms of violence and anything that will constitute man’s inhumanity to man.

    ‘’The month of Ramadan is meant for us to engage in Ibaadat (acts of worship) by performing all the obligatory prayers, reading and mastering the Quran and engaging in supplication to remember Allah.”

    He also called for an end to insurgencies in the North east and South south by Boko Haram and Niger Delta militants.

    Senator Ganiyu Solomon implored the Muslims to be steadfast and prayer for the nation.

    “We needed to offer pray to God for the growth and delivery of the nation. Nigeria is today, challenged on many fronts but though the storms gather, clear skies are ahead. Nigeria and her people will outlive the current challenge and will see a new day,” he said.

  • Again, a wake-up call for tolerance

    Again, a wake-up call for tolerance

    In the last two and a half weeks at least three well publicised incident of people taking laws into their hands have occurred which can only worsen fears that Nigeria is fast degenerating into a land of jungle justice. There is a fourth incident which may yet prove a false flag but nonetheless gives cause for concern about increasing public disrespect for law and order.

    The first incident occurred on May 29 during which one, Mr. Methodus Emmanuel, a 24-year-old trader based in Pandogari, Niger State, was attacked and killed by a mob on an allegation that he posted a blasphemous statement about Prophet Muhammad on the social media. Three other persons, including a staff of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, were reported to have also lost their lives in the incidence.

    The following day some suspected hoodlums burnt a church, a house and a shop and looted several more. They also blocked the Lagos-Kaduna highway that passes through the town. It took a combined force of the nearby army unit, the police and civil defence corps to restore order in the town and clear the highway.

    The second incident occurred in Kano when one, Madam Bridget Patience Agbahime, a 74-year-old shop owner, was killed by a mob at Kofar Wambai market in Kano on June 3 for aledged blasphemy. Her husband, a pastor, who was with her, barely escaped her sad fate when some good Samaritans rescued him from the same mob.

    Initial reports said she was beheaded. Later her husband confirmed this was not true. But that couldn’t have made her murder less despicable, especially when her only offence turned out to have been that she objected to some people performing ablution in front of her shop, an objection she was perfectly entitled to.

    The third incident occurred in Zaria last Tuesday, June 7, when some thugs attacked some members of the Shi’ite sect distributing food to people for iftar, the breaking of the Ramadan fast, in Gyellesu, its headquarters, something which had become its tradition.

    In spite of the huge casualties and loss of landed property it suffered in December last year from its ill-advised confrontation with the army, the sect began its distribution of food penultimte Monday which was the start of Ramadan. Nothing untoward happened on that day. The following day, however, some people, apparently unhappy that its recent misfortune, which has included the detention of its leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Zak-Zaky, had not detered it from its annual iftar programme, decided to disrupt it.

    The sect has since accused the Kaduna State government of complicity in the disruption. The accusation may be wrong but the fact that the authorities did not react to the disruption with as much alacrity as they did to the fourth incident makes the Shi’ite’s accusation understandable. In any case, there has never been any love lost between the two.

    The fourth incident, which may yet prove a false flag, was the story that some Muslims in Kakuri, Kaduna South Local Government, attacked one, Francis Emmanuel, on June 7 because he did not observe the compulsory daylight abstinence from food and drink during the month of Ramadan we are in.

    The incident was worrisome enough as a threat to peace in the sectarian-violence prone state to have prompted the governor, Malam Nasiru el-Rufa’i, to lead his deputy, Architect Barnabas Bala, and some senior government officials, to go to St. Gerald Hospital, Kakuri, where Emmanuel had been taken to for treatment, for a sympathize visit.

    An apparently angry el-Rufa’i warned members of the public that his “government will not allow anyone to get away with any crime using his or her faith as an excuse. There is no compulsion in religion.”

    An unsigned press statement issued yesterday by a Kakuri Community Development Association making the rounds on the social media but attributed to one, Ahmed Rabi’u, Garkuwan Kakuri, has claimed that Emmanuel was not a victim of religious bigotry. He was, the statement said, instead a victim of quarrel between himself and his friends that had nothing to do with religion.

    “It is unfortunate,” the statement said, “that some people misguided the public on the real story as to what had happened.”

    The 578-word press statement belying the first version of the Emmanuel incident sounded credible. But credible or not, the incident underscored the need to do something fast about the season of madness which Nigeria seems to have descended into as people increasingly take laws into their hands.

    It may be sheer coincidence that all the four incidents of people taking laws into their hands since May 29 have involved only Muslims. But coincidence or not, they can only provide the enemies of Islam with further ammunition in their portrayal of it as a religion of violence and intolerance.

    As I wrote on two similar occasions in the past, these incident are as much an indictment of the ability of the authorities to enforce laws without fear or favour as they are of the capacity of the country’s Muslim leadership, secular and religious, and of Muslim parents, to teach their followers and wards tolerance and accommodation.

    In this respect, I am unable to resist the temptation of reproducing at some length what I wrote on both occasions, the first on March 1, 2006, following the bloody riots across Nigeria which were provoked by the publication of disrespective cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by some Danish newspapers, and the second on April 4, 2007, following the shocking lynching of a teacher, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olusesan, by her students in a Gombe State secondary school after they accused her of desecrating the Holy Qur’an.

    “There is,” as I said in the first article entitled ‘The cartoon riots and Muslim leadership,’ “no doubt that Muslims everywhere, including in Nigeria, are under siege and are out-gunned in almost every aspect of life – arms, the media, other professions, etc. Of all these areas, their underdog status in the media is arguably the most important because this is what allows the West which is the most militarized civilization in history – America alone spends more on arms than the top ten countries with the highest arms spending combined and is the only country to have gratuitously dropped the atom bomb – to portray Islam as a violent religion and Muslims as a violent people.

    “However, the answer to Western provocations and propaganda is not easy resort to violence. The answer is to live according to the traditions of Prophet Muhammad. It would seem to me as if the Muslim leadership in Nigeria has failed in its duty to spread the knowledge of the Prophet’s traditions to their Muslim flock.

    “This leadership is, of course, not the only one guilty of not propagating tolerance to its followers, but it cannot claim the moral high ground if it chooses not to be different.

    “Among the many virtues Prophet Muhammad taught and lived by was tolerance. According to one tradition, he once stopped his companions from harming an infidel who urinated inside a mosque. Another tradition has it that he once hosted a Christian delegation in the holy mosque in Medina and allowed them to even conduct their Sunday worship in the mosque.

    “When the Danish newspaper first published its offending cartoons and the local Muslim community could get neither the editors nor the authorities to assuage their feelings for over three months, the ambassadors of the Muslim countries to Denmark persuaded their countries to boycott Danish products and services. This peaceful method appeared to have worked wonders. Suddenly the editors found the voice to apologize, even if it was mealy-mouthed. Again the Danish prime minister who had no time for the ambassadors suddenly found he had all the time in the world to see them.

    “By then riots had broken out all over the globe. These riots then overshadowed the effectiveness of the economic boycott of the Danes by Muslims providing, as they did, the Western Media with the excuse they needed to reproduce the offending cartoons and provoke even more riots.

    “The lesson in all this for the Muslims leadership in Nigeria is obvious: it must wake up to its responsibility of teaching its followers tolerance at the same time that it educates them on the necessity of defending Islamic values. The secret lies in hikima (wisdom) and not in violence.”

    In the second article entitled ‘Olusesan’s murder as a failure of Muslim leadership’ I said “The inexcusable murder of the poor teacher by the adolescent secondary school kids in Gandu is one more wake-up call for the Muslim leadership and Muslim parents, especially in the predominantly Muslim North, to seriously take up their responsibility for the proper upbringing of their children and wards. For as Chapter 103 Verses two and three of the Qur’an say, ‘Most surely man is in loss; except those who believe and do good, and enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience.’

    “The line between patience – or tolerance, if you will – and docility may at times be a thin one but certainly those of us who are Muslims have for a long time allowed ourselves to be too easily provoked into taking laws into our hands by those who are enemies of our religion.”

    As we observe this year’s Holy month of Ramadan we as Muslims must see the terrible potential consequences of people taking laws into their hands as a wake-up call to learn to live in accordance with the values of tolerance and accommodation that Prophet Muhammad taught us and lived by.

  • APC to Nigerians: pray for peace, tolerance

    APC to Nigerians: pray for peace, tolerance

    •Party canvasses global unity against terrorism 

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged Nigerians to pray for peace, development and prosperity at Easter.

    Its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, in a message, canvassed the need for Nigerians to imbibe humility, tolerance, selflessness and sacrifice exhibited by Jesus Christ.

    He asked Christians, especially religious leaders, to always promote religious harmony between and among religious affiliation.

    The APC national chairman assured Nigerians that the 10-month old APC-led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to delivering on the Change Agenda promised them.

    He said: “The 2016 National Budget passed by the National Assembly provides ample framework to deliver on these promises.”

    Oyegun, who called for global collaboration in the fight against terrorism, said the best chance of defeating terrorism was to come together as a united front to defeat the global threat.

    He urged Nigerians, irrespective of religious, ethnic and political affiliation, to support government in the fight against violent extremism, abductions, mass killings, politically-motivated killings and other criminal activities.

    The APC national chairman said: “In the wake of the gruesome March 22 Zaventem Airport and Maalbeek Metro Station terror attacks in the Belgian capital, Brussels and the March 25 stadium suicide attack in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, the need for greater international cooperation in the fight against global terrorism is reinforced.

    “No country is insulated from the global terrorism threat. Our best chance is to come together as a unified front to defeat this global threat.

    “I call on Nigerians irrespective of religious, ethnic and political affiliation to support government in the fight against violent extremism, abductions, mass killings, politically-motivated killings and other criminal activities. Also, the public should remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies in the fight against criminal activities.

    “While we salute and pray for our  armed forces, police and other security agencies fighting to restore peace and normalcy in the Northeast, rest assured that the end to the Boko Haram-led insurgency and other forms of terrorism by the extremist sect is near.”

  • ‘Giade has zero tolerance for corruption’

    ‘Giade has zero tolerance for corruption’

    In this interview, Mitchell Ofoyeju, head of public affairs at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, speaks passionately about the incorruptibility and achievements of the current leadership of the agency. He spoke with ADEKUNLE YUSUF

    If you take a critical look at the situation of things generally in the country, will you say Nigeria is winning or losing the war on illegal drugs and why?

    Obviously, Nigeria is winning the war on illicit drugs. Under the leadership of the Chairman/Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade, drug control efforts have been on the rise over the years. The Agency has maintained a burning momentum with glaring proofs. What is unique about the current leadership of the Agency is that it has zero tolerance for corruption. It also gives priority to strict law enforcement. This is an imperative quality for triumph against drug cartels anywhere in the world. As a result, we have witnessed unprecedented arrests of high profile suspects and seizures of drugs valued at several billions of naira. Many drug trafficking syndicates have been dismantled. Many drug barons had been convicted and this has increased Nigeria’s rating in international circles. You will recall that the United States Government delisted Nigeria from the Drug Majors list on account of the aggressive campaign against drug barons. The Agency has made significant progress by operating in line with best global practices. We now enjoy robust international cooperation. The National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) has just been launched. This was achieved with the assistance of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), European Union (EU) and Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) involving ministries, agencies and non-governmental organisations. This policy document is a roadmap of drug control strategies for the country and I am pleased because its production and implementation is based on the principle of collective responsibility.

    Your regularly reels out impressive statistics on arrests, seizures and convictions of drug criminals, don’t you think the focus of the war on drugs should be on the barons instead of couriers and users of drugs alone? 

    Many drug barons have been arrested and convicted. There is the case of a Lagos socialite, Akindele Ikumoluyi (aka Ele-Eru) who once controlled the drug trade in Lagos. He was arrested, prosecuted and convicted. In addition, a Chinese and Taiwanese, Chiusen Fong and Richard Wang that imported 450.400kg of cocaine worth over 4billion naira into the country were arrested and convicted. Recently, the Agency apprehended a suspected drug baron who hides under the guise of motor-cycle importation. He was placed under intense surveillance for 13 months prior to his arrest. It was gathered that the suspect, Mr. Chukwunwendu Sylvester Ikejiakwu (aka Blessed) has three clandestine laboratories where methamphetamine is produced. These factories had been shut down. Investigation revealed that he pays drug couriers $5,000 dollars per trip and specializes in sponsoring traffickers to China, Malaysia, Turkey and Italy. Between 2011 and 2015, ten illegal factories used for methamphetamine production had been uncovered and the owners prosecuted. The success story of the agency is both laudable and enviable. It will interest you to note that those arrested cuts across noble professions. Apart from business people, politicians, medical doctors and a doctorate degree holder have been apprehended. In fact, the list is endless.

    How true is the allegation that many of your operatives are bad eggs who aid couriers and compromise on drug war?

    I can tell you confidently that no unprofessional conduct goes unpunished in the Agency. This was achieved through strict compliance with the rules of engagement irrespective of your position. Let me tell you, corruption is like a plant that cannot grow on certain soil. The coca plant from where cocaine is produced cannot grow in Nigeria because of our climate. In the same vein, the leadership of NDLEA has made it difficult for corruption to germinate on her soil. Take for example, aiding a drug trafficker is punishable by dismissal and everyone caught had been dismissed irrespective of the position from a commanding officer to a cleaner. The Chairman/ Chief Executive has made his position clear on corruption. According to Giade, you either work for the Nigerian government where your salary is paid or you resign your appointment and get paid by drug barons. So the choice is for the officer to make. There are also internal mechanisms for rewarding good conduct. These include special promotions, monetary rewards and special courses to mention a few. Many officers have been rewarded and it is an on-going process aimed at motivating and sustaining the culture of hard work and integrity.

    What is the standard treatment for erring officers? Specifically, what happened to investigations of allegations of corrupt deals involving your officers in recent time, especially in commands such as Kaduna, Ondo, etc.?

    All cases are referred to either the junior or senior disciplinary committees for hearing in line with the NDLEA rules. Where an officer is punished and he or she disagrees with the decision of the committee, they have the right of appeal. Such appeals go to the appropriate bodies for review. What I can confirm to you is that all those found guilty had been punished in accordance with the rules of engagement.

    There are allegations even from serving agency operatives that the national chairman hobnobs with drug barons? What is your take on this? 

    That is not correct and I mean it with every sense of seriousness. I can tell you confidently that any accusation of corruption against the chairman is dead on arrival. His greatest asset is integrity. He made his position known to the Commanders from the onset that he does not need a dime from them. What he needs from them is arrest of barons and drug seizures. He also charged them to do same to their subordinates. So far, he has kept his words. If you know any drug baron, please go and do your covert investigation and report back.

    Some state commanders alleged that they are under compulsion to make returns to the national chairman of the agency if they are not to suffer redeployment. Is this true?

    These allegations are completely unfounded. Do you know that under the current chairman, 14,200kg that is 14.2 tons of cocaine was seized at the Tin Can Port in Lagos. It was the single largest seizure of cocaine and fifth largest in the world. There was 450.400kg of cocaine hidden in processed wood, which was intercepted at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, in July 2010. The consignment was imported from Chile by a Taiwanese and a Chinese. Again, 137.73kg of heroin was intercepted at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, in November 2010. The heroin hidden in industrial equipment and sewing threads was imported from the Republic of Iran. After that, there was 165kg of cocaine packed in 150 square parcels inside 38 cartons of floor tiles. The drug originated from Bolivia and was intercepted at the Tin Can Island Port Lagos in January 2011. Also, 110kg of cocaine was detected inside twenty-five (25) packs of floor tiles containing 4 parcels each in January, 2011 at the Tin Can Island Port Lagos. The drug was packed in a 20 feet container of floor tiles and cement from Bolivia. Similarly, 113.49kg of heroin industrially concealed in three moulding machines imported from Islamabad, Pakistan in a 20 feet container was intercepted at the Tin Can Island Port in May 2012. The shipment was monitored and intercepted by NDLEA officials at Okota, Lagos, while being taken to a private warehouse. If you know the estimated street value of the seized drugs you will understand that the allegations are baseless. I think the real complaint, if any, is that the Chairman does not support corruption. I can tell you that anybody that loves Nigeria will love to work with Ahmadu Giade. Have you asked yourself why the international community loves to work with him? The answer is that he is transparent and hardworking.

    The NDLEA chairman is also accused of practicing favouritism, nepotism, religious bigotry, and all sorts of things when it comes to promotions and posting of officers to juicy commands? Can you shed light on this?

    Honestly, I do not know the source of these funny claims but again that is not correct. The Chairman is a Muslim from Bauchi and I am  a Christian from Delta State, yet I am his media assistant. His chief security officer is a Christian from the South. Out of the seven directors, six are Christians. I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that Ahmadu Giade is completely detribalised and his postings and appointments are strictly based on merit. If you are hard-working, you are his friend and he will work with you, but those who are lazy and corrupt are his enemies.  He once told me that it is impossible for a disciplined worker to serve faithfully for 35 years without having a two-bedroom apartment. So he is an advocate of rectitude.

  • Zero tolerance for CAF opponents – Nigerian teams

    Zero tolerance for CAF opponents – Nigerian teams

    Ahead of the CAF champions league outing in 2015, Nigerian teams Eyimba of Aba and Kano Pillars have ruled out underrating their opponents, as reactions to the fixtures made yesterday in Cairo.

    Kano pillars will take on debutant Malaika of South Sudan while Eyimba will battle Buffles Du Borgou of Benin Republic in the continental championship.

    The  captain of Kano Pillars, Theophilus Afelokhai and Kadiri Ikhana, the Eyimba coach told Brilla FM that there is no underrating any team as they set all out against their opponents in the race for the title.

    Pillars’ skipper said: “We have seen the fixtures and no club is a small club this time around in Champions League. We all represent our countries as number one and two and we are not going to say this club is a new club and so we are going to underrate them, NO! They are representing their country and we are representing Nigeria so we have to hold them tight and play them hard because we don’t want to make the mistakes we made last time.”

    Coach Ikhana said: “I don’t want anybody to assume so because we were here when Congo came to beat us here and so no team is a small team. They are champions in their country and we don’t expect them to play like a baby. I believe we will come out strong this time around.”

  • Educating the public on socio-cultural, religious tolerance

    Educating the public on socio-cultural, religious tolerance

    heritage

    Recent years have seen the emergence of best practices in every field of human endeavour and museology as a field has not been left out. Initiatives over the last three decades across the world have sought to reposition museums at the heart of their communities as agents of social inclusion and civil engagements, while still serving as cultural mediators to its visitors from various parts of the community. The National Museums of Nigeria number about forty five with at least one museum situated in each of the 36 States in the country. Also, these museums are under a parent body known as the National Commission for Museums & Monuments (NCMM), Nigeria. The mission statement of the commission is hinged on the collection, documentation and preservation of Nigeria’s tangible and intangible heritage

    Nigeria being a multi ethnic nation with an extremely rich cultural heritage, these museums strive to ensure best practices  with the following responsibilities: exploration,collection, care and preservation of antiquities and works of art from the country, regulations and issuance of export permits, prohibited transfers to check illegal exportation, museum educational and outreach programmes etc.

     

    Icom’s definition of museum

    The International Council of Museum (ICOM) defines museum as a permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.

    Many decades ago, 19th and 20th centuries, to be precise, museums were contended to serve a small, selected audience with their programmes focusing on collections, scholarly and professional activities. The primary responsibility of the old style museum, at that time, was to its collections, not its visitors.  Museums were just about the material they contain, acquiring these objects (where they can) keeping them and making them available to whoever wants to see them.

    However, over half a century now, there has been a shift in museum focus from these traditional roles to serving audiences. Today, museums are not only reaching out to a larger audience, they are also designing proactively the arrangements and services which will generate satisfaction and positive outcomes for their visitors.

    This is the new museology and Nigerian museums cannot be left out of this very rewarding trend.

     

    Museology in the 21st century. The new museology and the Nigerian Museum

    Following the transformations sweeping over the museum world, the widening roles and expectations within cultural and heritage sectors have been a challenge to museum workers throughout Nigeria and beyond.  Museum functions and roles have been reshaped from the old to new museology.

    This new trend accentuates museums, their collections and exhibitions as   both   products and agents of social change presenting museums themselves as important social institutions. While literature and theory assume that a single mission should guide a museum’s role in society, national museums in Nigeria are operating as community service museums and by so doing, they try to fulfill a number of different purposes useful and desired by the communities, even beyond the purpose stated in their missions.

    Like their counterparts in other parts of the world, Nigerian museums presently are seeking ways to reach a broader public, forge community ties and compete effectively with other providers of leisure and educational activities.

    This endeavour is aimed at promoting and encouraging the active participation and collaboration between the museums and the public.

    Each year, several programmes are organised around themes that help these communities to diagnose their problems and offer solutions.  These programmes, which come in form of exhibition and other educational and outreach programmes tackle issues bordering on religious tolerance, security, health, poverty alleviation, skills acquisition, youth and women empowerment, curbing violence and terrorism, social injustice, crime and social exclusion etc.

    Several temporary exhibitions are ongoing presently in museums across the 36 states of the country.  The exhibitions have various themes often accentuating on the oneness of the Nigerian people.  For instance, the NCMM has successfully commissioned two out of  the four proposed ‘Unity Museums’ meant to showcase objects which preaches unity of the Nigerian nation after the civil war.

    The theme of the main exhibition at the National Museum of Unity Enugu focuses on national unity, showcasing the similarities in the cultures of the diverse people of the country. Some of the objects on display have similar names, functions and embody the values and ideas of a group or a people, even though they were collected from different locations.

    At the National Museum Lagos, the exhibition, “Nigerian Art in the Cycle of Life” is one of the five exhibitions currently running.  This exhibition talks about the art of Nigeria as being functional and having a purpose in the life of the Nigerian from birth to death.  Similarities in cultures, traditions, architecture, religion are also highlighted.  In some cases, it is discovered that certain people migrated from the same place and that certain communities are only continuities of some other communities.

    There are several other exhibitions which cannot be mentioned here due to space constraint but worthy of mention is that almost every National Museum in the country makes available its space for collaborations either with individuals or groups in order to promote local awareness and address issues which have become a challenge to the nation.

    Community service through promoting national agendas, outreaches and involvement in educational activities have become the order of the day with these museums.  For example, programmes have been designed to encourage the physically challenged.  The Long holiday Progamme for school children has been a vibrant and continuous one in museums such as Abeokuta, Lagos, Kaduna, Minna, Owerri to mention a few.  These programmes help to develop the talents of our young ones and also in empowering them as young adults. There are prison outreaches too designed to help the inmates in learning skills that could help them become useful in the society and giving them “another chance” in life.  There are several other programmes which are positively engaging especially for children, youth and women.

    Each year, ICOM comes out with a theme for the IMD which holds May 18 of every year.  In the past 10 years, these themes have been focusing on how museums can help fight intolerance, insecurity, violence and empower the people,  etc.  The museums in Nigeria have been actively involved in making use of these themes to develop people oriented programmes that suit their communities, building inter ethnic relations.

    In year 2000, ICOM came out with this theme for the International Museum Day-Museums for Peace & Harmony in Society, 2005-Museums bridging cultures, 2008-Museums. Agents of social change & development, 2011 – Museums for Social Harmony, 2012 – Museums in a changing world. New challenges, New inspirations, 2014-Museum Collection Make connections.  In 2015 ICOM has come up with another inspiring theme- Museums for a sustainable society. These themes point to the fact that stakeholders in the heritage sector, especially within the museum domain have seen the need for museums to be actively engaged in making the world a better place.

     

    Nigerian Museums in communities within the context of the new museology

    The answer to this question is definitely a YES. Our national museums need to do more not only in theory, but also in practice.  They need to strive to be all things to all people within their communities.  But, they cannot do this alone.  The boundaries which once separated the museums from the people should begin to blur or completely break down.

    In practical terms, the new museology, first and foremost should be linked to the values held by Museum workers themselves and then, how their values can be related to their activities at the ground level.  After all, charity they say, begins at home. This is an essential task that will take a lot of commitment. However, reflecting the direction museums should be taking in the 21st century, it can only be achieved if there is a change of culture across the profession.

    Mainstreaming museums and its activities into school curriculum will go a long way in the effective implementation of the new museology.  Presently, some states have already adopted this into their primary and secondary schools’ curriculum.  Total adoption by the 36 states will be more effective.

    Aside from mainstreaming, establishment of children’s museums by the commission is another strategy. Such museums provide exhibits and programmes to stimulate informal learning experiences for children.  Unlike in traditional museums where objects are caged and kept away from visitors, children museums feature interactive exhibits that are designed to be manipulated by children. These exhibits will d activities that will be both educational and instructional, especially in early childhood.

    The establishment of museums of tolerance in the country will be another added advantage. To start with, they could be built in the six geopolitical zones of the federation.

    These museums will be helpful in promoting the ideals of universal tolerance and respect.  It will give visitors a better understanding of the history of our people as well as an appreciation of the need to protect our shared values that are vital to our common future.  Such museums will be an important contribution to the Unity of the Nigerian people.

    With very well designed and articulated programmes, these museums, no doubt will help to promote tolerance, ease inter ethnic tensions , tolerance of religion, race, gender, ethnicity among others..The museums should utilize modalities such as organized exhibitions, concerts, literature publication and seminars, posters and videos etc.

    Such programmes will teach both adults and children the cultures of the various peoples of the country, thereby becoming a model of understanding and coexistence among all religion.

    For our children, visits to such centers will help them learn that words are powerful. That words can be used to build a better society and that their behaviours can have a strong impact on their communities and the world.

    These values of tolerance and the respect for human rights are so important, yet so endangered in these turbulent times.  Our museums must now be at the fore front of inculcating what it is that we as a people really want to see develop in our country.

    We should begin to send messages of tolerance and patience to the Nigerian people through our programmes.  Already such museums exist in Los Angeles, Jerusalem, Moscow, New York etc.

    Having made the above observations, it will be a more difficult task, if museum workers and the government are left alone in the attainment of these remarkable endeavour.  There is need for individuals, corporate and public participation. Public/Private Partnership should be encouraged as a part of this initiative.  The private sector can assist in financing such projects. Individuals and groups should come in as volunteers in carrying out museum programmes for the benefit of all. These are all the parts that make the New Museology. A museum is made up of 3 basic components, a building, the collection and the public, the new museology, however, preaches that the museum can actually be All things to All people. This is another in the series of wake up calls.

     

    •Mrs Aharanwa works at National Museum, Abeokuta.