The Muslim Community in Ogun State has called on its members to take the COVID-19 vaccine in order to flatten the curve of the second wave of the deadly virus.
This was the resolution reached at the end of the seminar organised by the State Chapter of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) which sought to create an enhanced sensitisation on the second wave of COVID-19 among Muslim organisations.
Muslim News gathered that no fewer than 120 participants from 47 Islamic organisations drawn from the four Divisions of Ogun State attended the seminar, held on Sunday, March 7, at Crescent Hall, Abiola way, opposite Abadiyat Central Mosque, Leme Abeokuta, Ogun State.
In his remark, the chairman of the occasion, Dr Taofeek Salisu, a retired University Librarian, emphasised the reality of COVID-19 and solicited strict adherence to the safety protocols.
“Good health is a perquisite to properly worship Allah. It is the living that can worship Allah, therefore, tackling the ravaging COVID-19 should be of concern to every one of us and we must embrace all efforts towards coping with the ravaging pandemic”, Dr Salis counselled.
In his welcome speech, the State Chairman, Sheikh Abd-Rasheed Mayaleeke commended the state government for being proactive on COVID-19 prevention but advised the government to adopt wisdom on the vaccine while the masses should also cooperate with the government.
Sheikh Mayaleeke reiterated the strong belief of the council in the unity of one indivisible and virile Muslim community but also called on the government to include Muslims in the newly constituted Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC).
“It is our desire that the state government includes the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in her programmes such as Social Mobilization Committee (SMC), State Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) etc., at both state and local government areas to further strengthen awareness and full participation of the Muslim Ummah”, Sheikh Mayaleeke requested.
In his goodwill message, Sheikh Tajudeen Adewunmi, Secretary General of the League of Imams and Alfas commended the NSCIA for the timely seminar and charged all clerics to see the sensitisation of their congregation as an act of worship.
In his lecture titled: “Managing the second wave of COVID-19 in the Muslim Community: Concerns and Remedies”, the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Dr Musa Olomu, enumerated the various challenges posed by the pandemic as being spiritual, social, economic, health and educational dimensions.
Dr Olomu who was represented by Dr. AbdWasii Adebiyi, a Medical consultant at FMC, charged Muslims to strike a good balance between their religious duties and keeping COVID-19 at bay because, Islam had forewarned Muslims to stay away from danger, including epidemics.
“The group mostly affected by COVID-19 are Muslims. We should therefore be the ones that must be proactive and follow the Islamic dictates on personal hygiene as a way of reducing its transmission”, Olomu submitted.
While giving update on COVID-19 status and vaccination in Ogun State, Infection Prevention and Control Officer on COVID-19 Response in the State, Dr Hassan Adelakun, gave the narrative of the government’s concerted efforts to flatten the curve of the second wave of COVID-19 through massive testing and accelerated awareness, among others.
He concluded by soliciting for the adoption of the coming vaccine after allaying all the expressed fears.
Government functionaries who graced the occasion include representatives of Commissioners for Health; her counterparts at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, as well as the Ogun State Head of Service.
A communiqué released at the end of the seminar and made available by the Secretary-General of NSCIA in Ogun State, Dr Abdu-Fatah Abdu-Salam had the following resolutions:
▪︎ The Coronavirus pandemic is a reality in our communities and because of the peculiarities of Islamic religious duties, Muslims should be more concerned with safety protocols.
▪︎Covid-19 has raised serious concerns of spiritual, social, economic, health and educational dimensions, therefore, government must be prepared to remedy the negative impacts and cushion the effects on the people.
▪︎Muslim organisations should as a matter of urgency put enlightenment campaigns in the front burner of their activities more than before, to further support government’s efforts.
▪︎Strict adherence to Islamic tenets in the real sense of it is also regarded as a potent antidote to flatten the COVID-19 curve because Muslims were forewarned to naturally stay safe from danger including epidemics.
Arising from the serious concerns of fears and mindset expressed on the vaccine, we strongly recommend that government must step up efficient sensitisation campaigns on the proposed vaccination to reach the nooks and crannies of the state.
The state government is commended for being proactive in combating the pandemic but needs to do more in beefing up security of lives and property to create enabling atmosphere for compliance with safety protocols.
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