Leading Muslim Scholars in the Southwest geopolitical zone of the country under the aegis of the Ulamah Wing of Conference of Islamic Organisations (CIO) have ended a one-day seminar where they advised those calling for secession in Nigeria to desist, saying such calls are inimical to the progress of the country.
In a communique issued at the end of the seminar held on Wednesday, July 7, at the Masjidus Sunnah Central Mosque, Okota, Lagos, the Ulama equally urged government at various levels to ensure equality in the distribution of the wealth of the nation.
The seminar was chaired by the National Missioner of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh AbdurRahman Ahmad and had in attendance other Scholars such as the Acting Chairman of Council of Ulamah in Nigeria, Sheikh Abdul Fatai Thanni; Grand Mufti CIO, Sheikh Dhikrullah Shafii; Imam, Adangba Central Mosque, Sheikh Abdurrahman Adangba, among others.
The resource persons who spoke on ranging security situations in the country and proffered workable solutions include the Chief Imam Zone 2 Police Command, SP Raji Muhammad Jamiu, Acting Director of Islamic Affairs/Chief Imam of the Nigerian Navy, Captain Gidado Taofik Miqdad; Palestinian Community leader in Nigeria, Ramzy Ibrahim.
The seminar, the convener said, aimed at correcting the anomaly of insecurity in the country by identifying the root causes, proffering solutions that would ensure a peaceful society.
At the end of the 5-hour rigorous discussion, a communique was issued where the scholars urged government at various levels to ensure equality in the distribution of the wealth of the nation.
According to the scholars, loss of value system and the dearth of sense of commonality within the societal units of the regions are the bane of the country.
They also blamed insecurity in the country on politicians’ flagrant display of wealth.
At the seminar which also had Sheikh Abdul Majeed Ayinla, Sheikh Muhammad Olatunji and representative of Chief Imam of Lagos, Alhaji Naheem Saheed, the issues of Palestine came to the front burner, where they said Palestinians’ plight goes beyond religion, as it also bothers on fundamental human rights.
Palestine is a nation that has been under the occupation and marginalization of the dark forces of Israel for over 72 years.
They said, there is the need for Muslim scholars to be aware and inform their members about the situation in Palestine, especially the position of the Masjid Aqsa, the Muslims’ third holiest Mosque.
The Leader of the group, Sheikh Ahmad said that the Ulamah would continue to express concern about the worsening security situation in the country.
He said: “We know there will be no quick fixes to the security challenges. We met Mr President last month and expressed our concern about the worsening security situation and he told us what the administration is doing and what they hope to do differently.
“As Islamic scholars, we are major stakeholders and issues of security are fundamental to the practice of our religion. Without security, we cannot observe our religious duties.
“We know that the insecurity issue is complex because it is an interplay of factors ranging from negligence at home to proper upbringing of children, to lack of distributive justice as well as lack of rule of law among others.
“While we do our own part, we will continue to engage with the authorities to ensure that the security situation is addressed and we have relative security.”
Sheikh Ahmad said the country needs true nationalists to lead it. “We need at this time, a true nationalist, a just leader, someone with perceptive insight that would look into this issue and address it, and win the trust and confidence of those who feel they are not getting a fair deal,” he said.
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