With the arrival of buses conveying students from their respective locations at the Human Capital Development Centre (HCDC), Noforija, Epe, Lagos State, the physical Islamic Vacation Course, IVC, eventually returned fully in Nigeria after two years of COVID-19-related restrictions.
The 113th edition of the IVC is organised by the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria, MSSN, Lagos State Area Unit, and it’s divided into two phases – secondary school students, which was the first phase started on Thursday, December 22 and ended on Tuesday, December 27.
Muslim News findings revealed that the second phase for school leavers, undergraduates and others commenced immediately on Tuesday and is expected to end on Sunday, January 1, 2023. The theme is “Islam and Humanity”.
Apart from the MSSN Lagos camp, we can reliably confirm that the Islamic Vacation Course, which has become a brand name among Muslims in Nigeria, is also going on simultaneously in other locations across the country.
MSSN A-Zone, comprising the 19 Northern States, including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, assembled in two locations within the Ilorin Metropolis, the Kwara State capital, for the 79th IVC, which began on Thursday, 22nd and ended on Wednesday, December 28, 2022.
No fewer than 3,000 delegates attended the first physical Islamic training in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the world. The theme was “The New Dawn: MSSN on call”.
MSSN A-Zone raises concern about ”moral decadence among youths’
Kwara State governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who graced the formal opening ceremony over the weekend, called on parents and caregivers to collectively address the issue of moral decadence amongst youths.
Governor Abdulrazaq who described as alarming, the rate at which youths involve in social vices like substance abuse, misuse of social media and banditry, emphasized the need for synergy amongst stakeholders to ensure that youths, who are the future of the country, do not become morally bankrupt.
He, therefore, maintained that religious gatherings should be used to enhance national unity and promote healthy development.
Also speaking at the well-attended event, the Provost, National Defence College, Abuja, Professor Adam Okene, represented by the National Missioner of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh AbdulRahman Ahmad enjoined Muslim youths to be respectful and emulate virtues of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
IVC is unarguably the largest Muslim holiday camp – Amir MSSN B-Zone
MSSN B-Zone is holding her 112nd Islamic Vacation Course (IVC) in three locations: Edo, Port Harcourt and IVC Permanent Site, Ogunmakin village, Ogun State with the theme: Repent and Submit.
The Amir of the Society, Mallam Qasim Odedeji, while speaking at the formal opening held on Monday, said the theme was carefully chosen to combat anti-Islam and anti-socio behaviours bedevilling our society this time.
He described the IVC as unarguably the largest Muslim holiday camp, which has been replicated by many Muslim organisations in Nigeria and abroad.
According to him, “I recently stumbled on an advert of an Islamic Vacation Course organised by a group of Muslims in the United Kingdom. This programme has continued to serve as an avenue for educational and spiritual upliftment of Muslims in Nigeria.
“Apart from safeguarding the Muslim children from the unIslamic effects of Christian festivities in the last quarter of December, the programme has continued to grow in population.”
Guest Lecturer, Dr Salahudeen Munirudeen who spoke on the theme of the 112nd Islamic Vacation Course IVC opined that every soul commits sins but the best way to atone for it is to repent to Allah.
He listed many reasons why people commit sins which include poverty, ignorance, lack of knowledge and not believing in the existence of Allah.
Munirudeen advised all to seek true knowledge as contained in the Qur’an and Sunnah as a guide from committing sin.
The week-long intensive training programme which began on Friday, December 23 and expected to end on Sunday, January 1, 2023, is being attended by over 6,000 delegates from all levels. It’s the second edition since COVID-19 as a physical camp was held by the society in 2021.
‘Why we organise camps during festive periods’ – National Amir, MSSN
The National Amir of MSSN, Mallam Sheu Abubakar, on the essence of IVC, especially during the non-Islamic festive period linked with the birth of Jesus Christ (AS), said: There is a lot of significance attached to it. It is an avenue for Muslim students to acquire sound Islamic creed, relevant lucrative skills, cohabit and collaborate with brethren from different backgrounds and cultures.
“Delegates from numerous area units and councils, central branches and tertiary institutions cohabit harmoniously. This does not only help delegates form refined perspectives, but also open their eyes to the comprehensiveness of Da’wah and boost their level of tolerance.”
Mallam Abubakar also stated that the Islamic Vacation Course has also remained a platform for healthy and meaningful relationships among Muslim brethren over the years and it will continue to be.
Muslim News releases cover of December, 2022 edition, focusing on Islamic programs during festive periods@muslimnews_NG has released the e-cover of its December, 2022 edition, which focuses on Islamic camps and other laudable programs organised by top #Muslim bodies in Nigeria. pic.twitter.com/dQvaF68jCU
— Muslim News Nigeria (@muslimnews_NG) December 30, 2022
He told Muslim News those who consider camping as bid’ah are ignorant, saying that there’s a genuine reason for having the camp during the festive periods, especially in the southern part of the country, where Muslims and non-Muslims have a lot in common.
“If care is not taken, Muslims and non-Muslims will participate in all the rites and fest in span of time alike, as such, Muslims need to be meaningfully engaged to avoid some unsolicited consequences. This is one of the major reasons the camp holds in December.
“There is nothing wrong at all. What matters before the Almighty is our intention and our intentions are good. We are only trying to save our brethren from the misfortune that can cost them their hereafter,” he added.
‘What should be expected at phase 2 of Lagos IVC’
in Epe, the secondary school students, who shared exciting moments with Muslim News’ correspondents on their way back home on Tuesday, lauded the organisers for staging “a soul-inspiring and educative” physical camp, as their elders, who are arriving in their numbers, look forward to the first phase 2 camp, without any COVID-19 restrictions.
The Amir of MSSN, Lagos State Area Unit, Mallam Miftaudeen Thanni in a chat with Muslim News, expressed gratitude to Allah for the success of the first phase of the camping programme, hinting that the second phase, featuring the undergraduates and school leavers, has commenced.
He said the camp did not catch them unaware as they had longed for it since COVID-19 necessitated the restrictions of movement, including religious gatherings, and which affected the Muslim students’ body greatly’.
Mallam Thanni said the organisers of the IVC made adequate provisions for the welfare of the delegates, including their safety all through the camping programme as officers from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), a unit of the Lagos State Police Command were on ground to protect lives and property.
“We thank Allah SWT for making the 113th edition of the Islamic Vacation Course (IVC) of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State Area Unit held in Noforija for the first phase successful.
“For the first phase which is for secondary school students, delegates came en masse. They learnt new things. Most of them are first timers. At the end of the day, we were able to serve them with spiritual diet from the Qur’an and Hadith. It was a groundbreaking event in the sense that it is the first one we are having in the last three years,” he said.
“For the adults, it is going to be more of brainstorming, seminars, symposia. Here, we are going to have higher institution students that will come together to bring about practical solutions to Nigeria’s problems and the problems of humanity. Then, we try to pinpoint those areas Islam has added value to humanity in all ramifications. This phase will be encompassing.”
Muslim News gathered that the formal closing ceremony of the camp has been slated for Saturday, December 31st, which will be attended by the number one citizen of the Society, the National Amir of the MSSN and dozens of other top dignitaries.
‘Islam, solution to world’s problem’
The Amir of the Society in Lagos State noted that Islam remains the solution to the world’s problems, saying the religion is all-encompassing.
He made this statement while explaining the choice of their theme for the camp, Islam and Humanity.
According to Thanni, Islam is emerging every now and then. Islam is all-encompassing. It talks about humanity, brotherhood, science, health and a host of other things. This time around, we deemed it fit to look at the impacts of Islam on humanity.
“Islam in itself is humanistic in nature. Allah is Ar-Rahman, the Benevolent Lord, beneficent to the whole mankind. The Prophet (SAW) was also sent as a blessing to mankind. Humanistically speaking, Islam has come to shower its benevolent beauty on every mankind, be it Muslims or non-Muslims, to relate well with people, to have peaceful coexistence, to be good to others, to be kind, tolerant, to endure, and to do well to others. These are the teachings of Islam. We are only trying to project the heritage of Islam.”
The Amir said it is a misunderstanding and misrepresentation of Islam to say that the religion is violent, noting that everything about Islam is peace.
“People misconstrue Islam to be about violence, whereas Islam shuns violence. The Prophet (SAW) was not violent. He was caring and magnanimous. He was kind and tolerant. He extended his hands of forgiveness, forbearance and endurance to all people within his environment. He lived with the Jews and Christians. The Prophet was a peace-loving person. Islam itself is from the word – salaam which means peace. Allah is the source of peace. The religion of Islam is peace. The adherents too are people of peace,” he said.
As at the time of filing this report on Wednesday, the number of delegates on camp had reached 3000 as more people will join before the closure of the camp on Sunday, January 1, 2023.
Other camping programmes
For The Muslim Congress, otherwise known as TMC, one of Nigeria’s leading Muslim men-only organisations, the COVID-19 pandemic also affected their annual National Islamic Training Program, NITP, which couldn’t be held physically for two years.
The total lifting of the restriction by the federal government also gave them the opportunity to converge at four locations in the southwest, northcentral and south-south respectively. The camp, with the theme, ‘Good Leadership: Imperative for a Virile Nation’ was held simultaneously between Friday, 22nd to Monday 26th December 2022 at the various locations.
A visit by our correspondent to Vanguards Academy at Odosengulu, Ijẹbu Ode, Ogun State, one of the venues of the NITP, showed that the delegates – mostly male adults, have long been yearning for a physical camp after COVID-19 made it impossible for two years.
The Amir of TMC, Ustaz Abdulwasii Bangbala, while speaking with Muslim News, noted that though the organisation made up for the void through virtual platforms, the Amir said it was not as interesting as the physical camp where Muslim brothers are able to meet.
“If you see the kind of feelings that people are putting into place, you will see that they have been on the lookout for the physical camping after we have been off for a while. Even though we had virtual camping throughout the COVID-19 period, it was not as interesting as the physical camping.”
‘Benefits of physical camp’
“Some of the activities that usually come up during the physical camping, we couldn’t have such in the virtual. The brotherhood bond that people have missed for years is radiating in everyone. It makes the camping so interesting that people coming for the first time are giving testimonies,” Amir Bangbala noted while speaking on the benefits of physical camp.
He narrated a scenario of a delegate who said he never observed five daily prayers in his lifetime before. But coming to the camp through someone makes him to at least get acquainted with prayers.
“People are so much happy that they are meeting their brothers; they are having a feel of what practical Islam is all about,” the Amir explained in a chat with Muslim News.
Bangbala also highlighted the activities that make physical camp unique and interesting than the virtual camp, emphasising that the bond and love people feel when they come together is symbolic.
“The Qur’anic competition could not be organised during the virtual camping. Also is the football competition (Amir’s Cup). Online, you can’t have football played. People have missed these activities. Aside that, we also have people having access to medical facilities. It is something that people really enjoy because for online, these things were not in place. Another thing is the brotherhood bond. When we come together physically, it brings about bond and love. There is also more concentration at the physical camp than virtual. At virtual, people can actually be online and get busy with something else.”
In search of good leadership
Explaining what informed the choice of their theme, Good Leadership: imperative for a virile nation, the TMC Amir said there is a need for the organisation to imbibe quality leadership into their members, adding also that as the 2023 elections draw nearer, people must be enlightened on what makes a good leader.
“What really informed the theme is that for every nation to thrive, we need quality leaders. How to bring about it is to imbibe that quality leadership in our members. If we don’t have leaders that we can showcase on what you are holding onto, it is difficult to tell the world about quality leadership.
“Moreover, the country is moving towards having elections next year. It is a kind of agenda setting, not for TMC alone. As Nigerians, who should be our leader? What are the qualities we must find in a leader? All these are what we want to teach our members. Aside from that, as an organisation, anybody attending our programme is a potential leader. In our field of endeavours, we must have that leadership spirit in us.
So, when we have the opportunity of occupying leadership positions, all the knowledge we have gathered here will be the driving force in discharging our duties and responsibilities. These are what informed the theme of this year’s National Islamic Training Programme (ITP),” he said.
The Amir also lamented the insecurity and economic hardship in the country, noting they constitute a major challenge for attendance of members to the camp.
He said despite subsidising the fee charged for the camping programme, people still found it difficult to raise due to the biting economy. He urged the federal government to immediately intervene to alleviate people’s suffering.
“People want to come from far and wide, but insecurity is a challenge. Also, the economy is biting. People are finding it difficult. Despite the fact that we declared some subsidy to our members, some could not even afford the money. The reason they advanced is that times are hard. If the government can try as much as possible to alleviate the suffering by making the economy much more friendly, that will be better. Government should intervene in all these areas.
“The challenges we have bother on the issue of funding. If we had enough fund, there is nothing stopping us from declaring this programme free to everyone to enjoy. So, the absence of fund is a big challenge. In this area, if we have philanthropists, government organisations that want to partner with us, they are always welcomed. This will go a long way to take the programme to the nooks and crannies of the country.”
Al-Mu’minaat holds NTF, recognises Muslim media practitioners, Hijab advocates – before tragic accident
As delegates of The Muslim Congress completed their four-day camp at Vanguards Academy, the venue became open for Al-Mu’minaat, their female counterparts, to take the Muslim women on another interesting journey, that will further remind them of their essence as Muslimah in the formation of a virile nation.
The 2022 NTF which started with the Electoral Convention on Wednesday, December 28 also featured awards presentation to some Muslim media practitioners and hijab advocates for their impactful contribution to the growth of Al-Muminaat, the (Believing Women) organisation.
(National Amirah) Hajia Labeebah Dhikrullah (Muslim News Head, Marketing); Hajia Fausiyyah Abdul-Gaffar, (Communication Officer) during presentation of award to Muslim News by Al-Mu’minaat
Some of the nominees include Alhaji Tajudeen Adebanjo, The Nation Newspaper; Abdul Waheed AbdulYakeen, CEO, Aya Waheed; Hajia Sakinah Lawal of Smart View, Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, Founder Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative, HRAI, and Rasheed Abubakar, Publisher, Muslim News Nigeria, among others.
The Amirah of Al-Muminaat, Hajia Ni’matullah AbdulQadir explained that this year’s camp is unique for them because a lot of people are eager to come since the COVID-19 virus is no longer raging.
She said though this edition will be the second physical camp after COVID-19, most of their members did not attend the last edition for the fear of omicron, a variant of COVID-19 that was ravaging the society then.
The Amirah added that this edition also marks the handover of the present administration, saying they, therefore, anticipate massive attendance because members want to know the new executives.
The anticipation of the exciting moment was cut short later on Wednesday, when a bus conveying some delegates coming from Kosofe Local Government area of Lagos to the camp went up in flames, burning seven Muslimahs to death, while others with burns are receiving treatment in orthopedic hospitals, Lagos.
Hundreds attend mass burial for Muslim ladies burnt to death on Lagos-Benin expressway
• Al-Mu'minaat mourns passing of members, scales down camp activities
• Holds Solatul al-Gha'ib (absentee funeral prayers) for victims
Read more > https://t.co/cz3S3dnXkP #NewYear2022
— Muslim News Nigeria (@muslimnews_NG) December 29, 2022
Hundreds of Muslim faithful on Thursday, December 29, thronged the popular Da’wah Centre of The Muslim Congress (TMC) in Ijẹbu, Ogun State, for the janazah (funeral prayers) of seven Muslim sisters who lost their lives.
Although there were reports suggesting that the organisation had cancelled the four-day programme but Muslim News findings, however, revealed that the leadership of the AlMu’minaat is yet to make an official statement on the way forward.
However, camp activities are at the low ebb in deference to the martyrs who breathed their last in the cause of Allah as at the time of filing the report on Friday morning.
Oh Allah, forgive our sisters and elevate their stations among those who are guided, send them along the path of those who came before and forgive us and them, O Lord of the worlds. Enlarge for them their grave and shed light upon them in it. – Muslim News Management
