• As future of Muslim community dominates talks at 10th GMP convention
+ Ends two-day gathering with picnic at Oniru Beach
Muslim professionals in different fields of endeavours have been charged to take strategic and bold steps towards concretising their plans for the Ummah.
This was the focal point of various presentations at the 2023 edition of the Guild of Muslim Professionals (GMP) convention that began on Saturday, December 23, at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos.
The two-day convention with the theme; ‘Building Bridges of Progress’ marked the Guild’s 10th anniversary and represented a significant milestone in the organisation’s mission to unite Muslim professionals for political, economic, and thought leadership.
Southwest Muslims retrogressing in national reckoning: ex-NAHCON boss
Speaking at the event, the immediate past Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, enjoined Muslim professionals to show more interest in politics.
As professionals, he said, they have just as much to contribute to the nation in politics as in their various professional fields.
Alhaji Hassan said the situation in the southwest shows Muslims are retrogressing in the political landscape.
While noting that he doesn’t buy the notion of playing religious politics over competence, the former NAHCON boss emphasised that there are competent Muslims who need the support of the Ummah and are capable of occupying and running many offices successfully.
“The kind of engagements that bring people to power or prominence is done behind the scenes. Once your strategy is before the public, you may likely not succeed. I hope that people of ideas will raise the point of how they can be our think-tank,” Alhaji Hassan said.
Muslims should join politics to make positive impact: Engr. Muktaar
Also speaking, the Managing Director of Lagos State Water Corporation (LSWC), Engr. Mukhtaar Tijani described the GMP Convention as a great platform for Muslim professionals to meet, discuss and create some thoughts around varying issues of interest with a firm action plan.
Tijani who expressed appreciation to the organisers for giving him the opportunity to speak at the convention, called on Muslim professionals to be active participants in the political process, saying that they will do better for the people.
The Lagos Water Corporation boss encouraged Muslims to be righteous wherever they find themselves, noting it’ll be part of them before getting leadership positions.
“Encourage people to do what is right. What religion preaches is righteousness. Do the right thing for the community and not just yourself,” he added.
Focus on solutions, not challenges, MTN top gun tells Muslims
The Chief Financial Officer, CFO of telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Modupe AbdulKareem Kadri, famously known as MAK, charged Muslim professionals to always think differently by finding lasting solutions instead of focusing more on the mirage of problems bedeviling the country.
He said, “Opportunity happens when people take advantage of those things that we see are not working. You are not going to have a situation where everything is going to be perfect. In this uncertainty or hard times, some people are making it. Why are they making it? They think differently.
“Rather than focus on the problem, focus on how to create solutions to the problems. The economic circumstances that we face today, every other person faces it anyway. But how come some thrive? My encouragement is for people to use the situation to think differently.”
MAK said the GMP convention has been an interesting journey from the humble beginning when it started back in time in the Badagry area of Lagos in 2013, adding that, “In the last 10 years, GMP has notable achievements to their name over these years. It’s good as long as we are making progress.”
The CFO of MTN Nigeria, described the theme as a call to action and the need for Muslim professionals to build on the previous themes and decide to take front seats in decision making.
“It’s about time we set things in motion. Now, this is not going to be a journey of a short number of years. It might be a medium to long term plan. But definitely, we need a strategic blueprint on how we are going to actualise and concretise the discussions we have been having over the past years,” he noted.
Lotus Chief seeks better financial literacy among Muslims
For her part, Hajia Kareemat Oluwatoyin Kekere-ekun, Chief Executive Officer of Lotus Financial Services Limited, stressed the need for Muslims to embrace financial literacy, noting the rainy days is not a myth.
Hajia Kekere-ekun in her lecture, titled; ‘Financial Literacy: Halal growth strategies for individuals and business owners’, said financial literacy is about learning new skills, noting “it’s also about being intentional about building wealth for yourself, making your money work for you and setting your financial security.”
According to her, “We have to understand the difference between saving and investment. Investing is actually making your savings work for you. You have to understand financial discipline and change of mindset. Saving is the most important thing you can do because you are saving for your future. Once you can get that, no matter how much you earn, you should have a discipline of saving. People think they earn too little to save, but the truth is that if you cannot save when you are earning small when you earn big, you won’t save because the more you earn, the more you can afford; therefore, the more you spend,” she said.
Speaking further, Hajia Kekere-ekun said there are important questions that should be considered in creating wealth.
According to her, “The first one is how long can you survive if you do not earn anything. If you cannot survive for 6 months when you stop earning anything without changing your lifestyle, then you need to reassess your wealth creation mindset. Have you ever sought financial help from professionals? It is important so you don’t fall into bad investment choices. Your financial adviser will help you determine your financial goals.
“Are you saving for education? To buy a house or car? To travel? Whatever it is, long, medium or short-term goal. You also need to define your risk appetite. Medium, low or high risk. You should also have an investment manager managing your investment portfolios. Another question is, is your income halal? You cannot pay zakat on an income that is not halal. We should ensure that the way we earn our income is halal.”
The Lotus chief said Muslims’ commitment to this financial lifestyle is still growing and advocated increased awareness.
“More people are becoming curious. Some are not, and that has to change. 10 years ago, there was no Islamic bond. The market is growing. We in the industry will also continue to promote awareness and knowledge. The more people are aware, the more they embrace halal investment and finance and ensure that their 360 life is halal.”
Hajia Kekere-ekun commended the vision behind the GMP convention, noting that it will strengthen the bond of Muslim professionals.
“This is my first time attending. And it’s been a nice one. I wish them many years ahead,” she said.
Other distinguished personalities who spoke at the two-day convention include Dr. Jubril Salahudeen, Executive Director of Marketing and Sales, Citiserve Ltd; Hajia Saidat Otiti, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Baytuzeenah, among others (their presentations will be published in the part 2 of GMP Convention report).
Ends two-day gathering with picnic at Oniru Beach
Muslim News gathered that the second day of the convention continued on Sunday, December 24, at ‘Checkmate’, a Lagos Private Beach in Oniru.
It was fun-filled as it featured lots of interesting and entertaining activities such as boat riding, horse riding, and couple game, among others.
The MD of Hajj Mabrur Ventures Ltd, Alhaji Abdul Hameed Solate, in a lecture, emphasised that it is important to keep family ties, adding that it represents a secret of Allah’s rahmah (blessing) enjoyed by every family who keeps family bond.
In the same vein, he also urged parents to pray for their children rather than rain curses on them whenever they misbehave, noting that Allah’s angels always say “ameen” to either prayers or curses placed on such children.
One of the highlights of the day 2 of the convention was the family game where different couples were asked questions on general Islamic knowledge.
The participating couples and the remaining delegates couldn’t hide their excitement during the games for the couples that was later won by the Oreagbas (Prof Ibrahim and Alhaja Basirah Oreagba) after a brainstorming session.
“Apart from the game, we also went boat riding and horse riding, and played lots of beach games. After that, we were served with delicious meals and everyone was able to connect. It was such a fantastic experience!”, Habeebah Oreagba told Muslim News while narrating her experience.
Dr. Aminat Ige-Ariyibi, a Mathematics lecturer at Lagos State University, LASU, who attended the convention for the first time, also expressed her satisfaction.
According to her, I enjoy being in the midst of like-minds. I am in a male dominated profession (Mathematics), that’s why I don’t really have so many females around me. So, meeting them here is fantastic. I also love seeing kids running around, playing. We had more than a enough to eat and drink today and that’s part of the fun.
The session also featured a presentation on the happenings in Palestine, which was led by Mr. Abdul Azeez Adenle of Muslim Awareness International, MAI, who called on Muslims in Nigeria to continue praying for their brethren in Palestine, boycott pro-Israeli companies’ products and creating more awareness about the plight of Palestinians.
Founded in 2013, the Guild of Muslim Professionals is dedicated to building professional leaders, creating opportunities for growth and enhancing peaceful coexistence in the workforce and in everyday life.
