Muslims

Abuja, Feb. 25, 2013 Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III has tasked the Muslim community in Nigeria to be united and tackle the numerous challenges facing the community.

Sultan gave the advice in Abuja on Sunday during the reception held in honour of immediate former Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede by the Muslim Consultaive Forum, (MCF).

The Muslim leader, who was represented as the chairman of the event by Prof. Sheik Abdullah, said there are many challenges facing the Muslim community in Nigeria which coming together as one would solve.

He criticised the violent nature in which some unidentified Muslims went about agitating, saying such attitude was not in line with the teachings of Islam.

The Eminence urged Muslims to emulate the virtues of Prof Is-haq Oloyede, who as the Vice Chancellor of UNILORIN ensured there was peace on the campus using dialogue and wisdom, thus the landmark achievements during his tenure.

Speaking in the same vein, Gov. Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, represented by his commissioner for Health, Dr Ibrahim Sule said there can’t be any development in any country where there was no peace.

Aliyu, who doubles as the chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum, said in his key note speech that “Nigerians must live within the boundaries of the lawfully created universe and learn to live together and prevent conflicts between groups based on differences in culture and belief.”

He also urged the leaders and the led in Nigeria to borrow a leaf from the Madina Model, where Prophet Muhammad presided equitably and justly over the affairs of a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.

Speaking on the lecture entitled: ``Peace as a springboard for national development: The Media Model, the former governor of Kano State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau, canvassed mutual respect and consensus building as a way out of the current spates of violence and other associated crimes in Nigeria.

Shekarau represented by Professor Bashir Galadanchi, said restoring the good old days require individual resolve as “Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in them.”

The Madina model has demonstrated that solving the problems of the modern pluralistic and globalised society depends on deliberate efforts to entrench equity, fairness and justice.”

“Peace should therefore not be taken for granted in any way, because it is the foundation of sustainable development of any nation’’, Shekarau said.

Presenting the Hijrah 1434 A.H Calendar to the public, the Osun state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola represented by the Permanent Amirul-Hajj in the state, Alhaji Zhikkrulah Hassan, reiterated his call for holiday for Muslims to mark the beginning of their Islamic year.

Earlier, the MCF Chairman of Board of Trustees, Gen. Bagudu Mamman said the reception by the Forum was to show appreciation to Oloyede for being good ambassador of Islam while in office as the Vice Chancellor.

Responding to all the encomiums showered on him as an eminent scholar and ambassador of peace, the elated Oloyede said he was humbled by the uniqueness of the reception as it was uncommon in Nigeria to honour people after service.

Oloyede, who is the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Inter Religious Council (NIREC), urged Nigerians to live in peace in order for the country to realise its developmental goals.

The event also witnessed the launching of Hijrah Calendar 1434 A.H and the introduction of a new Islamic Newspaper, ’’The Muslim Voice’’.

The reception was attended by many Muslim dignitaries from across the country including vice chancellors, members of the academic community, diplomats, legal luminaries, ambassadors of Germany, Iraq, Iran and Sudan and head of some federal government agencies.