By Bashir Adefaka

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, recently led other prominent Muslims in the South West, including the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, retired Judge of the World Court, Prince Bola Ajibola (SAN), former Inspector-General of Police Alhaji Musliu Smith, Paramount ruler of Ayede Kingdom, Ekiti State, Oba Alhaji Abdul-Mumini Orisagbemi and others to pray for peace in Nigeria as well as for the good health of President Muhammadu Buhari to successfully steer the ship of the country to a glorious height.

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, discussing with Attah of Ayede Kingdom, Ekiti State, Oba Alhaji Abdul-Mumini Adebayo Orisagbemi, while the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari looks on after the prayer for the nation and the President, in Osogbo

The occasion themed “A National Prayer for Our Nation for Peace, Security, Stability and Development,”was also used to honour the Deputy President-General (South) of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Sakariyau Olayiwola Babalola.

Spiritual solutions

The NSCIA Secretary-General Is’haq Oloyede who led the prayer session for the nation and the President, enjoined various religious groups across the country to make prayers a daily routine, adding that the country needed spiritual solutions to its peculiar challenges.

He also urged Muslims and non-Muslims alike to surrender to God in prayer. “May Almighty Allah grant him the happiness of this world including good health; may Almighty Allah Who knows very well that all right thinking people are anxious for his safe return to Nigeria grant him a safe return. Of course anybody who is corrupt would not want him to come back. Shaytan is already talking to some people and they mistake Shaytan for God telling them that God has told them that he would not return but we know definitely that Shaytan, at times, talk to people and disguise as being God,” he said.

The governor of State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in his own remark lamented the level of poverty among Muslims, charging wealthy Muslims to eradicate poverty. The governor said: “It is indeed a shame that in Nigeria where clearly half of the population are Muslims, where you have the elites of Islam seated here, where in fact we can see the wealthiest Nigerian today as a Muslim; how can we have Muslims asking to kill other Muslims for N200. Yes, if you disbelieve me that is what I read on the front page of the Telegraph last week that Muslims were offered N200 to kill themselves.

“So, we Muslims truly must ask ourselves, ‘What is the problem with us that poverty can be that extreme to the point of some of us not minding to lose our lives for N200? Let there be a resolution that the next jihad is to eliminate poverty. There is extreme poverty in our land. It should be a challenge to Muslims, we must speak to ourselves, the poorest Nigerian must not be a Muslim.

“If the poorest among us is a Muslim, as Muslims we must develop capacity and strategy to end extreme poverty unless we are not concerned about the reputation issue that the miscreants, misguided deviants bring to our religion. I am serious about this.

Let there be organisations, the Muslim Community and individuals in Nigeria to focus on simply eliminating poverty and the consequences of it. There is no basis for the absolute bestiality Boko Haram represents. It is economic. There is no religion in it. But, rather than belabouring ourselves denouncing its religiosity, let us all work hard at eliminating extreme poverty and its consequences. It is a pledge,” Aregbesola said.

However, the National Missioner of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Ahmad who was the guest speaker also enjoined Alhaji Babalola to continue the good work towards lifting Islam in the South West.
He stated that Allah has charged the MUSWEN Leader with the responsibility of the leadership in the Sout West and now with the additional responsibility of becoming the Deputy President-General (South) of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs; adding that Allah will crown it with Al-Jannah.

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) Alh. (Dr.) Muhammad Saad Abubakar commended the Muslim Community of Osun State on their efforts towards propagation of Islam.
He praised the Osun Muslims for setting-up the Sharia Council to adjudicate Muslim Civil matters in the State, just as he congratulated the Deputy President-General, NSCIA, Alhaji (Chief) S.O. Babalola on his 85th Birthday for which the special prayer was also organized to mark the event.