Dazzles Muslims, non-Muslims

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

The Eid-il-Kabir celebration must have come and gone, the reminiscence of the splendor that came with the festivity has continued to drag as the NTIC Foundation’s annual cow slaughtering programme came as a relief to many Muslims who could not afford to buy a ram for the the celebration as many of them went home with loads of meat for Sallah celebration.

NTIC Foundation is an establishment of the executive committee of the Nigerian-Turkish International Colleges, NTIC, meant to carryout some social responsibilities in its immediate environment. With the motto, “Be so tolerant that your bosom becomes wide like the ocean…become inspired with faith and love of human beings…let there be no troubled souls to whom you do not offer a helping hand and about whom you remain unconcerned.”

Apart from being Muslim festival, the NTIC community seized the festive period to foster cordial relationship between Muslims and Christians all over Nigeria, the school and its host communities and as well as governments of Nigeria.

In a statement signed by Vice Principal of the school, Mr. Olayinka Aderoju and Exam & Records Officer, Daulyetkhan Bakhytbet, respectively, the Nigerian-Turkish International Colleges said it hadbeen slaughtering and distributing cattle on behalf of thousands of local and international philanthropists since 2006 for the indegent Muslisms.

“Year after, the programme grows from strength to strength and it reaches for more places than the previous years. In 2012 on behalf of those who donated, NTIC Foundation sacrificed and distributed 1,100 cows in 47 different points in 22 states, reaching about 25,000 underprivileged and needy families.

“What we are witnessing here is equally being carried out in several other states of the Federation and in the same manner to the other sets of people,” the release stated.

The Lagos/Ogun axis of the ceremony, held at the OGD Layout, Lagos/Ibadan Expressway premises of the NTIC was well attended by Ogun State Commissioner for Education represented by the Director of

Secondary Education in the Education Ministry, Mr. Adekunle Adegbesan; the Onisheri of Isheri Olofin, Oba Nurudeen Adekanbi represented by the Apena of Isheri Olofin, Chief Idowu Arowojobe and several other dignitaries from both Muslim and Christian communities.

The Lagos State Coordinator of National Council of Muslim Youth, NACOMYO, who is also a lecturer at Lagos State University, LASU, Mr. Abdulfatai Raji described the NTIC Foundation’s charity as a kind gesture that was part of the teachings of Islam to enable all classes of people rejoice on Sallah day.

They are trying to reach quite a number of people and organizations at least for those that

cannot afford to slaughter rams, opportunity has been provided for them here to be happy.

“They are not Nigerians, they are from Turkey but they are part of the stakeholders of Nigeria.  As for me representing my organization here,we take the meat, cook rice with it and take it to prison inmates to be happy on this day,” Raji said.