Ahmadiyya elders task governments on transparency, accountability

THE Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria has called on government at all levels in the country to embrace Islam-driven ethical practices that promote transparency and accountability as part of steps towards finding solutions to the nation’s economic and security challenges and making life comfortable for the citizens.

This was contained in a communique after the 48th annual National Ijtema’ah (Islamic conference) of Majlis Ansarullah (the elders group of the Ahmadiyya community) which was held between Friday last week and Sunday at the Mashood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

The conference was graced by dignitaries, including the governor of Nasarawa State, Alhaji Abdullahi Sule, represented by Alhaji Muhammad Bashir, and the Onah of Abaji and chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja Council of Traditional Rulers, Dr Adamu Baba Yunusa, who was also represented by the Galadima of Abaji, FCT, Alhaji Mansur Adamu Shuaibu.

The theme of the conference was ‘Making Living Worthwhile for All: Islamic Solutions to Economic and Security Challenges’.

The conference expressed grief over what it called a severance in intergenerational transfer of cultural heritage, moral values and social standards, saying the country “started to witness a reversal of fortunes as a result of the act of ingratitude to God on the part of most Nigerian citizens through their flagrant disobedience to the directives of their Lord.”

It lamented that: “A land which used to flow with honey and milk now became a land of hunger, fear and abject poverty for the masses.

“Religious leaders who used to be a source of light, hope and guidance have also become so avaricious and rapacious in worldly pursuits that the poor masses are now left with no one empathising with them.

“Wealth distribution in the country is now negatively skewed in favour of the privileged few and to the detriment of the underprivileged many, causing lots of psychosocial imbalance, anxiety and agitations among the poor.”

The conference emphasised the importance of peace and justice for meaningful living and called on Nigerians, leaders and citizens alike, to change their orientation and attitude for the country to get out of its problems and achieve greatness.

It also said the concept of profit/risk sharing, as enstrined in Islamic banking and finance, rather than interest-based transactions, should be embraced in the management of the nation’s economy.

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