Al Habibiyah charges religious leaders to embrace philanthropy to tackle poverty

THE Executive Director and National Chief Imam of Al Habibiyah Islamic Society (AIS), Fuad Adeyemi, has called on religious leaders to imbibe the culture of philanthropy as part of measures to tackle poverty in society.

Imam Adeyemi gave the charge during a three-day Training of Trainers (ToT) for religious leaders on philanthropy, themed ‘Building Communities through Sustainable Faith-Based Giving: From Faith-Based Charity to Community Impact’.

The training was centred on understanding, propagating and imbibing the culture of philanthropy.

Adeyemi said the programme was not about religion but about bringing people together to identify their needs and proffer solutions, thereby giving the underprivileged a sense of belonging and making society a better place to live.

He described philanthropy as a win-win situation for both the giver and the receiver, noting that both would have a lasting impression of the act of giving.

The cleric said: “We want leaders of both faiths, Islam and Christianity, to understand the concept of giving, and the concept of organising giving in a structured way, and then go back to teach people in their localities. We have to expose ourselves to tools and ways of doing things so that we can have enough resources to do things by ourselves without government.

“We want to train ourselves so that participants will return home, begin to practise it and train others. We believe the training will become widespread and touch everybody.”

“If you want to be rich, if you want to be happy, you have to make the people around you happy. If you want to be comfortable, you have to make the people around you comfortable. If you are thinking of yourself alone, you might be successful, but your mind will not be at rest. When we move together, we will understand ourselves better.”

Also speaking at the event, the Archbishop of Abuja, Northern Province, African Church, Most Reverend Peter Ogunmuyiwa, described the training as eye-opening and impactful.

“This programme speaks volumes, especially to our philanthropists, who we generally call the big men of our time. It is a programme that commits people’s resources to lifting others up. Many people are endowed with wonderful resources, but they do not know how to invest them in ways that truly touch lives,” he said.

Ogunmuyiwa praised Al Habibiyah for working with the Christian community to ensure that poverty and suffering are tackled among Nigerians.

Some religious leaders who attended the event include Reverend John Praise Daniel, Reverend Cosmas Asuquo, Dr Sharafudeen Aliagan and Sheikh Muhammad Nuru Khalid, who lauded Imam Fuad for his efforts to provide solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.

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