As a Muslim, Tinubu is duty-bound to treat all Nigerians equitably —Islamic scholar, Abubakr Siddeeq Muhammad

Malam Abubakr Siddeeq Muhammad is a public affairs analyst and an international commentator. In this interview by TAOFEEK LAWAL, the Islamic scholar and Chief Executive Officer of Comerel Travels, speaks on various issues, including expectations from President Bola Tinubu’s government, the war in Sudan and this year’s pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

What do you make of the raging war in Sudan? What does this portend for the African continent?

The fight in Sudan is an unfortunate one. The battle between the two generals is causing the death and displacement of millions of people. They are destroying the infrastructure despite the prevalent poverty in the country.

When we look at Ukraine, we are pained. As advanced as that country is, look at what Russia is doing to that country. Now as people of the same country, Sudanese should be concerned that their country should not be like Ukraine. A foreign power is attacking Ukraine but Sudanese people are destroying Sudan. The Sudan war affects Nigeria a lot. Nigerian students in that country are back, having had their education disrupted.

Now it is the Hajj period. When the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) called for the signing of contracts by carriers engaged to transport pilgrims to the holy land for this year’s Hajj, they refused to sign at first. This was because every plane from Nigeria passes through Sudan to shorten the trip to Saudi Arabia, and with the Sudan crisis, they were being made to travel for additional hours. When you take Qatar Airways, for example, to Jeddah or Madinah, you spend about six hours. Now it is about nine hours. The pilgrims’ flight is more direct because there is no transit to another country. After all, it leaves the Nigerian airspace and goes through Sudan to Saudi, which is why NAHCON said every pilgrim should pay an additional $100.

You can see that the war in Sudan has affected many things about Nigeria and Nigerians. We pray and hope that they will be able to resolve the crisis. I think these warring generals have taken the country 50 or 100 years back with the level of destruction that has been seen in this. We hope there will be a cessation of hostilities between the two generals.

How would you assess the growth of Islam in Nigeria?

Islam in Nigeria is strong. With the 2023 elections, we have seen the reach of Islam. People had different opinions about the ruling party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket. They wondered why such an idea should be entertained now in the country’s history. Whoever doubts the strength of Muslims in their numbers in Nigeria should wake up from slumber.

The enmity that greeted the Muslim-Muslim ticket was unfortunate. We saw from the Christians’ side, the level of dislike for the ticket. Churches and the pulpits were turned to political stages where people were saying emphatically how the Christians’ votes were going to go. It was like a plan to vote in bulk for one candidate. Every church did its part to campaign for one person. The Muslims could not do so because the votes of the Muslims were divided, and the Imams were wary of alienating worshippers because of their political affiliations. The mosques could not say we prefer this candidate. Of course, some scholars did that in their regular lessons but not on the pulpits. They could not do that because there would be crisis.

You had three Muslims. Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso was there, Atiku Abubakar was there and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu also was there. The Muslims’ votes were divided in three places, whereas the Christians’ votes were concentrated in one place. Whether anybody liked it or not, Tinubu is now our President. This has shown us a lot. Before the election, we were made to understand through propaganda that the population of Muslims and Christians in Nigeria was 50-50. Now we know that 70-30 is a generous offer from Muslims.

What are your expectations from the new administration of President Tinubu?

Now that campaigns and politicking are over, President Tinubu should be president for all. He is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Whether anyone voted for him or not, whether anyone did anything against him or not, what he should now see in every Nigerian is a citizen of the Federal Republic. He is duty-bound as a Muslim to treat everybody equally, with justice. He should make sure that Nigerians are really united. He should ensure that all parts of the country are developed equally and opportunities are given to qualified people to serve in government. He should also not take Muslims for granted, especially Muslims in the northern part of the country.

We need to see immediate results from Mr President. We don’t want to wait six months before we see the cabinet and we hope they will hit the ground running. The success the last administration garnered should be consolidated, especially in terms of security. The ‘technically defeated Boko Haram’ is still creating problems here and there. The gangsters who call themselves bandits are also there. The administration should take action and send a message that it will not be business as usual; that a new sheriff is in town and Nigerians should be able to see the difference.

People are suffering. Most of the poverty is in the North where most Muslims are. Nigerians are in it together. The people’s purchasing power needs to be looked at so that we can feel some relief.

Agriculture is another area and a lot has happened in that direction. Whoever wants to work to increase the people’s purchasing power will ensure that they are free to go to their farms because many farmers cannot till the ground because of the prevailing security challenges. We have seen bandits collecting money from farmers before they are allowed to access their farms and we saw how they slaughtered those who refused to pay. We have to give the past administration kudos for their job at the Kaduna-Kano end of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, and we believe the Abuja-Kaduna end, too, will be completed soon. President Tinubu must also work on the unity of the country. He should quench the distrust among the citizens – and he is already doing that.

There has been wide acceptance of Islam in Europe, especially in the United Kingdom. What really is responsible for this?

There is a verse in the Qur’an that says, ‘We shall make the signs clear for them, in the heavens, in the horizon and their selves until they recognise that this is the very truth’. So, wherever Muslims are or where Islam is, and they read about Islam, they will know that it is the truth. No religion can survive what Islam is going through and still be gaining more adherents. Many people are embracing Islam becuase the Western mind is different from how other minds work. Here, every criminal is looked at through his faith, especially if the criminal is a Muslim. But they see crime there as crime regardless of who perpetrates the crime. They are able to embrace Islam because they search deeply into the religion. There are prophesies that people will eventually recognise the faith and accept it in large numbers.

What do you do at Comerel?

Ours is a top-notch service for people of means to make their pilgrimages, whether Umrah or Hajj, a memorable experience. We provide standard service that aligns with what they can pay. It is, however, a costly service. It is expensive. It is needed in the industry because not all companies can provide such service. There are many who claim to provide VIP-level Hajj and Umrah services but only the pilgrims can tell you who the genuine providers of the VIP services in Nigeria are. We have been doing this in style for more than 20 years. That is the meaning of COMEREL – Comfort, Efficiency and Reliability.

What is your advice for the pilgrims?

They should live within their means because Hajj is compulsory for only those who can undertake the journey. Every pillar of the religion is mandatory but two: Zakah is for those who are ‘zakatable’, where you extract a certain percentage of wealth and give it to people experiencing poverty. However, Zakah, like Hajj, is not mandatory for those who do not have the wealth. You only perform it if you are financially capable. Going to Hajj, you must think of what to provide for your family, you must clear your debts, you must be healthy and you must know what you want to do – not just spend money or go on tourism. You are going on a religious ritual. You must be sound and healthy to be able to face the rigour of performing the pilgrimage.