The Amir, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Alatoye, in this interview by SAHEED SALAWU, speaks on the activities of the jama’at and some national issues.
THE women wing of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Lajna Imaillah, just celebrated 100 years of its existence. This came six years after the jama’at itself celebrated its centenary. What do you make of the celebrations?
Lajna Imailla are the women servants of Allah within the jama’at. They are the womenfolk of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria and worldwide. The women, their role and their rights are taken very seriously in the jama’at. All these things are spelt out by Holy Prophet Muhammad. It is in recognition of this that the jama’at, through our second caliph, instituted the Lajna. And it is an institution that is well respected. They have functions just as men do. Their primary role is to invite women into the jama’at and encourage those already in the jama’at to stay within the fold. They are also very instrumental in our moral life. They are a strong force when it comes to the moral stability of the jama’at. Some of them are scholars, even up to the doctorate degree level. You find the Lajna at the forefront of upholding the accepted moral standard in the household and in the community. Their role is very fundamental within the jama’at. So, we value their role very well because they stabilise the house and take care of the educational (Islamic and otherwise) development of the children.
I am very happy to witness the centenary of the jama’at and of Lajna. I will say, so far so good as regards where we are – both the jama’at and Lajna – but I believe that we can still do more, especially if we look at it within the context of the Nigerian environment. We believe we still have a long way to go.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at is renowned for humanitarian and charitable activities. What informs your decision regarding where to do what at a given time?
There are two issues there. The first one is that Ahmadiyya believes that religion is about humanity, about meaningful living for all, Muslims and non-Muslims because we were all created by one God. So, everybody’s peace is our job. That is the job of religion. Prophet Muhammad preached taqwa (piety, fear of God). He said whatever you do, know that God is aware. So, all the things we are doing is basically to make sure that the creations of Allah live in peace; to make sure that they are okay. As to the criteria for the selection of the areas where we sink boreholes, build schools, organise medical outreach and all the rest, we look at what the would-be beneficiaries are lacking and in dire need of.
Our belief is that everybody should be okay in this country, just like in advanced environments. This is supposed to be the job of everybody. This is the basic duty of the Senate and the House of Representatives and they need not be praised because that is the normal thing they are supposed to do. I am even tired of unnecessary praises for elected representatives of the people for doing their statutory work. The only praise is one that comes from God. It has even got to a point where I wonder what we are praising ourselves for. I wonder if when we are no longer here, we would be happy about what we have done. It is my thinking that no Nigerian, dead or alive, is happy with the situation of Nigeria. People should be lifted from this pervasive abject poverty, which is doable with the resources that are available in this country. It is just for us to get our acts right. I don’t think any government or politician needs an award for doing what is necessary in the society because that is their work.
How has the jama’at been ensuring the unity of Ahmadi Muslims over the years?
I think I need to explain the way the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at runs and I start with the post of the Amir. The first thing is that it is not a paid job. The only thing everybody in the jama’at is looking for is the pleasure of Allah but not to be paid any money. If I travel anywhere, I don’t make any claim any allowance or refund. What for? I have my second office and we have a whole lot of people to take care of – welfare, scholarship, a whole lot. And this is not limited to the Amir, no officers at any level earns a dime. What we are looking for and earning is the pleasure of Allah. That goes a very long way to eliminate the issue of competition. When we get to our elections, you don’t campaign for a post, according to Islamic rules. You don’t say ‘give me this post’ unless it is a specialised job like accounting, and that is going to be on employment. But in terms of administrative leadership post, we don’t campaign. How do we then carry out our elections? It is still the same election procedure, but through the system of nomination on the principle of Islam. You look at people who are qualified for a position and then you nominate them. And our humanity projects are a continuum, which are taken care of by successive administrators. You don’t fight another person to get the pleasure of Allah. You have to think positively, act positively, do your work and earn the pleasure of Allah. So, the position, for me, is to win the pleasure of Allah. It is not financially rewarding and one should not deceive oneself about that. So, I think that is what sustains our structures at all levels. In Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, nobody is working for money but for the betterment of the society. If all other organisations can take a leaf from this, I think Nigeria would be a good place to live.
There is no point paying anybody for any executive post in Nigeria. This is my very strong belief. If you appoint me governor in my state, Osun, for example, why should I be collecting salary when I already have an office where I am earning salary and allowances and the resources in that state are not sufficient to run the state? Until we get to that point, we will not eliminate the issue of people attacking one another for government posts. If it is truly about service to humanity, for which the reward is with God, then we should leave this issue of reward until Nigeria is okay. When Nigeria is good, we can look at it, you know, set up a committee to look into this reward system. There are lots of people who have already made it who are in government. If we eliminate that, I think the spirit of service is going to come.
One of things that brings Ahmadi Muslims together is having the Amir speak to them at Jalsa (formal annual gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community). But they have not been able to have that for a couple of years now because of covid-19. But for the pandemic, about 40,000 people would have also gathered in December 2021 for the event. What would have been your message to them? What would you have told the generality of Muslims? What would you have told Nigerians?
By the grace of God, this year, in December, we will have the Jalsa. We will take all necessary steps to make sure it happens. Well, my message would probably have been that everybody should be praying for Nigeria. People should also take reasonable steps to make sure that the country comes out of the woods. We need change agents at this time. I would have asked members of the Muslim Ummah, especially Ahmadi Muslims, who are interested in any positions not to hesitate to go for those positions. I would have advised the Muslim Ummah to let us follow in the footsteps of Holy Prophet Muhammad in ensuring a decent environment for the generality of the people. The Holy Prophet liberated the people. He liberated women from maltreatment. He liberated the oppressed, the weak. He saw to it that their rights were given to them.
I would tell the youth to step up and take up the leadership of this country. The youth are supposed to be president and governors of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. They can do it because they have been the ones winning elections for people that have been winning elections in this country. They should come together, shun moneybag-politicians, support their own candidates and take Nigeria out of the woods. The youth should stop being reactive and start being proactive about the affairs of this country.
I would also advise the Federal Government to avoid taking excessive loans. Taking these loans is tantamount to killing the future of the country. The cost of servicing these loans is humongous. It is crazy to be using about 98 per cent of the country’s oil and non-oil revenue to service debt.
What is the latest on Minaret International University project of the jama’at?
Alhamdulillah, we are working with the NUC (National Universities Commission) to get the approval. We are putting a lot of things in place: the master plan, the academic brief, among others. We want to take off not later than 2023, by the special grace of Allah. You might be wondering why we are embarking on a university project when we have a whole lot of universities in the country. Our idea is to build a university with a difference. We want to align the gown with the town. We want to show the rest what the university system should be like.
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