Noibi advocates breeding of godly experts by tertiary institutions

THE immediate past Executive Secretary of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), Professor Dawud Noibi, has advocated the incorporation of religious education into the general studies programmes of higher institutions so as to breed students with the fear of God.

He made the call in Ibadan, Oyo State, at the 10th anniversary and awards of an Arabic and Islamic centre, Ar-riddoh International Islamic Institute.

Professor Noibi, who said that any form of knowledge that doesn’t have its root in God would be counterproductive, stressing that religious education in tertiary institutions should be made compulsory from the first year to the final year.

He said despite the fact that Nigeria was blessed with experts in different fields, the godly ones were few, hence the need to groom people that would exhibit the fear of God in their dealings with the belief that they would give account in the hereafter.

“No doubt, there are lots of educated people, specialists in different fields but we are not where we ought to be simply because there is a lot of selfishness, a lot of corruption and a lot of ego worship. Agreed, God encouraged us to look for good things of this life but not at the expense of the hereafter. There must be emphasis on the hereafter so that our lives here will be the best for ourselves and the communities at large,” he said.

Professor Noibi urged parents to invest in the Arabic education of their children as much as they do in their western education as attaining excellence in both forms of education would be a blessing to humanity.

“There is the need for us to bring up young ones who will bear in mind that they are accountable to God at the end of the day and who will, therefore, give service to the communities, their families and the nation.” He added.

The proprietor of the institute, Ustaz Muhammad Jamiu AbdulGafaar, noted that for one to be successful in life, three things were essential, and they were faith, knowledge and good deeds.

According to him, the institute was established in 2009 to fill noticeable gaps in the Arabic and Islamic education.

Awards were presented to distinguished individuals like Professor Dawud Noibi, Sheikh AbdulWahab Ahmad and a retired lecturer at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Alhaji AbdulGaniy Oladimeji.

Organisations that equally received awards include the Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), Oyo State chapter, Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN), Oyo State chapter and FOMWAN Orphanage.