MUSLIM scholars, captains of industry, traditional rulers and Muslim professionals in private and public establishments converged on Lagos on Sunday for the launch of the N10 billion endowment fund initiated by the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN).
At the event held in Victoria Island, the umbrella body of all Muslim communities, institutions and associations in the South-West also inaugurated a board of trustees headed by the chairman of FATE Foundation, Alhaji Tajudeen Fola Adeola, to manage the fund independently.
Other members of the board include the founder and Managing Director of FCSL Asset Management, Alhaji Olalekan Belo; MUSWEN Deputy President, Alhaji Rafiu Ebiti and Chairman, Bi-Courtney Group of Companies, Alhaji Abdul Rauf Wale Babalakin, SAN.
At the launch, MUSWEN proposed to build a multimillion naira empowerment centre that will assist members of the Muslim community, especially the youth, to acquire education and skills that would make them fit into the emerging society.
The centre, the organisation said, is also meant to reduce poverty and change the story of Islam and Muslims in the South-West. Besides, the centre will promote national peace and unity.
The Lagos State deputy governor, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat; the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III; the Sarkin Fulani of Lagos, Alhaji Mohammad Bambado and the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, were among the dignitaries that graced the event.
The chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Zikrullah Hassan; the immediate past Executive Secretary of MUSWEN, Professor Dawud Noibi; businessman, lawyer and philanthropist and chairman of Bi-Courtney Group of Companies, Dr Wale Babalakin; and the first female Executive Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, Mrs Mosun Belo-Olusoga, were also present.
Also in attendance were two former deputy governors of Lagos State, Alhaja Lateefah Okunnu and Dr Idiat Adebule; the Awujale of Ijebuland, Ọba Sikiru Kayode Adetọna, represented by Oba AbdulYakeen Fakowajo; the Bashorun of Lagos and vice chairman of the Lagos Central Mosque and Alhaji Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy, who represented Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Others included representatives of Ogun, Oyo, Osun state governments; eminent lawyer, Muiz Adeyemi Banire (SAN); the Chief of Staff to the Ogun State Governor, Alhaji Shuaib Afolabi Salis; the president (ameerah) of The Criterion, Hajiya Fatimah Oyefeso and the chairmen of the Muslim communities in Lagos and Oyo states, Professor Tajudeen Gbadamosi and Alhaji Kunle Sanni, respectively.
MUSWEN president, Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, said the organisation had emerged as a platform for unity and a symbol of hope for Muslims of the South-West.
He noted that the establishment of MUSWEN in 2008 had thrown up challenges, some of which had been addressed by previous leaders of the organisation.
“When I assumed office as President in November 2020, I made a renewed call for financial intervention in the day-to-day administration of MUSWEN and to prepare it for the huge tasks still ahead. A few responses were received in form of regular subscriptions that have greatly lessened the difficulties of financing small projects and running the office. I thank you for answering the clarion call,” Oladejo said.
He appealed for financial interventions from the public and gave the assurance that the funds estimated at N10 billion would be expended judiciously for the execution of MUSWEN’s big programmes and projects which include education and empowerment of Muslim women and youths to reduce unemployment and poverty.
The MUSWEN leader said the funds would also be used for the development of a skills acquisition centre, establishment of scholarship fund for human capital development and support for the healthcare needs of the ummah.
He said: “This is the amount we want to raise and invest and whose returns we plan to use to implement the projects and programmes. In order to account properly for the N10 billion to be raised, MUSWEN will prepare a trust deed immediately after this event for the management of the endowment fund. The trustees of the fund will be appointed and they will manage the affairs of the fund independently.
“It is necessary to state that the trustees of the fund will be different from the trustees of MUSWEN to ensure the former’s independence and objectivity. I must also mention that one of the international accounting firms will be appointed to audit the finances of the fund on a regular basis.
“This information will be published and every contributor will also be duly informed. Distinguished brothers and sisters, it is now my honour to appeal to you to donate generously to the MUSWEN endowment fund in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.”
The chairman on the occasion, Dr Sulaiman Adegunwa, represented by Dr Lateef Lawal, noted that the presence of many personalities at the event demonstrated their eagerness to create a lofty impression for Islam and Muslims in the region.
He urged the stakeholders to support the cause as being championed by MUSWEN.
Adegunwa said: “This is a great day in the history of MUSWEN. Our collective presence here today is a great indication of our readiness to project Islam loftily in our region and to serve as competent agents of change for the Yoruba Muslim ummah from the quagmire of abject poverty that has been threatening their lives for a long time.
“This, therefore, informed my excitement at seeing you, great stakeholders of our great organisation, MUSWEN, at this new beginning of a new commitment.
“I believe that with our support, MUSWEN could strengthen Muslims of the South-West and bequeath an enduring legacy to the future generation such that our children can compete favourably with their peers anywhere in the world.
“To address its many challenges, MUSWEN has, through purposeful research, identified programmes and projects whose implementation would cost N10 billion. I have also been informed that MUSWEN will put in place a trust deed and appoint trustees for the management of the funds. Let us, therefore, support this worthy motive with our generous donations as I assure you of judicious use of your assistance for the intended projects.”
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr Wale Babalakin, stressed the need to expand MUSWEN to be able to battle problems that are peculiar to the South-West.
Babalakin said: “We must expand MUSWEN! MUSWEN was founded by very dedicated people but we must expand it to accommodate the peculiar problems of the South-West. Eighty per cent of those born into very educated Muslim families were not privileged to learn about pristine Islam.
“We are coming from an angle where most of us grew up in a very secular – not Christian – environment. People who profess Islam and want to be Muslims but lack the basic understanding of pristine Islam, MUSWEN should look into ways of absorbing such people.”
He also urged MUSWEN to create a convincing and compelling impression about itself before potential investors and partners.
“MUSWEN must come across to every potential investor as aboveboard. There is so much money in the country, but the money that is the premise on hardwork will only work for sane and purposeful areas. We have to create that impression that we have what it takes,” he said.
The keynote speaker, the National Missioner of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh AbdurRahman Ahmad, stressed the need for Muslims to acquire education, saying without it, poverty would continue to rise, especially among the Muslim community.
He said: “Today in Nigeria, our challenge is poverty. So many Nigerians live below the poverty line. You can see what is happening to our educational infrastructure, including our industry. When you want to build a house now, the majority of people to be employed are non-Nigerians. This is not good for us as a country. That is why we have so much poverty. There is so much hunger, anger and violence. No amount of investment in arms and ammunition can reverse the trend.
“The only potent weapon against this is to educate the people to enable them to provide for themselves. Only then are we going to have a turnaround.”
The head of the Board of Trustees for the endowment fund, Alhaji Fola Tajudeen Adeola, encouraged MUSWEN to educate Muslims, especially the youth, and equip them with skills that will make them self-reliant and relevant in the emerging society.
He said: “If you go around Lagos, you will see how deep poverty is. There are areas densely populated with poor people and it reflects in the environments.
“What needs to be done in the face of this poverty is to find the poverty-stricken fellows in question, educate them, school them and equip them with skills that are required for survival in a society like ours. By so doing, we liberate them from their weakness and vulnerability.
“Let’s equip them intellectually. Excellence shuts the doors of discrimination and opens doors of opportunities. Let’s have Muslim painters, electricians and artisans who are good at what they do. Can we have Muslim scholars and academics with exceptional performance? Can we have Muslims who cannot be sidelined or marginalized in their field of practice?
“These should be our goals. Let’s build centres aimed at attaining excellence in different areas. No one preaches religion to a man without food”.
The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, commended MUSWEN, saying its successes are for the benefit of the ummah not only in the South-West but Nigeria at large.
The Sultan, who doubled as the chief host, added that his presence at the event was invaluable.
He said: “My presence signifies a lot. This is MUSWEN. Whatever success MUSWEN gets is for the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria. Wherever a Muslim is developing, he is happy that another Muslim somewhere is happy. We will continue to work together with MUSWEN.
“I want to also emphasise the need for Muslims to be united. MUSWEN is promoting unity. We can be united, but we don’t have to be uniform. That’s why we have people who are Yorubas, Igbos, Hausas, Fulanis and so on, but we are all Muslims. We need to be united and not let anything come between us.”
Sultan Abubakar advised MUSWEN to form a team to mobilise funds from the well-to-do in the country for the actualisation of these projects.
The traditional ruler appealed to governors in the South-West, many of whom sent representatives, to support the MUSWEN project, irrespective of their religious affiliations.
The deputy governor of Lagos State, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, who represented the state governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, commended MUSWEN for the initiative which he said he believed would make youths have access to finance, education and health services in the nearest future.
“This sort of initiative which will help train, educate and provide opportunities for Muslim youths must be commended,” he noted.
According to him, the Lagos State government will have a discussion with the leadership of MUSWEN and see in what areas they could be of support.
Hamzat expressed hope that MUSWEN will use the project to reduce the “alarming” rate of intolerance in the society.
He said: “It is a good initiative that hopefully will create access or ability for our youths to have some of the things that are missing today like access to finance, education and health services.
“Our government appreciates the cooperation it has always enjoyed from different religious organisations and their timely interventions in providing solutions to issues.”
The event was also attended by a former Inspector General of Police, Mr Musiliu Smith; Founder, Sisters in Deen (SID) Foundation, Nurat Akinlabi-Babalola; MUSWEN Vice President II, Alhaji Thabit Wale Sonaike; former LASIEC Commissioner, Mr Musibau Oyefeso; Founder, Yusuf Olaolu Ali Foundation, Malam Yusuf Olaolu Ali, SAN; Professor Wole Abbas from the University of Ibadan and a host of others.
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