THE Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar; the governor of Osun State, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola and the deputy governor of Ogun State, Alhaja Noimot Salako-Oyedele, have urged Muslims to embrace peaceful coexistence.
The trio made the plea last weekend at the opening of the 111th edition of the Islamic Vacation Course (IVC) of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), B-Zone, held at the body’s IVC permanent site in Imolisa Village, Ogun State, off the Ibadan-Lagos Expressway.
The Sultan, represented by the president of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), Alhaji Abdur-Rasaq Oladejo, admonished Muslim students to eschew violence and be constructive in all their activities.
Sultan Abubakar urged the students to be good ambassadors of Islam by pursuing peace wherever they find themselves.
“As we are going into the New Year, we all know the security situation in Nigeria, we should continue to pray for peace.
“We must pray to overcome insurgency in Nigeria and also for the New Year to be good for all of us, Muslims and non-Muslims,” he said.
In his remark, Governor Oyetola commended the contributions of MSSN to the country’s development, especially through its dawah activities.
Oyetola, also represented by his Special Adviser on Education, Mr Jamiu Olawunmi, admonished participants at the vacation course to use the opportunity to renew their faith and energise their spiritual life.
“I implore you all to always exhibit good virtues and preach to others, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, regardless of our ethnic or religious persuasion,” he said.
Also speaking, Alhaja Salako-Oyedele congratulated the MSSN on the 111th IVC programme and urged the body to remain committed to the propagation of Islam.
Salako-Oyedele admonished participants to always exhibit positive attitude in achieving their goals and objectives.
“We have to make sure we always cooperate to help one another. We must not see things as a ground for conflict at all times.
“My brothers and sisters, another election circle is coming. We don’t have to go for elective positions to be relevant in politics. Let us support candidates who will not fail. Let’s support candidates that will help us achieve all that we want,” she said.
In his lecture, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, said there was no time to waste for Muslim students in achieving their goals.
Oloyede, represented by Dr AbdulWahab Oyedokun, urged Muslim youths to prioritise education and moral rebirth and propel the ummah to greater heights.
“We must strengthen our capacity for managing ideological differences. Those of us in government and public service at both the centre and sub-national levels must re-dedicate ourselves to the plights of the masses.
“We must invest in Islamic schools, be dedicated to reducing poverty, social exclusion of Muslims, among others,” he said.
Oloyede said it was imperative to examine the “socio-political balance sheet” of Nigeria with a view to determining the role expected of Muslims in the continual reconstruction of the society.”
He said the country was beset by a number of challenges traceable to poor social engineering as a result of breakdown of family values.
“We owe ourselves the primary obligation of self-appraisal. As Allah’s creatures, it is important to make a critical evaluation of our life’s journey; to ask ourselves questions whether we are actually on course,” he said.
Also, a retired Commissioner of Police, Olayinka Balogun, in a lecture that focused on the security situation in Nigeria, said the absence of good governance could result in multidimensional security problems.
He listed causes of insecurity to include weak or incapable government, corruption, politics of hatred, unemployment, general discrimination, impunity as well as the breakdown of the traditional institution.
Balogun said there was the need for the people to rise to the occasion and keep those in authority on their feet.
Earlier, the Amir/Coordinator, MSSN B-Zone, Mr Qaasim Odedeji, cautioned those in authority against using their positions to infringe on the fundamental rights of Muslim students.
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