THE University of Lagos Muslim Alumni (UMA) will on Sunday, February 23, hold its 30th pre-Ramadan lecture. The theme of this year’s edition is ‘The Transformative Power of Ramadan’.
The UMA National President, Dr Mumini Alao, at a briefing in Lagos, said the lecture would take place at the J.F. Ajayi Auditorium, University of Lagos, Akoka.
Dr Alao said this year’s theme was to highlight the huge benefits embedded in the holy month so that the Muslim faithful could prepare to exploit them in full.
According to him, the duo of Professor Mashood Baderin of the University of London and Justice Abdur-Raheem Ahmad Sayi of the Shari’ah Court of Appeal, Ilorin, Kwara State, have been invited as guest speakers.
He said Baderin is an expert in Islamic Law and International Human Rights Law, which makes him a perfect fit for the lead topic.
Baderin, he said, is making a second appearance in the annual lecture series, having delivered the 14th edition’s lecture in 2008.
He said Justice Sayi, going by his training and vocation, has the requisite qualification and practical knowledge of the second topic.
While Professor Baderin will speak on ‘Islam at the Intersection of Humanity and Religion’, Justice Sayi will handle ‘Shari’ah in Southwest Nigeria’.
According to him, “the topics were inspired by the apparent dilemma of Muslims on how to find the right balance between the demands of our faith, and the rights of our neighbours which sometimes might be in conflict.”
Alao said: “During the past few weeks, this subject matter has come to the front burner following developments in Ekiti State where a traditional ruler purportedly ‘banned’ the setting up of a Shari’ah arbitration panel as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism between and among willing Muslims in his domain.
“Is it true that Shari’ah is strange to South West Nigeria? Is there no history of its adoption and application in the private lives of willing Muslims in the region? Is it against the Nigerian constitution for willing Muslims to opt for adjudication on some aspects of their personal lives according to the Shari’ah? Do traditional rulers or government officials have the power to ban private citizens from adopting an alternative dispute resolution instrument of their choice?”
Alao said other dignitaries expected at the event include the deputy governor of Lagos State, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat; former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari; the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola. UNILAG vice chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, will be the chief host, he stated.
He said the UMA had introduced some innovations to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the lecture, one of them being a ‘Qur’an Recitation Challenge’ among primary, secondary and Arabic school children, the winners of which would be announced at the lecture.
He said special recognition awards would also be given to some of the scholars that have delivered UMA’s lectures in the past while the association’s medical team would offer free medical checks to participants who arrive early before the programme gets under way.
Alao said during the last three decades, the UNILAG Muslim Alumni pre-Ramadan lecture had been established as the forerunner of all other Ramadan lectures in Lagos and, indeed, the whole of South West Nigeria.
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