Unity of purpose, brotherhood and togetherness have been affirmed as indispensable tools to address the socio-economic and political challenges facing Muslims in Oyo state and Nigeria.
This was the crux of discourse by various Islamic clerics from different local government areas of Ibadan metropolis at the enlarged stakeholders meeting of the Egbeda local government Muslim Community held at the Alarere Community Central Mosque, Ibadan.
The lead speaker at the programme and the Chief Missioner, Muslim Community of Oyo State MUSCOY, Dr Daud Amoo-Alaga harped on the necessity for Muslim to remain united, well organised and coordinated to have their fair share of dividends of governance, especially in Oyo state.
Amoo-Alaga noted that it became imperative for Muslims to endure what cannot be cured, urging them to shun divisive tendencies and imbibe accommodating spirit towards one another.
According to him, “Our Qibla is one, we have one creed; we worship one God (Allah), thus we must overlook individual differences and strengthen the bond of Islam”.
The MUSCOY Missioner, while admonishing Muslims not to mortgage or spoil eternal bliss for ephemeral worldly gains reiterated that political power remained the superstructure upon which every other things lie, hence the need to view politics from religious prism and avoid mistake that could affect Islam and Muslims negatively.
The Chairman, Ibadan Muslim Community, Chief Bayo Oyero represented by the Secretary, Ibadan Muslim Community, Dr Andulhakeem Raji said the gathering was to reawaken consciousness of Muslims on priority ordering, as the association is reaching out to the faithfuls at the grassroots.
Oyero hinted that lack of comprehensive database which had deprived Muslims of numerous Federal and State governments palliatives and intervention programmes will soon become a thing of the past.
“We are working assiduously to produce accurate and reliable database of Muslims, Mosques across the 11 local government areas of Ibadanland which has 3/4 of Oyo state population”, Oyero disclosed.
The chairman Ibadan Muslim Community appealed to representatives of various Muslim Communities to attend the central meeting with a view to disseminating vital information to people.
Speaking on the agenda of the gathering, the chairman, Muslim Community of Egbeda local government, Sheikh MuhammaduJamiu Abdulgafar highlighted five communities inaugurated to achieve the target goal of Islamic unity and progress to include: Reconciliation Committee, Education Committee, Health Committee, Economic and Investment Committee and Inter-faith Committee.
Sheikh Abdulgafar also stated that the Egbeda Muslim Community will work with diasporans for proxy assistance, traders, artisans, Mosques, Islamic Schools (especially those unregistered under mosques), Government owned Muslim schools, Private schools owned by Muslims, Islamic prayer groups among others for all inclusive mobilisation.
In his remarks, the chairman, Lagelu Muslim Community, Sheikh Ahmad Alapaafuja who commended the leadership of Egbeda Muslim Community and Leagues of Imams and Alfas promised to step up efforts for unity.
High point of the programme was a free medical care featuring Random Blood Sugar, Malaria Parasites, Blood Pressure and Body Mass Index, BMI tests as well as drug administration for a hundred beneficiaries.
