The Muslim Ummah of Southwest of Nigeria, MUSWEN, convened a three-day Strategic Retreat at the Babalakin Hall, Gbongan, Osun State, themed ’MUSWEN: Anchoring the pillar of Unity, Service and Impact.’ The retreat was organized to revalidate the MUSWEN 2019-2030 Plan aptly described as Vision 2030.
The Retreat was attended by leaders of select muslim bodies including Muslim Community Leaders of the Southwest States of Nigeria; NASFAT; The Companion, Anwar-ul-Islam, Muslim Association of Nigeria, Nawair-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria. The Criterion as well as the Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria, FOMWAN. Other attendees were muslim thought leaders across sectors from the academia, business, the professions including Mallam Yusuf ali, SAN.
The Retreat featured the opening remarks of MUSWEN President, Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo; the keynote address of the host and Chairman of Resort Group, Dr Wale Babalakin SAN; welcome remarks by the Chair of Planning and Strategy Committee and Consultant Dr. Ahmed Tunde Popoola to the Retreat as well a panel discussion session of select experts projecting into the next eight years of MUSWEN. They all focused on pressing national issues but more particularly on concerns of unity of the ummah, economic and political empowerment, as well as health and education. The rest issues are stakeholders engagement, funding, strong governance and administrative structure.
Following the presentations and the panel discussion session, the Retreat observed and noted that:
The political situation in Nigeria is currently on a high pitch and tension soaked, with aspirants, across all levels flagrantly disregarding modesty, oozing unprecedentedly large scale corruption, as also prevalent even in sensitive government quarters.
The general elections are fast approaching and Muslims as vicegerents of Allah have the divine responsibility to be actively involved as voters and office seekers.
The general air of insecurity and criminality across all regions of Nigeria is on a disturbing increase with no clear design or strategy by governments to stem or stop the trend.
The protracted shutdown of public universities betrays a most intolerable indifference on the part of government with relevant officials openly trivializing the wanton wastage of the fate of a whole generation of citizens leaving the nations future hanging in uncertain balance.
There is high infrastructural inadequacy which has been ignored almost interminably inflicting on us a most irritating condition of education and healthcare in spite of the indispensability of the sectors
Consequently, the Retreat resolved thus:
Politicians and political office seekers should play the game according to the rules and bear in mind that power belongs only to Allah. He gives it to whomsoever He pleases and removes it from whomsoever he wishes. MUSWEN is highly disturbed about the violence reported in the conduct of some of the party primaries which clearly indicated that many Nigerian politicians still regard politics as a do-die affair. We therefore call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to apply the relevant laws against erring office seekers who are well known to the electoral body since its officials monitored the primaries.
MUSWEN urges Muslims of voting age to obtain their Permanent Voters Card and those who have obtained theirs to jealously protect them and use the cards to enthrone purposeful leaders.
MUSWEN calls on the Federal and State governments to view the security situation as totally intolerable. The security chiefs must therefore be enjoined to up their game from what now appears to be a state of helplessness of their part.
The Federal Government should immediately accede to the legitimate demands of ASUU and pay more attention to issues affecting the entire educational sector accessible to the lowly in the society.
Religious and community leaders must constantly educate and engage the citizenry, especially the youth on the need for peaceful co-existence and respect for sanctity of human lives and respect for religious beliefs of other.
MUSWEN condemns in unmistaken terms, the brutal and inhuman murder of a pregnant Muslim woman and her four children in Anambra State recently and called on security agencies to fish out the killers and bring them to justice. Similarly, MUSWEN equally deplored the killing of a Christian female student in Sokoto State for alleged blasphemy. While we condemn blasphemy against Prophet Muhammed (PBOH) and other principal personalities in other religions, we are in agreement with the position of Sharia that sanctions for any offence, including blasphemy can only be applied by constituted authorities after judicial pronouncements.
Finally, MUSWEN calls on Muslims in South West Nigeria and indeed nationwide to continue to live in harmony with their non-Muslim neighbours.
SIGNED
Prof. Muslih Tayo Yahya, FAR, FASN,
President
Alh. Rasaki Oladejo, FCS
Executive Secretary
