Echos of Ramadan 2012 part 1: Ramadan Lectures; were the muslim faithful audience for foods or sermons?

Ramadan lectures: Were the Muslim faithful audience for food or the sermon?

Malam Munir, Chairman (2nd left); Alfa Azeez (left) & other members of Itikaf Committee of Abdul-Azeez Islamic Foundation at the Eid-ground on Eid-Filtr Day 

Muslims worldwide celebrated their end of Ramadan festival on Sunday, August 19, 2012 with the traditional fanfare of carnival-like gathering for prayer on Eid-grounds.

    The correspondents of The Colloquium Tabloid that went round to see how things went, from whom Newz Indices also sought its materials for this publication, reported on the peaceful atmosphere that pervaded the entire nation -- otherwise widely under the siege of a rampaging religious sect called Boko Haram (BH).

    So far, over 2000 deaths are said to have been recorded from the menace of the BH. The Nigerian government has refused the sect to be recognized as terrorist group. On the visit of the Secretary of State for United State of America, Hillary Clinton, to Nigeria recently, the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, still reiterated this position to the US government, insisting that the BH group were only another group of Nigerians with grievances seeking the attention of their government.

    The month of Ramadan is regarded among the Muslim faithful as the Holiest month of the Hijra calendar; being the time Allah revealed His message to mankind through His Prophet, called the Rosullilah in the Arabic version, Mohammed Ibn Abdullahi.

Alfa Ishiak, also of the Itikaf Committee of Abdul-Azeez

    Throughout this holy month, Muslims are believed to have gone into a total era of annual spiritual piety from cleansing off their past sins through complete abstinence from all worldly affairs that include the mandatory daily feeding, drinking or tea-break of any kind.

    In the intangible aspect of this process of spiritual cleansing, Muslims are to refrain their public conducts to only the inevitable but allal (Allah’s accepted way of) social interactions with their immediate neighbours – no quarrelsomeness, no anger, no malice, be generous and talk only when is absolutely necessary.

Alhaji Taofik, aka Tasho, did his usual, giving free Malts after Eid

Muslim women at Eid ground of Abdul-Azeez Foundation

    In this wise, it is clearer that for a Muslim to maintain the highest standard of piety required of the time, all the sense organs must sustain a degree of restraints. The eyes must strive to see less of the ubiquitous debased morality of sexually offensive dressings around it. The tongue must not talk evil in so far the brain must desist from conceiving it. The ears should instigate the man to walk away form evil and un-Islamic talks and seek to be fed with spiritual foods in sermons/lectures regarding matters of Allah’s commands on mankind. And above all, the body nerves should coordinate all these senses to limit the sense of touch to the threshold of permissible level.

    To help the Ummah meet and sustain the highest ethics of these basic requirements, the 29 or 30 days of Ramadan fasting are always a beehive of activities raised by combined actions of Islamic scholars and wealthy Muslims to engage the mind and body of the Muslim Faithful. Indeed, the 2012 edition’s was no exception in this wise.

    Prominent among the activities as often witnessed are the Itikaf and Ramadan lectures. However as in tradition, while the latter is a general phenomenon, the former is the elitist that some critics have come to say it's taking an habitual business angle some Islamic clerics have introduced to the process of serving Allah.

However, both are the channels of annual opportunities the many clerics have to reap their worldly bounties in service of Allah:

    The various Ramadan lectures for this year, as the Newz Indices confirmed to be, were well spiced up with generous gifts of Souvenirs, food stuff and feedings for iftar (the breaking of fast at 7pm).

The worthy question from observations: The lecture audience; for material gifts or spiritual foods?   

A typical lecture event aesthetic on display

The many of such lectures NI witnessed were the Abdul-Azeez Islamic Foundation’s held at the Police Parade Ground, Oduduwa, Ikeja; De-Fayus Islamic Foundation’s held as Ta’ajud (Nigh event/prayer till day break) at Igando; the one of Alimosho Council of Chief Imams held at Moshalshi, Alimosho and sponsored by Baba Idini of Alimosho, Alhaji Abdullahi Ogunrinde (a.k.a Amo Oil); the one of Solo efforts Engr. Osuolale held at the premises of Abdul-Azeez Islamic Foundation Central Mosque, Unity Estate, and the one of Admonition Islamic Centre (AIC) --  with supplementary efforts from MICA Alimosho, held at Club 9, also at Unity Estate.

Gift distributed at the lecture sponsored by Alh Ogunrinde

A guest clutching her gift package

    The peculiarity to all this lecture is the material of attraction – being the gifts from the generous treasury of the sponsor as far more than the lecture, the resource personnel (the cleric) and the topic of the lecture. This is a fact from the post-lecture opinion polls conducted on the participants by NI on each occasion.

    Side comments of the many faithful at the lectures instigated the opinion sampling. NI soon noticed that it became a common parameter to use gift distributed at each of the lectures or food package served compared to last year’s or the penultimate’s, or the standard convention sponsor of the lecture was noted for to mark a stamp of success or failure of these 2012 lectures – as often discussed in hush tone among the participants. Hardly were references made in review of the values or social relevance of the sermons delivered.

Some members of the Council of Chief Imams, Alimosho

Family members of Alh. Ogunrinde their lecture, Mosalashi

    In Alimosho, the Admonition Islamic Centre (AIC) opened the floods of Ramadan Lecture series on 21^st of July 2012 at Club 9 Garden, Unity Estate, Abule Odu. To speak on a well structured topic agreeably potentially evergreen in relevance to mankind – themed Boundless Rahma; the organization paraded those the religion correspondents of The Colloquium Tabloid described as ‘Sectored Icons’ that fit into worth for the three lecture topics of religious, politics and personal finance the organizers strategically coined..

    The religious lecture – “Ramadan Month of Boundless Rahma” -- was handled by Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Sulaimon Adangba, the Chief Missioner of Al-Faith Ul Quareeb Society of Nigeria. The subject of “Islam and the New World Order” was handled by Abdulhafeex Salaudeen, the Managing Director of Brooks Honey; while Mr. Sulieman Adedokun, the Managing Director of Meristem Wealth Managements Ltd, handled the topic of “Lifestyle Financial Planning” for personal finance.

Members of Assalat women organisation at a lecture

Another Assalat women at another Ramadan lecture

    Thus in both terms of personality for role model and wisdom from Islamic Sermons, AIC had packaged well its spiritual foods for the Ramadan Lecture to engage the meaningful attention of the Muslim audience. And to sustain the concept of households’ value Islam holds in high esteem, the Benevolent group of MICA, another Islamic organization complemented this effort with the right tool for the engagement of the tendentiously playful mind of the children with Bouncing Castle. However, the post lecture comprehension impacts survey the NI later carried out revealed that the Iftar food package were rather applied to score the success of the event.

    With “How would you describe today’s lecture” as lead question to those interviewed, 100% returned a verdict of success on it. But when asked to “justify the success verdict” deliberately without a lead for factor or parameter to use, 7 out of 13 people interviewed promptly replied with answers that is here in reframed for a common meaning as: ‘The organizers have tried for them to have served these foods and gifts package for both adult and children’. 4 made reference to how well the event was organized while only two made specific mention of the values of the sermons (lectures) as delivered in touch of relevant interests.

Muslims on Eid-ground of Abdul-Azeez Islamic N/P School

What could be responsible for this general interest in food and less of the lecture? 

Comment your opinion.         

Unfolding the blueprint for ‘Ijaw Nation’ the presidential way

Unfolding the blueprint for ‘Ijaw Nation’

 

Report emerging from Bayelsa State is pointing to the fact that a new nation – 'Ijaw Nation' – may soon emerge out of Nigeria. What observers of the unfolding event are only waiting to see become more discernible is the eventual modality the attendant agitation/campaign for its sovereignty will take – violent or peaceful.

    On Tuesday August 7, 2012, the Bayelsa State House of Assembly passed the executive bill seeking to create all paraphernalia of an “Ijaw Nation’s“ identity. These include its flag, coat of arm and the anthem.

    To underscore the importance of the bill believed in some quarters to have been pushed with insignia of “presidential interest” as a blackmail context for the bill to receive the accelerated hearing “His Excellency” sought, the passage of the bill qualified for one of the fastest bill to be passed in the country’s legislative history. The bill arrived at the parliament on Tuesday and within a time frame of three hours, it was passed for the Governor’s accent.

    In actual fact, the entire conception, gestation period and parturition of the bill was less than 24 hours -- now only awaiting official christening, as the report had it that the bill was contrived at the Executive Council Meeting of the Bayelsa State Government the previous day, Monday, presided over by the Governor, Seriake Dickson, at the Yenogoan State House.

    Giving what could said to be the fundamental analysis of the bill’s primary objectives, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Iworiso-Markson, reflected its essentials to be one of “Ijaw Nation” in perspective beyond the Bayelsa State’s narrow contraption of the Nigeria’s 1999 constitution.

    He said: “We believe that Bayelsa State, being the only state that can be considered as the home state of the Ijaw race, deserves even much more (than identity of a state) to blaze this trail…. This much is true because of the emphasis we place on the propagation of the Ijaw ideals and what we stand for as a people -- the Ijaw Ideology (as a nation)”.

    Yes, the parentheses are mine; they are necessary to bring out the pictures in the minds of these stake holders of a ‘new Ijaw Nation’ and make it more discernible from a perfect reconciliation with the theme of Wole Soyinka’s piece of ‘when is a Nation’.

    As a standard rule however, the Press Secretary made a good case for the bill as being born out of genuine interest by citing precedence in all the states of Southwest region -- Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun and Ekiti; as well as some selected states in other geo-political zones. Among these, according to him were Kwara State of the North Central and Cross Rivers State of the South-South peers as the states that recently joined the wagon.

    The spokesman also recalled that Rivers State could possibly have set the pace as far back as 1970s. But to the discernible minds, where the eyes of Bayelsa of Dickson era is fixed is a possible revival of the fundamental principle of the Rivers State idea of a state’s identity in a federation, which the Ogoni of that state is already giving a similar consideration.

    The Ogoni only recently sent out the intention of its people to declare a sovereign State of Ogoni. Despite the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amechi, reading a riot act of the consequence of such "treasonable" adventure to the leaders, they claimed to be resolved over the quest.

   Bayelsa could only be treading the same path to spring up a complementary cause to Ogoni's with a view to securing a wider south/south platform for the new 'Ijaw Nation' to get proper fibrous roots. Therefore, for Ogoni and Bayelsa to coalesce and converge at a common point of interest on this is only a matter of time. At this point, the combined forces of the Ogoni and Okrika that will have a ready backing of Patient Jonathan’s power of presidency could be readily overwhelming on Rotimi Ameachi, the River’s Governor.

    In fact, it is already being touted in some quarters of analysts that the whole process was a clandestine plot to wrestle power from the Amechi’s political camp, using the campaign of “Ijaw Nation” to garner the people’s sympathy for vote for the idea of ‘a new Nation’ from central South/south to emerge.  The school of thought on the angle of politics of Rivers State are infusing the subsisting Okrika Water Front demolition as the possible cause of the Presidency in matters of power centre in Rivers. 

    It's being suggested in this quarter that a campaign for a true Ijaw nation could have a ready acceptance in south/south with the widespread belief in the region that the Boko Haram insurgence has been the North's deliberate action to make the country ungovernable for Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Thus indeed, this and the Okrika issue could really proof to be a potent albatross for Amechi install a preferred successor. And with Amechi out of way in the power game of south/south, any stooge of 'Her Excellency' becomes an added voice of authority to any agitation for a new Ijaw Nation.  

    A section of political pundits are however waiting for the bill to become law and see what the reaction of the State Security Service (SSS) would be before they react. This school of thought is what I will call the circumspect circle. The position of this school is equally noble, which I readily share too because only the implementation of the law will give the true position upon which the right comments can be made on desirability and goal of the “ideology of Ijaw Nation”.

    This circumspection however will not preclude me from refining out the deliberate distortion inherent in citing the precedence of the Southwest states for the obvious Bayelsa game plan; albeit suspiciously rooted in a presidential contrition. Bayelsa's, as too distinct from all of Southwest’s presents a case study for a stick out of Yoruba ancestors’ richly blessed wisdom rooted in pouch of adage. In any clime too similar to this at their time, they would say it’s Ajegbodo to n wa eni rere kunra; meaning one with bad habit seeking accomplice in good fellow.

    Meanwhile thus far, in concentric purpose of action, the Southwest states have their idea of a state’s paraphernalia of identity solely for a cause in true federalism, where their progressive ideology can enjoy a flourishing relevance with zero inhibition from any quarter -- chiefly from a false centre. This fact is also well entrenched in their differing philosophical identity with which they always come to tables of governance and politics at the Federal level. That is why each of the states maintains a distinct coat of arm and the anthem, which is different from an idea of regional unitary concept clearly set out by Bayelsa, where the goal is that “the emblem would serve as a unifying force and rallying point for the “Ijaw Nation”.

    The latter emerging factor of Southwest integration being pushed by the governors is purely economic matter – an imperative network of exchange of values of the constituent states’ individual comparative advantages in every sector of the economy.

    Therefore, in these wises of political and economic considerations, the Southwest has been consistent with dictates and letters of the Nigerian constitution. 
    And having clarified this, there are indicators suggesting Bayelsa’s sinister in her own clime of identity creation. This is the subject for part 2 of this topic to come next week. Please keep following

Was Gani Fawehinmi a military rule apologist

Could Gani Fawehinmi have been a military rule apologist?

A snippet of Fawehinmiism 2012

 IN every material value, the 2012 edition of Fawehinmiism qualifies to win, and won, the distinguished recognition in unique status as The Colloquium of the month for January 2012. thecolloquiumtabloidng.com Accordingly, it enters the reference code as CM/Jan/12/Fawehinmiism.
    In brief introduction, CM is the magazine's chosen public lecture out of many that could have been delivered. This is in keeping with our cultural philosophy of delivering to the public the contextual facts in purpose of given public lecture, conference, seminar, workshop, symposium or colloquium as informative; to be useful.
  The 8th edition of Chief Gani Fwehinmi lecture/symposium with the insignia of Fawehinmiism stood out  in the month of January -- not necessarily for being the first in the month – but for the symbolic parameters of event of the time in state of Nation; the theme of the project Fawehinmiism; and the social philosophy of the personality subject being celebrated.
  The coincidence of Fawehinmiism Day and the relevance of the lecture topic with the populist public expression of anger against the draconian policy for masses terminal prejudices by the Federal Government was a symbolic rise of the Senior Advocate of the masses (S.A.M.) from the grave in response to their wailing of clarion call to their defense against the euthanasia pill in fuel subsidy being prescribed as remedy to the subsisting bad prognosis of their welfare. In this wise, that the Matriarch and the scions of the fierily dreadful to dictators rose to the challenge of emerging contemporary one became a mere complement not too dissimilar to the  man's lifetimes'.
  With the topic: ‘Nigeria's Socio-conomic Mal-Administration; Any Possibility of a Revolution’ delivered in the heats of a seismic signs of a revolution with the civil disobedience that paralysed governance for 8 days running at the time Gani Fawehinmi came to life in his remembrance day, it was a time to, perhaps, bring the man before the public for a measure of vote of confidence for a reaffirmation of his tittle of S.A.M. Thus in the eulogies were the elements of his symbolic citation in unconscionable segued precedence to the main lecture. It was from this the magazine made its deduction of issues from contrasting submissions in the welcome address of the host, the ex-chairman of the NBA, Ikeja Branch, Adebamigbe Omole Esq and the speech of the Guest of Honour, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor of the State of Osun.
     In seemingly way of defining Fawehinmiism, Omole said it was an 'annual lecture/symposium in honour of Chief Gani Fawehinmi in recognition and celebration of his unparalleled crusade against military tyranny and misrule as well as his unalloyed and unwavering contribution to the advancement of democracy in Nigeria”.
     But in his own speech well articulated in content of the complete man in Gani Fawehinmi, whom he equally acknowledged to possibly suffer from the cancer that eventually made him a deceased from the successful dictators' different assaults on him, Aregbe said: “Although, Gani was not thoroughly opposed to military rule”.
    Going deeper into the symbolic glare of the day, Aregbe raised the curious coincidence of the Jan 15 2012, where the country was boiling in turmoil of political crisis and the January 15 of 1966 when the military first struck. Ironically. Fawehinmi was called to the Nigerian bar on January 15, 1966.
  As if drenched in this date of recognition for Fawehinmiism and the inexplicable mysterious correlation to the aberration of military encroachment into politics, Aregebe was quick to warn that every crisis thrown up by the process of democratic rule was a challenge to deriving a basis for deepening the democracy; because as he noted, “democracy, no matter how bastardized, is better than the most benevolent military rule”.
    However, Aregbe extolled the virtues of Gani Fawehinmi to the high esteem. This was a man that “rose from commonnism through hard work”. So he remains – even in death -- a man to cherish because “in spite of his success and wealth, he equally stood as the voice of voiceless and advocate of the defenseless”. All through his life was dedicated to the cause of masses, his basic philosophy about the cause was that any opportunity of a leadership at governance is an “opportunity to provide for the welfare of the people”.
    With the doggedness of his commitment to the search for better life for the masses as the social class constituency he identified with, he “was an extra-ordinary man; a human being of special specie… so illimitable to be brought down to the ideology of socialism or capitalism”. All he sought was a country of equitable justice in fair distribution of the nation's commonwealth for the people to live a comparable life to those of the well advanced countries, whose meaningful lives were only the consequences of good governance.
    While we wait to get published, the realistic contents of the guest speaker's lecture for public use, it may not be worth while to leave this poser of controversy to continue to trail this noble man. Was Fawehinmi a military apologist?” Discuss!!!