Lest the roof collapse

Also published in Daily Trust

The high rate at which Nigeria’s social fabric is weakening as a result of the actions, inactions and utterances of Nigerian politicians warns of an abrupt collapse of this roof the Nigerian state which, having failed to properly utilize its resources to nurture and develop a viable country since its independence from Britain more than half a century ago, has only been able to survive somehow miraculously.

Though I am not arguing for or against the continuation of Nigeria as a corporate entity, which in any case appears to be unsustainable, I wonder how these politicians, who are after all the sole beneficiaries of the status quo, fail to realize how their reckless show of desperation for power and their apathetic attitudes towards the resulting intercommunal distrust, socio-economic and political turmoil in the country increasingly erode what remains of the already shrinking pillar that underpins the country.

Beneficiaries of the disunity among Nigerian Muslims

Also published in Daily Trust

It is an unfortunate irony that despite the spiritual significance of the month of Ramadan when Muslims are supposed to imbibe more sense of unity and solidarity, the lingering disunity among Nigerian Muslims becomes particularly perceivable during Ramadan public Tafseer sessions by various Islamic scholars of particularly the three main Muslim groups in the country i.e. Qadiriyya, Tijjaniyya and Izala whose interpretations of some Qur’anic verses contradict one another as though they are reading and interpreting different books altogether.

By the way, I deliberately omit Shia ‘sect’ here because their case is different in this context. I may write a separate article about it sometime in the near future.

Anyway, though, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), which is the umbrella organization for Muslim groups in the country does its best to promote unity among them, the absence of a substantive religious body with adequate authority to introduce, implement and enforce regulatory reforms to address this situation, which is obviously due to constitutional constraints, remains partly responsible for the persistence of this negative phenomenon.

Tips for self-appraisal in Ramadan

Also published in Daily Trust

Ramadan represents an annual opportunity for a Muslim to review his relationship with Allah the Almighty over the past years and how the relationship is likely to be or remain over what remains of his lifetime. After all, his ultimate destiny in the hereafter where he is inevitably going notwithstanding the amount of fun he enjoys or hardship he endures in this world is determined by the condition of his relationship with Allah before his death.

Though this self-review exercise should be continuously conducted all the time especially in view of the enormous temptations and distracting challenges of life that tempt or distract a Muslim from thinking about his relationship with Allah the Almighty, yet it is particularly imperative during the month of Ramadan when the sheer amount of Allah’s Mercy made much more effortlessly accessible outweighs the actual needs of the faithful. Nonetheless, it takes a strong will, sincerity of intention, total submissiveness to Allah the Almighty and adherence to the Prophetic guidance in performing the Ramadan worship rituals for one to stand a chance of earning it.