IKOYI TRAGEDY AND THE IMPERATIVE OF NATIONAL REFLECTION

30th Rabiul-Thani, 1443 AH
5th December, 2021

The attention of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) under the leadership of its President General, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, has been drawn to the tragic collapse of a skyscraper in Ikoyi, Lagos. The Council is devastated by the loss of precious human lives in the disaster and distressed by humongous material losses to individuals and organisations. The Council commiserates with the families of the victims, the Government and people of Lagos state and all Nigerians as a whole. We pray that the Almighty Allah keep Nigerians safe and guard us against such calamities in future.

As we and other Nigerians continue to mourn this national catastrophe, the NSCIA calls for an unbiased and thorough investigation to be conducted in order to establish the remote and immediate causes of the tragedy with a view to forestalling future recurrence. It is heartrending that though Nigeria is not new to tragedies, appropriate actions are not usually taken and rooms are inadvertently created for the continuation of errors that should not have taken place. This Ikoyi incident is a wake-up call that our national attitude requires a paradigm shift and Government has to be more proactive in nipping disasters in the bud and more active in responding to emergencies.

One major outcome of the response to this catastrophe is our utter state of unpreparedness in confronting emergencies of that magnitude. Despite the fact that Nigeria has a Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHADMSD), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and similar agencies at the state level, the rescue operations still left much to be desired both in effectiveness and efficiency. Definitely, a more comprehensive and professional approach would yield a better result than the haphazard and largely kinetic operations that were apparently more tailored towards retrieving bodies than rescuing lives.

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A GLIMMER OF HOPE FROM KADUNA

Date: 30th Muharram, 1443 AH
8th September, 2021  

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), under the leadership of its President-General, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, observes with delight the unfolding political currents in Kaduna state. The Council considers the development as a glimmer of hope for constitutional democracy and a mark of integrity on the part of the electoral and political leaderships in the state, with specific reference to the recently conducted local council elections.

Before now, only very few discerning Nigerians have an iota of respect for the state electoral process because of the prevalence of the syndrome of “who pays the piper calls the tune”. More often than not, the prefix of the “Independent” Electoral Commission is missing and it is always a zero-sum mindset for the party in power on whom the electoral umpires depend to announce results. Those who head such electoral commissions also know that many people don’t have any respect for them as they are always in cahoots with politicians in power to rob people of their votes and declare whichever party in power as having almost if not 100% of all position in contest.

However, the Government of Kaduna state under Governor Nasir El-Rufai has raised the bar in providing an ample example of how elections should be true reflections of the wishes of the electorate in the local council elections held on September 4, 2021, in the state. Apart from nudging the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission to come up with a fool-proof voting process, which led the Commission to adopt the electronic voting system, the Governor went ahead to declare that his party did not have to win everywhere and that his government would “allow the people of Kaduna state to elect who they want.”

At the end of the counting so far, the results of 17 Local Government Areas have been announced out of which the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won in 15 councils while the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won in two.

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NSCIA CONDEMS THE MASSACRE OF MUSLIMS IN PLATEAU STATE

6th Muharram, 1443 AH
15th August, 2021

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alh. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, unequivocally condemns the massacre of a group of innocent Muslims who were returning from Bauchi to Akure, Ondo State, on Saturday.

While affirming the statements of their Excellencies, the Governors of Plateau and Ondo States that it was a case of mistaken identity and not particularly intended for the Muslims, the Council appeals to all Muslims to be calm and nobody should take laws into his or her hands. The Council re-emphasizes that no human life deserves to be wasted on any ground be it religious or ethnic.

The Council is monitoring the investigation and would ensure that justice is done.

In the spirit of the Islamic injunction, “O you who have believed! If some transgressors bring you news (that requires taking action), verify it carefully (before you believe and act upon it), lest you harm a people in ignorance and then become regretful for what you have done” (Qur’an 49:6), we re-assure all peace-loving individuals and groups that appropriate actions would be taken subsequent to a thorough investigation.

In the meantime, while efforts are on to locate the eight missing Muslims, the Council urges the security agencies to fish out all the perpetrators of the dastardly acts and ensure that adequate justice is done.

The Council commiserates with all Muslims, particularly Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, the host of the religious event from which the victims were returning.

The Council prays that Almighty Allah heal the wounded and grant Al-jannah to the departed martyrs. Amin.   

Signed
Arc. Zubairu Haruna Usman-Ugwu
Director of Administration

NIGERIAN SUPREME COUNCIL FOR ISLAMIC AFFAIRS (NSCIA) APPEALS TO NARD TO CALL OFF ITS STRIKE

4th Muharram, 1443 AH

13th August, 2021

The leadership of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) under His Eminence, Alh. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, the Sultan of Sokoto, is worried and concerned about the ongoing strike of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) which has increased the burden of vulnerable Nigerians.

Without prejudice to the legitimacy of the demands of the NARD, we urge the Association to, in the spirit of the Hippocratic Oath to which members subscribe and in consideration of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak of cholera in some parts of the country, suspend the industrial action while negotiation with the government continues.

The Council pleads with the Honourable Minister of Labour and Productivity to reconsider the Ministry’s stance to abandon negotiations with the doctors. The anger of the government side, no matter its basis, has not ameliorated the suffering of ordinary Nigerians who are helpless victims of the logjam.

The government, therefore, has to vigorously and sincerely re-engage the leadership of NARD in a manner that would inspire the confidence of the medical doctors in the negotiation. The Federal Government also has a duty to coordinate the responses of other tiers of government towards addressing the grievances of the doctors.

While commending the intervention of the National Assembly and other concerned Nigerians, we urge the Federal Ministry of Health and Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity to intensify negotiations with a view to finding a lasting solution to the fundamental issues raised by the doctors.

In the meantime, the Council urges the Doctors to suspend the current strike to allow for meaningful negotiation.

Signed

Arc. Zubairu Haruna Usman-Ugwu

Director of Administration