The Muslim Association of Nigeria (MAN)has emphasized the significance and relevance of Islamic values to Nigeria’s development. Muslim faithful and prominent personalities, including Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, who gathered at the association’s national conference said Islamic societies must provide a workable strategy for social-economic development.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, underscored socio-economic challenges confronting Nigeria as a country, but urged citizens to be advocates of social changes and socio-economic justice.
He stated that religious leaders should inculcate Islamic values in their followers and provide teachings on requirements for national development. Furthermore, he said the solution to Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges is the role of both the government and individual citizens, while urging citizens to be patriotic, eschew greed, and uphold integrity in all their activities.
Specifically, he implored the Muslim faithful in the country to explore Islamic teachings for the course of required social changes.
“We need to morally train our children and teach them our local languages, and values because if we lose our values, we will lose ourselves.”
The guest speaker who is also a senior lecturer at the Department of Foreign Languages, Lagos State University (LASU), Dr.Saheed Timehin, spoke on Nigeria’s current socio-economic state, as well as how Islamic values could play a role in shaping and enhancing the trajectory of Nigeria’s economic development. He underscored the need for the government to establish strong institutions that will commit to the openness of creative ideas that will foster national economic growth.
“It is obvious that the Nigeria national challenge is a multicultural debacle. In Nigeria, it is necessary to correctly diagnose our problems, because the overall essence is systemic and requires a general multisectoral contribution,” he said.
Dr.Timehin clarified that the challenges faced today are not caused by the present administration but inherited from many others of Nigeria’s history of maladministration.
He emphasised the implementation of an effective municipal system to curb inflation, stabilise the exchange rate, and foster a favourable economy to ensure sustainable development goals and ability.
On a social level, he expressed concerns over societal shortcomings in child upbringing, highlighting worry about the lack of moral values in the upbringing of children in the societies.
He noted that despite Nigerianot being an Islamic country, it can incorporate aspects of the Islamic economic system and social inventions for its socio-economic well-being, and for which Muslim faithful can attach their lifestyle to the teaching of the Qur’an and Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad (SAW).
“Islam acknowledges the diversity of human desires and economic pursuit., and it presents a duality of purpose about the pursuit of economic activities by combining human spirituality with human welfare.”
MAN Public Relations Officer, AlhajaMudirakatAjibona, admonished parents on child upbringing and also charged the Muslim faithful to use religion as a social change to stimulate national growth and sustainable development.