Happenings

Saturday 9th May 2020

The significance of prayer is best thought and understood during Ramadan fasting session. Prayer itself is a bridge builder between man and God. It is the most powerful communication tool that easily transmits the divine energy from God to man, when articulated through a profile body free of sins and crimes and a preserved soul that is free of evil thoughts. These two factors are fundamental basic requirements for man/God cordial relationship.

However, even among the religious people of the world these conditions are trivialized if not neglected, making them to be mere hypocrites with empty boasts about God.

This is equally responsible for the poor state of piety in the land. Let us learn correctly how to be scripture compliant. Ramadan Kareem.

Sunday 10th May

Prayer efficacy has three modes before supplicants can be rest assured of divine acceptance. Meditation allows for reflections into the past activities for possible amendments into the weak areas. It allows esoteric voyage into self reality and exploration into the impact of the environment.

The next one is sermon that appeals to the soul, admonition the body to heal the diseases of the heart in order that one is readily guided through the mercy of God.

Counseling is the third module to perfect translated ideas into suiting the realities of life to be one of example in the odd world of confusion.

Learn to be just in your prayer as a sincere worshiper to be successful in life. Ramadan Kareem.

Monday 11th May

Be reminded that only the prayer of the just would be energized into meeting up with the purpose of desire for which an individual is tendering his request to God(James 5 : 16).

In His declaration the almighty Allah asserted ‘’to him is due the true prayer of those without faith is nothing but vain prayer. ’’(Quaran 13 : 14).

In this category of faithless worship, even the majority of the worshipers in all religions find themselves.

Derisively on this, the almighty Allah said ‘’any other media called upon besides Allah, hear them, know more than if they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouths.

It would not be possible for water to reach them as it would be easier for water to climb a mountain from the ground floor. Let us be people of full understanding, otherwise we may remain ungrateful to God for life. Ramadan Kareem.

Tuesday 12th May

Computer programming for efficacy can be likened to the stand of God in Isaiah 41 : 17–18, ‘’the poor and needy people look for water, but they can’t find any, they are thirsty. Their tongues are very dry. I will not leave them and let them die. I will make rivers flow on dry hill. I will make springs of water flow through the valley. I will change the desert into a lake filled with water. There would be spring of water in that dry land.’’

These undoubtedly would be the foot of just worship.

The computer programming format of the above lies in Quaran 2 : 186.

1. Prepared people of God in high state of piety.
2. Worried souls consult trusted and tested clerics.
3. God the almighty Allah shows mercy through the counseling guide of the cleric.
4. Requirement from God to answer prayer request in sincerity of purpose and just worship.
5. Once item number is satisfied the prayer is answered without hitch of barrier.
6. Manifestation of God shows divine intervention in the supplicant’s life. Let us follow this to live a just and self fulfilled life. Ramadan Kareem.

Wednesday 13th May

Two things need to amaze using Nigeria as an example. In the 21st century, Government is still discovering the poorest of the poor, demanding like Almajiri beggars for COVID 19 monetary support from individuals whose source of money are never known or attested to.

The second awe is that the divine intervention is left aside by Government in tackling the COIVD 19 pandemic. This may be as a result of the fact that no qualified cleric using the quality and standard measurement of God can be identified or found around.

Jonah saved his nation, Nineveh. Prophet Mohammed founded a new Saudi Arabia and better strategic world order through the rules of law and promotion of God/man relationship.

Jesus Christ counseled and healed all with no economic costs attached while at the same time leaving behind a legacy of peace and the promotion of good God/man relationship.

Nigeria’s clerics can source their strengths from all these by been scripture compliant as role models on the issue of connecting every individual, as a free born, with his or her creator.

For the nation to be able to enjoy free divine intervention let us therefore realize that to seek the glory of God, we must believe that all prayers belong to Him. To Him we mount up all words of purity e call prayers, but avoid trivializing it into mere wishful thinking. Be reminded that God will require a high level of state of piety from an individual before entertaining your requests. or crowning it with success. Remember that an individual will be faced with a lot of resistances from the people of the underworld, including the principalities of darkness. We cannot therefore, allow recess of divine strength, so as not to be punctured by the nails of wicked people on earth. God is able. Ramadan Mubarak.

Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide,Wakajaiye, Ibadan, Nigeria

Monday, 4th May

Ramadan Mubarak, let  us learn to cultural acceptable level, the essence of been our brother's keeper. For example, the third pillar of Islam is on giving out of a specified  percentage of the accrued profits of our acquired  wealth and when it is in terms  of farm products, there are equally percentages that we must part with for donations, for the purpose of poverty alleviation and hunger eradication. This is about Zakat operation. This is inline with the need to get fulfilled  to the scripture compliant level   to gain the favor of God. Quran 92 : 5-7 refers ''So he gives in charity and fears Allah and in all sincerity testify to the best, that is the essence of caring and sharing and been philanthropic . Almighty Allah, He will indeed make smooth for him, the path to Ease.'' The period of Ramadan offers us the opportunity  to build a positive mindset in this direction. Ramadan Kareem.

Tuesday, 5th May

The concept of charity affords the rich to be philanthropic in nature, as being experimented under Sodaqat, that is voluntary alms giving as a normal way of life. But this must be done to the empowerment level of the needy.

The almighty Allah identified    some troubled spots that must be addressed to have a normal, safe and secured society. For example in Quran 9 : 60, it is declared ''Alms are for the poor and the needy and those employed to administer the funds. To institutionalize this, the apex body of the Islamic  family need to take this up as a project for the  rich individuals and Islamic sects to follow. Such funds mus be extended to those whose hearts have been recently reconciled to truth; for those in bondage and in debt; those in the cause of Allah;  and for the wayfarer : thus it is ordained by Allah. And Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.''

To prevent violence  and insecurity, this must be a task that must be culturally entrenched. Ramadan Kareem.

 Wednesday, 6th May

During this  Ramadan, redemption feeding is another source of  reaching  out to the poor(Fidyatu Toham), which the rich can use to atone for its inability to fast. This equally must extend to the  level of empowerment.

Crisis and challenges of eradicating the Almajiri is now  a monstrous challenge  for Government and the society because of the socio-economic and sociological challenges associated to its eradication.

However, the concept of been our brother's keeper whereby the rich ones support Government 's efforts may effectively address this area this is because  rehabilitation without vocational training support and engagement will never be sustainable and satisfactory  for the victims of this social menace.

Religious leaders must place emphasis on how to make operational  Sodaqat, Zakat and Fidyatu Toham, that is voluntary alms giving, to become our natural ways of life, for the needy and the poor to be effectively taken care of. Ramadan Kareem.

Thursday, 7th May

Zakat L' Fitri, that is alms giving to climax the Ramadan fast, may be in monetary terms or food materials, most especially grains by the family for the purpose of reaching out to the poor through  the coordinating Imam, who must be God fearing in the distribution.

Muslims must continue to recite Quran 90 to get acquainted with the importance of making charity as an atonement of sins that have not been criminalized.

The excerpts from this chapter refers '' But man has not made haste on the path that is steep and what will explain to thee the path  that is steep, it is freeing the bound man or the giving of food in a day of deprivation, to the orphan with claims of relationship or to the indigent down in the dust. Such giver must equally be of those who believe in God, enjoying patience, constancy  and self-restraint and also enjoying deeds of kindness and compassion.''

Decide to be one today. Ramadan Kareem.

Friday, 8th May

Every nation where kleptocracy characterize governance, self centered thoughts  dominates the  lives  of the elite, always records poor  tales of poverty, hunger, homelessness, armed robbery and characteristic state of insecurity.

The almighty Allah therefore warns against miserly behavior in the Holy Quran 92 : 8-12. '' But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self sufficient and gives the lie to the best, that is (charity), he will indeed make smooth for him the path to Misery nor will his wealth profit him when he falls headlong into the pit. Verily will take upon us to guide.''

This is why the Holy Quran 13 : 18 declared ''for those who respond to their lord  are all good things, but those who respond not to Him, even if they had all that is in the heaven and on earth and as much more in vain offer it for ransom. For them will the reckoning  be terrible, their abode will be hell,-what a bed of misery.''

The ravaging coronavirus pandemic attests to this.

Uphold charity and shun miserly life to eradicate poverty and hunger for ensured peace in the land. Ramadan Kareem.

Prof. Sabitu Olagoke

Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide,Wakajaiye, Ibadan, Nigeria

As Muslim faithful all over the world make last minute preparations for the commencement of the 30 day Ramadan fast, in this interview with People, the founder, Spiritual Head and Grand  Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Ilsam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke says the period should be used in promoting and achieving the culture of the fear of God. Excerpts :

What is your message to the Muslim faithful as they make  last minute preparations for the  Ramadan fast ?

Over the years since mankind has been observing Ramadan fast it has always been the ritual of ceremonial features, despite the structure  divinely packaged into, for example Tarawih, a voluntary Nawafin during the night of Ramadan, Qiyamulayl voluntary Nawalfin on the midnight during the month of Ramadan. 3) Tilawatul Quran study of the Holy Quran  beyond mere recitation, but deep down into meditation al  realm for self reformation. 4) Tafsirul Quran that is in depth analysis on the Quran including the contextual content implications.

Sermon over the media as e-learning or distance learning, unfortunately, all these and others are unconsciously taken, making the exercise to be trivialized into a ritual object without impact, both on the lives of the adherents and the  environment in which they reside. When the set goal of Ramadan is neither addressed nor met, the whole exercise go below divine expectation, making mankind to continue to swim in the debris of the brick bats of their misdemeanor .

Preparations for the Ramadan fast by the design of Allah needs to start in the seventh month of the Lunar calendar, Rajab, when adherents and non-believers are expected to go for body preservation from sins and crimes, with all the determination of purpose. In the eight month of the Lunar calendar the Shaaban, mankind most especially the adherents are expected  to go for soul purification from all evil thoughts. 

The essence of this  is best captured in the Hadith of the Holy  Prophet Muhammed on the need to respect this as the entry requirements for adherents to be able to learn correctly, without distractions, the lessons brought forth by Ramadan. For him or her to be able to receive full dividends of been reformed, into a transformer, most especially in the scheme of building the home, the community and the nation at large into a virile and strong institution.

The main thrust of observing Ramadan fast is to be able to meet up in achieving for oneself and his or her environment, the culture of institutional discipline  and fear of God, that translates into having high respect for the fundamental human right of others and going through due process in doing things. For example, in politics, classical management and astute administration are expected to be upheld to realize good governance, where the issue of justice and equity do not attract challenges of agitations, molestation and marginalization. Leaders with the fear of God will promote well informed citizenry  and an environment of safe and secure society, peace and sustainable development. If truly we appreciate the provisions of the almighty Allah on how to make  effective Ramadan fast, our focus would have been on its original purpose of promoting and achieving the culture of the fear of God. For example, some people are relieved from observing it, but may pay it back in the other month, if they are under these conditions- women in their menstrual period, sickly people and travelers  who may suffer from severe fatigue. Exempted totally,  are the senior citizens within their gerontology period, women under gestation, women in their breast feeding period, sickly adherents with terminal diseases. Those who are to observe the 29 or 30 days of fasting must realize that they must not go to 31 or observe 28 days, irrespective of the period that the Ramadan began fast.

The fasting exercise must be holistically emphasized without observers resorting to any of the following-1)Drinking and eating during the day. 2) Having sexual affairs during the day. 3) Bed wetting during the day. 4) Breaking the fats with alcoholic drinks or drug abuse. 5) Cursing, abusing, slandering and backbiting. 6)Any form of romance outside an individual's marriage, such as adultery, fornication etc. The design of God on Ramadan fast is to achieve for Him, a disciplined mind, which will take God first before  taking any decision for implementation. For example, in counseling intervention, business transactions, routine work activities, management of home affairs and governance. Man should realize that the dividends inherent in achieving    this culture of the fear of God as stated in the Holy books-1) Quran 8 : 29 Divine immunity from all abuses of life. 2) Protection against all evil attacks and the ultimate is forgiveness of sins, for an individual to be wholesome with all authority to command respect from people and the jinx, this is in tandem with the divine submission. Proverbs 1 : 7 and Proverbs14 26-27 states that ''the fear of God is the beginning  of knowledge''. '' But fools despise wisdom and run away from admonition. If you fear God , you will have a secure fortress and a protection for your children, you will have a fountain for life, that would turn you from the snares of death''. Above all, we must realize that  God is ever monitoring our level of scripture compliance if the content of the Holy Quran 13 : 11 and Quran 10 : 61-62 are anything to go by. Society on the other hand want to see the people of Nigeria and the rest of the world through  the following observable characteristics  that will justify the Ramadan  fast period as a right training session for our socio-spiritual enhancement. We must therefore come out of the exercise as graduates with class of distribution in thoughts, words , deeds and acts and as a reliable instrument of power to turn around into better social organ, the fortunes of the community and the nation.

The observable characteristics are : 1) Positive self image, whereby relevance is your watchword.

2) Building up self confidence whereby you should be able to express yourself based on wisdom and without fear. 3) Enhanced self esteem that would promote your culture of integrity that will make you command respect from people, rather than forcing people to respect you. 5) Live a life of positive mental attitude for ease of relocation in issues concerning firmness of purpose in taking right decisions for the purpose of been exact, fair, precise in judgments, to live a flawless and faultless exemplary lifestyle, whereby you do not cast penalty of mistakes made by you on other people. Ramadan season and session must be able to culture our system and its environment  for us to be able to have a well ordered society free of pollution and plagues.

As the corona virus pandemic continues to ravage the Federal republic of Nigeria, Nigerians have expressed worry over the fact that the the President’s speech did not touch on financial palliatives and social welfare packages for the citizenry, even though restriction of movement has commenced in several states, although the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is yet to declare a State of Emergency, it could put paid to the criminality of Political Office Holders. In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual Head of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke opines that the leadership has a lot to do for impoverished Nigerians. Excerpts : 

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic the Federal Government has restricted movement in Lagos state, Federal Capital Territory and Ogun state, while a number of states have done same earlier one, without Financial Palliatives and Social Welfare for the citizenry. What are the implications ?

COVID 19 has exposed the emptiness of humanity and the susceptibility to any environmental hazards ,most especially for when severity clause is attached. Leadership is much tested during the period of human travails and capabilities is best measured in the way conflicts are been resolved for Nigeria, it has always been pathetic records of complaints from the governed against the way the affairs of the country has been handled since the period of independence in 1960.

The efforts of Government at all levels is always a case of no proactive measures and fire brigade games of afterthought. The major problem is that ab initio,we lack the desk of the Think Thanks and we respect less the might of our professionals, whose views, directives and instructions would have come earlier to help government proffer appropriate solutions. 

The All Wokreras Convergence(AWC) has expressed optimism that the review of the minimum qualification  for the postion of President and Governor shall put an end to poor governance in Nigeria.

The AWC made this known through its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

''It is a welcome idea, probably this will help us reduce the pace of poor governance as noticed in the present administration in the country. Perhaps the poor performances of political office holders motivated or rather necessitated this recent move by the Senate. However, it is a temporary relief even when  we are educated people in charge of our different Ministries, Departments and Agencies, there is still  corruption and poor administration therefore what is expected in the long run is ideological clarity in order to get the best to lead Nigeria'', Comrade Emelieze noted.

The All Workers Convergence(AWC) has expressed doubts over the state of preparedness of both the Federal and State Governments in Nigeria to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

The AWC made this position known through its National coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

‘’The fact that the National Assembly attacked the Federal Government for not making adequate preparations for the pandemic despite repeated warnings from the World Health Organization(WHO) shows the lack of preparedness on the part of government. It is obvious that government seems not to be prepared for any eventuality. Painfully, stranded Nigerians in China have been abandoned by government to their fate. The AWC urges the Government to take immediate steps to evacuate Nigerians in China.’’

‘’Indeed, Nigerians are placing their hopes on God to survive these dangerous times, regardless of the assurances and reassurances by government and its agents that it has put measures in place to curb the spread of the pandemic’’, Comrade Emelieze stated.

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A High Court in Kampala Uganda has ordered the immediate release of Dr. Stella Nyanzi.

Dr. Nyanzi had appealed the judgment of  a  lower court which convicted and sentenced her to 18 months imprisonment for harassing President Yoweri Museveni

The trial Judge, Justice Peter Adonyo who heard the appeal submitted that the trial Magistrate, Gladys Kamasanyu of the  Buganda Magistrate Court  had no jurisdiction to convict  Dr. Nyanzi of cyber harassment.

Furthermore, the Judge declared that the prosecution failed to provide evidence showing the location of device where the offence was committed.

“Prosecution did not as well ascertain the kind of device which was used to send as the digital prints were not presented before Buganda road,” the judge observed.

The Judge  noted  that  Dr Nyanzi and her lawyers were not allowed enough time to prepare their defense thus amounting to unfairness, while disclosing that  the first prosecution witness did not provide a forensic report on his findings indicating which mobile data was used after he asserted that Dr Nyanzi might have used a phone.

Dr. Nyanzi who has served nine out of the 18 months sentence, collapsed after the judgment was delivered and was hurriedly was rushed out of the court room for medical care.

Political parties and civil society groups in Nigeria have been called upon to form a coalition that shall have the capacity of winning elections at lower levels of government.

This call was made recently by Barrister Femi Aborishade at the General Executive Council meeting of the Socialist Workers and Youth League(SWL) in Ibadan, Nigeria.

‘’Political parties and civil society groups should form a coalition to win elections at some levels of governance. There is a need for a minimum program for the interest of the ordinary people. I cannot be involved in any political party that we cannot argue out our ideas’’, Barr. Aborishade declared.

Speakers at the meeting which include the League’s Chairperson, Comrades Kemi Afolayan, Dew Povey, Helen, Andrew Emelieze, Peter, Abiodun Oladosu and Lai Browne among others were unanimous on the need for stakeholders to be focused and unrelenting in their quest to facilitate the emergence of a responsible and people oriented leadership in Nigeria.