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A former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Oyo State, Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo, has urged Muslims across the country to see political participation and the issue of governance as a matter of priority.
Adebayo made the plea on Sunday in Ibadan at a homecoming programme organised by the University of Ibadan Muslim Graduates’ Association (UIMGA) where some distinguished members of the association, including the nation’s vice president, Kashim Shettima, were honoured.
According to Adebayo, who was the lecturer at the event, the community of Muslims in Nigeria will be greatly undoing itself if it exhibits apathy to issues of political participation and governance.
The former Attorney-General said: “Our large numbers (we are in the majority in this country), which should be an asset to us, are not being utilised maximally as far as political participation and affairs are concerned. A confirmed statistical report shows that among every five Nigerians, three are Muslims. This is not a matter of ‘go and verify it’, rather, it is an established fact.
“We must face some facts frontally. You cannot claim to be practising Islam and refuse to be concerned about political activities. You may not be a partisan member of any political party, but you must not be apathetic towards political activities and the issue of governance; at least, you must be interested in choosing or electing those who will govern you.”
Adebayo noted that: “Gone are the days when we have dearth of Muslim professionals in the critical and various sectors of our nation. Now, we have them in abundance and we are even the best in all the sectors you may think of. We must therefore not play a second fiddle or blank ourselves by absenteeism in political participation.”
He cited the processes of choosing the first four caliphs who succeeded Prophet Muhammad after his death as proof that Islam supports the idea of electing leaders.
“They were all spiritual leaders as well as political leaders. And if we agree or believe that they were all ‘rightly guided’ or ‘perfect’, why then must we fail to emulate them and or aspire to be like them?” he added.
He said it was even trite to say that political participation is also a form of jihad, noting: “If, as Muslims, we are not represented at any level of government, won’t that government, whether we like it or not, appoint members who will regulate the pilgrimage to perform hajj? And will that appointment be done in our best interest?”
The legal expert, however, cautioned: “If we are participating in political activities and matters of governance, we must be good ambassadors of Islam and Muslims that Islam too would be proud of.”
Earlier, the UIMGA president, Alhaji Mojeed Adebayo Imran, described the programme as the first of its kind in the history of the association.
Alhaji Imran, who reeled out some of the achievements of UIMGA, stated that the homecoming programme was meant to show gratitude to Allah who has bestowed His favours on members of the association through their appointments and elevations in their various areas of specialisation. (Tribune)
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