Sultan, Saraki, Ahmed, Amosun, others eulogize El-Ilory

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has advised Nigerians to intensify prayers for their leaders in any situation. He said it would be in the interest of all and sundry if the leaders implemented programmes and policies that would transform the nation and […]

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has advised Nigerians to intensify prayers for their leaders in any situation.

He said it would be in the interest of all and sundry if the leaders implemented programmes and policies that would transform the nation and the constituent states.

He spoke in Lagos during the centenary celebration of the founder of Arabic and Islamic Institute (Markaz), Agege and renowned Islamic scholar, Shaykh Adam Abdullahi El-Ilory.

Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, Governors of Kwara and Ogun State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed and Senator Ibikunle Amosun, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore, former President of Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami, Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Zulu Gambari, Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Dr. Ali Ahmad, among other dignitaries graced the event.

Themed ‘Moving Nigeria to greatness,…through the works of Adam’, scholars from home and abroad are to give papers on various topics. Speakers hailed El-Ilory’s promotion of religious tolerance, unity and peace in the heterogeneous country.

The Muslim leader, who eulogized the late scholar reputed to have modernized religious preaching, urged all and sundry to emulate his patriotism and nationalism demonstrated through his many public lectures which proffered solutions to the many socio-economic and political challenges facing the nation.  

Sultan however called on politicians to channel their wealth into assisting Islamic institutes like Markaz which are in the vanguard of promoting godliness and entrenching moral rectitude among the youths.

Abubakar said, “Development and sciences started from the Muslim Ummah. This was the legacy inherited and advanced by the late Sheikh. But where are we (the Muslims) today? We need to re-evaluate ourselves and retrace our steps…. The world is not waiting for us. We must do everything to promote the legacies of knowledge”.

The Senate President, who pledged the donation of a three-story Hostel building said he would continue to support the institute to make it a modern institution in order to promote Islamic education in the country.

Saraki advocated qualitative and religious education as a veritable tool to achieving a greater country, saying the Senate would continue to make laws that would provide conducive atmosphere for learning in order to eradicate illiteracy.

He extolled the contributions of Sheikh Adam Abdullahi El- Ilory to the teachings and propagation of Islamic and Arabic knowledge in the country.

Amosun also eulogized El-Ilory for his wisdom in setting up the institute as a foremost citadel of learning and the current proprietor for sustaining the legacies.

Amosun called on Muslim clerics to right the wrong by preaching to their subjects that Islam is not synonymous to terrorism.

Governor Ahmed lauded the late Sheikh for taking the concept of human capital development very seriously and urged Nigeria to emulate him, saying the greatest problem facing the nation is lack of human capital development.

Ahmed called on religious leaders to promote peaceful co-existence and religious tolerance among Nigerians and also appealed to citizens to provide useful information to the security agents in order to prevent loss of lives and prosperity saying that community policing must be embraced by  government at all levels to tackle insecurity.

Yusuf Jumah, head of the Markaz alumni, said the centenary was to celebrate intellectualism, courage, erudition and other great things El-Ilory represented.

Jumah announced a proposal to establish a university in honour of the late Muslim thinker, beginning with a $7million development fund, and called on the Nigerian authorities and the business community to contribute to the cause.

“Our aspiration is to preserve his legacy and take it to the next level. We aspire to promote scholarship …and research, and build more infrastructures to accommodate more students, raise its stature to a tertiary institution with lecturers from wide and far, especially Azhar University,” he said.