Governor Uba Sani has called for developing a framework for the reinvention of Islamic education to align with global dynamics in equipping youths with life skills.

The governor made the call while addressing a three-day conference on Islamic Learning and Scholarship in Africa, organised by Arewa House in conjunction with the `Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC)` in Kaduna.

Mr Sani described it as timely and apt in projecting the contribution of the Muslim world to global knowledge, noting that the Sokoto Caliphate held the distinction of being a leading contributor of knowledge in Africa.

He said famous Islamic reformer Usman Bin Fodio and his brother Sheikh Abdullahi Fodio made enduring contributions to moral leadership, spiritual knowledge, agriculture and commerce.

He emphasised that it was important to equip young people with skills that would enable them to compete globally and contribute meaningfully to society.

Speaking at the event, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, said over 3.2 million books from 200 works of Islamic scholars from the Sokoto Caliphate had been edited, published and distributed across Nigeria.

The sultan said the books were published in` English, Arabic` and Hausa languages, stating that the exposure to African heritage would help restore the identity of Africans and their worth and prepare them for the future, stressing that the Caliphate leaders alone wrote over 300 works, considered the works of the daughter of Usman Danfodio Nana Asma’u and some of his students like AbdulKadir zul Mustapha.

He said those works covered a wide range of subjects from well-known Islamic scientists of tafsir, Qur’an, sociology, economy, political science and medicine.

“We have so far edited and published over 3.2 million books of 200 works of these great leaders, and they have gone round the country and libraries of individuals and schools across the world,” the sultan added. “These books are in English, Arabic and Hausa and insha Allah. At the end of this conference, I will bring some of these books to our guests, at least those from outside the country.”

(NAN)