Abdurrahman Ahmad, national missioner of Ansar-ud-Deen Society (ADS), has urged President Bola Tinubu’s government to leverage Islamic financial principles to address economic challenges.

He stated this at the 30th annual Ramadan lecture and special prayer for the nation on Saturday in Abuja.

The theme of the event is: “Ramadan: Sustaining Islamic Tenets in the Face of Current Economic Realities.”

Mr Ahmad said leveraging Islamic principles to address the current nation’s economic challenges could be achieved through synergy between governments and faith-based organisations.

“If we are to say the current economic realities, things are hard. There is hunger, inflation, insecurity, and everybody is panicking.

“Criminalities like insurgents are more armed than security agents, and if you look at the poverty index, Nigeria is not doing well,” the cleric said.

According to him, one of the Islamic principles is faith in Almighty Allah, which Muslims must demonstrate no matter the condition they find themselves in.

“Presently, there is hunger and hopelessness in Gaza but Muslims still pray in open fields because they don’t abandon their faith in Almighty Allah,” he said.

He also urged Nigerian leaders to be moderate in their lifestyles and share their wealth with indigents to reduce the country’s poverty.

Mr Ahmad also advocated endowment funds for mosques’ development and propagation of Islam.

“There is a need to turn the mosque not only into a worshipping centre but also into a resource centre where information and communication technology (ICT) and sporting activities can attract many people to the mosque,” he said.

In his remarks, Mohammed Olayiwola, chairman of the Abuja branch of ADS, sought the support of Muslims to remodel the ADS mosque to make it more functional.

Also speaking, Adebisi Abdulwasiu, the chairman of the occasion, commended members for holding a special prayer for its preacher and cleric, Muyideen Bello, who died recently.

(NAN)