A lecturer at the Faculty of Management Sciences, Department of Finance, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Dr AbdulAzeez AbdulRaheem, said Nigeria must break away from colonial imperialism to make progress.

AbdulRaheem spoke on “Economic Insecurity in Nigeria- Islamic Solutions” at the 10th Ramadan Lecture organised by Anwar-ul-Islam Old Students Association in Lagos.

The don said: “For Nigeria to make progress, it must detach itself from the body of colonial imperialism. With colonial imperialism, we won’t be able to do things we need to do to make us successful. We must stand firm to grow our own democracy base on our ideals, culture and experiences, otherwise we continue to dance around as a nation.”

He said that Nigerian leaders must allow accountability in governance, justice and equity, while also ensuring consequences for actions, to be secure and make progress.

According to him, insecurities are due to poor governance system and there are Islamic solutions to all the nation’s problems generally.

He said, “The solutions are simply for those who are ready to accept the truth. The first is accountability in governance. Accountability is very key to the success whether it is private sector or public sector. That is what our public governance is lacking.

“The second one is justice; Lack of Justice means there will be absence of peace and lack of peace will bring lack of progress and that is why Impunity in governance is rampant.

“Everybody does whatever he or she wants without any consequences and once there are no consequences to actions, there will not be progress.’’

According to him, if the leadership of any nation allows accountability, justice and consequences for actions, there is bound to be progress.

He said Nigerian leaders must be conscious of the fact that they would be accountable to God.

Another discussant, a Muslim scholar, Abdul-Fatai Abdul-Mojeed, said that God had been so gracious and wonderful to Nigeria and endowed each state with resources to create happiness for citizens.

” If we have all these, why are we still poor and go hungry? The arable land in Nigeria is 40 per cent which is very rare. So, our problem is not God, Our problems is ourselves,” he said.

He said that Nigeria had lost culture of meritocracy, sincerity, honesty and trust, but unfortunately lost all to love of money.

Decrying somersault of various government’s interventions and programmes, Mr Abdul-Mojeed, urged the leaders to always lead by examples in whatever they preach to the followers.

Also speaking, President-General, ACAOSA, Abdulfatai Afolabi, urged Muslims to continue to forge ahead with renewed determination and unwavering faith in the country amid the current challenges.

He said that ACAOSA was committed and would continue to strive hard in the cause of Al-lslam through events such Ramadan lecture to impact positively on society,

“Together, we shall strive relentlessly to elevate our alma mater and uplift the lives of our community members,” he said.

Commending all donors, Mr Afolabi disclosed that old students would refurbish the school’s Mainhall with 13 air conditioning split unit pledged by old students.

Launching the association Endowments Fund, the president-general donated N5 million to members of the association.

The Chairman of 2024 Ramadan Planning Committee, Abubakr Adenle, described the Ramadan lecture as “not just an event but a journey of growth and shared success.”

Highlighting the achievement of previous lectures, Mr Adenle commended the donors for their contributions to develop the school infrastructure.

“A decade ago, the seed of our annual Ramadan lecture was planted and today, it has flourished into a magnificent tree, symbolising the strength and unity of our association,” he said.

Director of Dietetics, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Bolanle Ottun, urged Muslims faithful to eat in moderation while breaking their fast.

Urging Muslims to watch out for signs of ulcer while fasting and know how to break the fast, Ms Ottun advised them to drink a lot of water to prevent constipation and kidney problems while fasting.

(NAN)