Ahead of Monday’s Eid-el-Kabir festival in Ilorin,Kwara state capital, UMAR BAYO ABDULWAHAB, reflects on the previous attacks at the prayer ground, the issues involved and efforts by stakeholders to nip this in the bud.
Residents of the ancient Islamic city of Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, particularly the Muslim Ummah, have continued to reflect on the ugly experience of the 2015 Eid-el-Kabir festival at the Ilorin main Eid prayer ground. The praying ground was turned to a ‘war theatre’ as some miscreants hauled stones and sachet water at dignitaries after the prayers.
Since then, there is always apprehension ahead during any sallah festival at the main praying ground.
Warning signal
An indication that the ugly situation might play out again during the last eid-el-fitri celebration, was demonstrated during this year’s end of traditional Ramadan celebration at the Emir’s palace. At the event that ran through the night, some hoodlums disrupted the programme, and expectedly the sallah festival that followed the next day was observed amidst tight security.
And curiously, the state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, Senate President, Dr .Bukola Saraki, Speaker, House of Assembly, Dr. Ali Ahmad and top government officials and politicians, all stayed away from the praying ground.
Besides, last Tuesday’s protest by local government workers over unpaid seven months salary areas just less than one week to the celebration, is yet a further indication that all is not well.
Fallout
As a fallout of this insecurity at the central praying ground, various communities in and around Ilorin, created their eid praying ground where they observed the last eid-el-fitri prayers. Similarly, the annual traditional sallah Homage Bareke to the state governor by the emir, did not also take place.
The bitter experience of the two previous Sallah festivals lingers in the memories of many residents, amidst rising tension of protest by council workers over unpaid seven months salaries. All these are enough indicators that a repeat of the last year’s episode might play out.
To prevent a recurrence and ensure security of lives and property at the praying ground and other parts of the capital city, stakeholders in Ilorin emirate and the state government are working assiduously to nip it in the bud.
Spiritual approach
In the last two weeks, there have been aggressive campaigns against any act of lawlessness at the praying grounds as some clerics continued to condemn the ugly episode of last year.
One of those who publicly came out to speak against the disturbing trend, is the Chief Imam of Hilal Crescent Mosque, GRA, Ilorin, Professor Yusuf ‘Lanre Badmas.
Yusuf, who teaches Islamic Studies at the University of Ilorin, cautioned Muslim worshipers in Ilorin against using eid praying ground to propagate political sloganeering and settle political scores.
In his Friday sermon, Yusuf who is also the Dean, School of Post Graduate Studies, said eid prayer should be observed free of rancour and acrimony. He stated that it is alien and against the principle of Islam to use the prayer ground as an avenue to propagate political sloganeering and settle political scores, and ventilate certain grievances.
He noted that peace, which Islam primarily depicts, must always reflect in the dos and don’ts of every faithful.
“We Muslims are not expected to behave in the manner that would project Islam in bad light, but correct erroneous impression in some quarters,” the cleric said.
Yusuf, said it was expected of all Muslim faithful to exemplify the virtues of Prophet Muhammed (SAW) while heading to the prayer ground by reciting words of Almighty.
“In few days to come, every Muslim faithful will converge on Ilorin Eid Praying Ground to observe prayers. It is very important we remind ourselves that the prayer ground is not for political sloganeering or to settle political scores. It is very wrong to use the sacred ground to ventilate certain grievances.
“We are not expected to exhibit lawlessness and act of violence. There are several quarters provided to channel our problems but not in the praying ground where we are expected to maintain absolute decorum and be pious.
“It should be at the back of our mind that our going to the mosque was to constantly remember Allah, pray unto Him, seek forgiveness from our sins and beseech Him for more blessings”, the don said.
IEDPU’s Security Summit
Also working toward achieving the same goal, the apex socio-cultural organisation of Ilorin indigenes, the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressives Union (IEDPU), in collaboration with Ilorin Metro Peace and Security initiative, last weekend held stakeholders forum on security in Ilorin,the state capital.
Declaring the forum open, the IEDPU President, Alhaji AbdulHamid Adi, decried last year’s disruption of prayers at the Ilorin praying ground and warned residents to desist from the ungodly act.
He said the praying ground is a sacred place of worship which should not be desecrated for whatever reason. To curb restiveness among the youths of the Emirate, Adi unfolded plans by the union to engage 500 youths in various vocational skills.
He said the union was aware of the prevailing unemployment problem and decided to put up gamut of effort to reduce the menace to the barest minimum.
He listed vocational trainings the youth would undergo to include fashion designing, farming, fishery and hair dressing, all geared towards discouraging the youth from brigandage and violence.
The IEDPU President said the union had begun collation of forms distributed to the beneficiaries preparatory to the take-off of the scheme. He disclosed that about 40 youths are currently undergoing training at the vocational centre of National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Budo-Efo, saying the initiative was a fallout of the 2014 security summit organised by the union.
In his remark, chairman, Ilorin Metro Peace and Security Initiative, Alhaji Abdullahi Yusuf, said the meeting was summoned to avert brewing religious unrest in some areas within Ilorin community.
Governor Ahmed, clerics meeting
Also playing his parts, the state governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, last weekend had an interaction with Muslim scholars in Ilorin, the state capital. At the forum, the governor took time to explain his administration’s plan to embark on certain infrastructural developments projects. This however, is attracting criticism from some stakeholders who believe workers salaries should be prioritised in the face of the harsh economic situation in the country.
He also made case for teachers by advocating that burden of paying their salaries be removed from local government.
Responding, one of the scholars, Dr Abubakar Aligan, called on the state government to urgently stem the activities of misguided Muslim fundamentalists in the state to prevent an emergence of terrorism.
Although, the state governor, during an emergency meeting with local government chairmen and officials of the National Association of Local Government Employees (NULGE), expressed the readiness of his government to assist the councils in payment of salaries, the state government must be seen to be matching its words with action.
While one appreciates effort by stakeholders to avert a recurrence, observers are of the view that this might not yield the right result if hunger, the reason for the anger, is not adequately addressed. After all, “a hungry man”, they say, “is an angry man”.