2017: Islamic Cleric Urges FG to Rescue Nation from Unemployment, Poverty

By Sakin Babalola, Ibadan

Youths under the aegis of Shafaudeen young Men and Women Association of Nigeria have called on the governments at all levels to find lasting solution to the menace of employment and poverty and the threat it poses on the national security.

The Chairman of the association, Alfa Waheed Olawale-Adegoke who made the call at the end of the Annual Week programme organized by the association said he was not happy with high rate of unemployment and its effect on the nation’s economy.

According to Adegoke “Governments are finding it difficult to pay workers salaries, provide basic amenities and achieve anything substantial in the areas of functional infrastructures. I hereby implore governments  at all levels, to make adequate provision for youth empowerment, job creation and pay workers salaries as at when due.”

Alfa Adegoke commended  Professor Sabit Ariyo Olagoke, the Founder and Spiritual Head of Shafaudeen In-Islam World Wide  for his passion and commitment to the nurturing of his followers and propagation of Islamic religion in the country saying, “he has spent a fortune on preaching religious tolerance and harmony in the country. He detests religious violence under any guise.”

The renowned Islamic Scholar and marriage counselor, Professor  Olagoke JP in his lecture, listed criteria to be strictly adhered to in order to minimise or out rightly avoid rising  incidents of divorce and its repercussion on the affected families and the society.

Professor Olagoke who spoke  on “Family breakdown and challenges of responsibility” during the 2016 Annual Shafaudeen Young Men and Women Week which took place at the International Head Quarters of Shafaudeen In Islam Worldwide Wakajaye, Ibadan frowned at rising incidents of  family breakdown.

The Cleric  challenged religious leaders and parents of would be couples to brace up for their responsibilities adding that they should be fully involved in nurturing future families to avert divorces.

“The period of courtship is not meant for fun but for harmonization to reduce differences,adaptability for amenability and decisive determination for certified compatibility. This is why in marriage, Clerics or marriage Ministers must ensure that the following conditions are met as a rule for marriage consolidation with good foundation and foundations.

Speaking on conditions to be followed before going into marriage, the scholar added that “mutual consent based on no force or sentiment but on established flow of love, concerns for orderly prioritization of natural considerations must have taken place.

“Acceptable status of wealth of parents to avoid gold digger accusation, agreeable depth of beauty or handsomeness, acceptable level of scholarship and intelligence quotient, agreeable and acceptable level of religious or cultural understanding and practice to manage the upcoming voyage of life. Godliness and code of life are fundamental entities here”, he said.

On bride price the Cleric said “dowry based on religious rites and cultural practice is not negotiable. This is to establish the genuiness of the love and to further reinforce it as oath of allegiance that the man shall be taken care of as responsible husband and that the woman shall be protected from all forms of abuse against all odds and under any circumstance.

He noted that the essence of engagement ceremony is to identify with families of would be in-laws and the gifts presented as prescribed are to be distributed and shared accordingly for the wife’s families-core and extended to accept with love and passion the marriage and to ensure that it succeeds with overwhelming heartfelt support.

Emphasizing the embarrassing effect of divorce and the essence of avoiding it, Olagoke said “products of broken homes often times, are thugs, armed robbers, drug addicts, prostitutes and truants from schools. Most of them therefore become liabilities to the society as well as lacking the access to fundamental needs for even growth and development”