THE National Association of Proprietors of Arabic and Islamic Schools (NAPAIS) has appealed to its members and Nigerians in general to refrain from participating in the planned nationwide protest slated for next month.
The plea was contained in a communique after an emergency meeting of the association held on Tuesday in Ibadan, Oyo State, on the state of the nation.
The communique was signed by the AAIS South West acting president, Sheikh Muhammadu-Jamiu Abdulgafar who doubles as the NAPAIS national president; the acting General Secretary of the association, Sheikh Salaudeen Miftau, and the chairmen of the association in the six the South West states.
NAPAIS implored security agencies to be at alert and step up surveillance around national monuments, public infrastructure and institutions which may likely be the targets of the “planned insurrection.”
While reaffirming its support for the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government, the association commended the government’s donation of 740 trucks of rice to the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to alleviate the food crisis in the land.
It urged state governments to follow suit by ensuring continuous and just distribution of palliatives for the grains to trickle down to the needy with a view to bringing succour to the masses.
The association advised President Tinubu to hire experienced hands to man the various sectors and proffer workable solutions to the myriads of challenges facing the country.
NAPAIS appealed to Nigerians to keep the faith, expressing optimism that the Supreme Court judgement of July 11th, 2024 which granted financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils in the country would breathe fresh air into the third tier of government and fast-track grass-root and national development.
It, however, urged the citizens to “be conscious of governance at the local councils, hold our elected chairmen and councillors accountable through active participation now that no one can withhold or tamper with the funds federally allocated to them on a monthly basis.”
It asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other relevant agencies to monitor local government closely for prudent resource management.
The association instructed its members to begin qunoot (special prayers) at dawn (Subhi) prayer and during the Ishai prayer for the next seven days in their various mosques to seek Allah’s intervention in the affairs of the nation.
It equally urged the members to familiarise themselves with elected council chairmen and strive to secure farmlands for cultivation of food crops to benefit from the ongoing efforts of the association to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to secure grants for all members across the country.
