THE Obafemi Awolowo University Muslim Graduates’ Association (UNIFEMGA) has recommended the adoption of the Islamic concept of leadership which is rooted in the institutionalisation of principles of integrity, honesty and competence rather than patronage.
The association gave the recommendation in a communiqué issued after its 2024 National Reunion Conference held at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, between May 17 and May 19.
The conference lecture, titled ‘Changing Nigeria’s Consumption-based Economy to a Service and Production-based Economy’, was delivered by the senator for Ogun Central and Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, with the Group Managing Director of CRC Credit Bureau Limited, Dr Ahmed Tunde Popoola, as the chairman of the occasion.
According to the communique, which was signed by UNIFEMGA National President, Mohammed Buari, and National Secretary, Sefiu Ikudaisi, the conference observed that the failure of leadership in Nigeria has caused the nation a lot of challenges.
“We have witnessed civil strife, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, corruption, economic comatose, political rascality and social disorder on the increase,” the association said.
It stated the series of security crises “we are witnessing in the country is due largely to insensitivity on the part of our leaders and inadequate intelligence gathering on the part of the security agencies, which constitute a great challenge to good governance and a threat to democracy and economic growth in the country.”
UNIFEMGA said “The Renewed Hope agenda of the President Bola Tinubu administration is supposed to reset Nigeria’s economic advancement and ease the burden of hardship on the citizenry, but thus far, the selfish activities of saboteurs and insensitivity of our leaders made the last one year a tough one for everybody.”
It added that “the effects of the removal of petrol subsidy and the floating of the Naira on the prices of foodstuffs, goods and services almost paralysed the nation, hence, the need for the nation to think out of the box and come up with a service and production-based economy.
The association called on the Federal Government to show commitment to fighting corruption which it said had eaten deep into the fabric of the society “by being accountable and transparent in the business of the government, while those found culpable should be made to face the wrath of the law.”
Since Nigeria is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society, it stated, “efforts should be geared towards upholding the letter and spirit of the principle of Federal Character without sacrificing merit in all governmental affairs and appointments.”
It condemned “the terrorist acts in some parts of the country, mob actions, jungle and selective killings of innocent Nigerians, and we advise the Federal Government to avoid the present stereotype of pigeon-holing it as a religious issue; it is more of a political, ethnic and economic issue.
The conference also witnessed the presentation of 118 scholarships and grants to OAU undergraduate and postgraduate students at a cost of N11.5 million by the association, which has disbursed over N60 million to 1,168 students of the Institution.
The association also had its Annual General Meeting (AGM) where its activities in the past one year were reviewed, and appointed a new set of member of the National Executive Council led by Alhaji Mohammed Buari following the expiration of the tenure of the former National Executive Council.
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