Date: 14th Jumada Thany, 1435 (14-04-2014)
Preamble: Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) held its Annual meeting of the Central Council, which is the highest decision making body of the Organization, on Monday, 14th Jumada Thany, 1435 (14th April, 2014) at its Headquarters in Kaduna under the distinguished chairmanship of His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni. The meeting was declared open by the Governor of Kaduna State, His Excellency, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, FCNA, MNIM, who was also the Chief Host, and was attended by HRH the Shehu of Borno and Deputy President General and a cross-section of other distinguished Royal Highnesses, renowned Muslim Scholars and distinguished guests from all parts of the country.
In his opening remarks, His Eminence welcomed all members and guests to the meeting and thanked them for attending. He then condemned in absolute terms the most recent bomb blast at the Nyanya Motor Park, Abuja, He prayed to the Almighty Allah to expose both the masterminds and executors of the horrible incident. He emphasized that the maintenance of security is a collective responsibility of all people and not just that of the government. He also condoled with the families and relatives of the victims of the incident, and further prayed to Allah grant them the fortitude to bear the agony. The chairman went further and called for special prayer for the victims of the Nyanya bomb blasts and other insurgent activities, as well as some members of the council who lost their lives after the last meeting.
In his remarks, His Excellency, the Governor of Kaduna State, also commiserated with the people of Nigeria on the unfortunate Nyanya incident, emphasizing the necessity of prayer and the need for Nigerians to eschew vices and evils that invite the wrath of Allah upon us. He called on the Central Council to actively participate in contributing to the educational development of our society by setting up educational institutions at all levels of the educational ladder. The Governor also called on the Council to discuss the problem of moral decadence in the society especially among the youth who have become generally rude and unruly. He finally reminded the Council about the importance of the unity of the Ummah at all times and then declared the meeting open.
Observations: At the end of its deliberations the Council observed:
1. That the Country is being turned into a theatre of bloodshed which requires putting heads together to bring an end to the menace of senseless violence and killings.
2. That the phenomenon of street begging by young and vulnerable children in the name of Qur’anic education still thrives and remains an eyesore and a menace that continues to tarnish the image of the Muslim Ummah .
3. That while education is one of the most important tools for national development, it has not received the desired attention and commitment.
4. That for any organization to function effectively especially in the modern world, it must have reliable and sustainable sources of financing its activities.
5. That the inclusive leadership style of His Eminence the Sultan has gone far in uniting the Muslims in Nigeria and promoting among them the culture and spirit of mutual respect, tolerance and understanding. Resolutions:
In the light of the observations made above, the Meeting resolved as follows:
1. That government at all levels should take all necessary measures to provide security to all the citizens. In that regard, it was considered necessary for the Government to join hands with Traditional and Religious Leaders. In the same vein, all Nigerians should put sentiments aside to confront the challenge of insecurity through concerted efforts.
2. That the Ummah should focus most on establishing zakat and Awqaf institutions and ensure their proper management in order to achieve poverty alleviation and economic development.
3. That the JNI will continue to cooperate with the government at ail levels in dealing with all insecurity situations according to the laws of the country.
4. That we must be more proactive in dealing with issues so as to contend them before they become problematic.
5. That JNI should be more decisive and firm in addressing all issues affecting Islam and Muslims according to the tenets of Islam.
6. That the JNI would partner with government in the running integrated Almajiri schools and also collaborate with donor agencies and friendly countries to establish skill acquisition and vocational centers for our teaming youth.
7. The meeting called on all Muslim groups and individuals to lend their support and join hands with His Eminence in working assiduously towards ensuring the much needed unity, peace, stability and development of Nigeria.
8. That the JNI thanked the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for his continuous support to the JNI.
Signed
Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu
Secretary-General
