The Imam of Apo Legislative Quarters Jumat Mosque in Abuja, Sheikh Muhammad Nuru Khalid, has stated that the spate of insecurity and other social maladies bedeviling the country stemmed from disunity and collapse of institutions and values.
The Islamic cleric made the disclosure in Abuja on Thursday at a cocktail organized to present a book translated into the Hausa language which is titled: “The Infinite Light, The Pride of Humanity” and authored by Sheikh Fethullah Gulen – a spiritual leader of the Hizmet Movement, whose content extols the virtues of tolerance and sacrifice for the common good of humanity as exemplified in the life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), among other values.
According to Sheikh Khalid, the best weapon Nigeria can use against the menace of insecurity and other challenges confronting her was to unite above all human differences while upholding the belief in humanity.
He said the darkness that is consuming the world today was a lack of peace, which in turn stems from people’s inability to accommodate each others’ differences, thereby causing disunity and all the attendant problems including insecurity.
He added that the book urges people to forge unity across differences and learn to sacrifice for humanity.
“One basic problem that leads to disunity is lack of belief in humanity. If we realize that we are all descendants of Adam and Eve, then we should be able to de-emphasize our social differences. All we need to promote is piety, righteousness, and unity,” he said.
Speaking to newsmen prior to the cocktail, the cleric said Nigeria lacked peace because all the institutions had collapsed to the extent that even religion and politics had been hijacked by criminals and inhuman persons.
He said: “We lack peace in Nigeria today because we got everything wrong, our institutions have collapsed; our family institution is not more working; our politics has been hijacked by some criminals who are criminalizing everything. They use the youth and loot our resources. Our education system is not working because people don’t have value in education anymore.
“Most, unfortunately, religion has been hijacked by inhuman people who are preaching hatred and disunity.”
