By Martin Paul Abuja
A former Vice-Chancellor of Al Hikma University, Ilorin, Professor R.D. Abubakre, has decried the attitude of Nigerians, who unwittingly promote the spread of corruption in the country through their blind loyalty to corrupt individuals based on ethnic and religious sentiments. Th e Arabic scholar made this observation while delivering a Lecture at the 2017 Laylatul Qadri Prayers organised by the University of Ilorin Muslim Former VC decries spate of corruption Community. In the lecture titled: “Islamic Nostrum for Fighting Corruption”, Abubakre, who was represented on the occasion by Dr. AbdulHamid Yusuf of the Department of Religions, University of Ilorin, called for the adoption of aspects of the Shariah criminal justice system as a necessary measure to curb the massive corruption that has left the country’s economy comatose.
Th e don noted that Islam inculcates the virtues of equality, humility and discipline in its adherents, pointing out that all true Muslims were, therefore, expected to be above board in their private and public lives. “Corruption is a serious problem that stands as a major obstacle in the progress of any society. It hinders development and retards the growth of the society where it manifests and ultimately, it brings about poverty and deprivation.
“Like any human society, Nigeria is bedeviled with corruption at all levels of the government ranging from local to state and federal. Th is has been responsible for economic recession, social injustice, political crisis, and huge defi cit in social infrastructure and amenities. In fact, it is no gainsaying that religious and ethnic crises are logical consequences of corruption”, he added. In his goodwill message, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof AbdulGaniyu Ambali, appreciated the Almighty Allah for granting him the rare privilege of serving as VC of the university. Special Guest of Honour, former Vice-Chancellor, Unversity of Ilorin, Prof. Shuaib. Oba Abduraheem, noted that it was necessary for responsible individuals to get involved in politics rather than to sit on the fence while miscreants take the reins of power and destroy the country.
