Solomon2day

The Ramadhan fasting exercise, is a divine construct given by God to mankind as the fourth pillar of Islam, for the purpose of spiritual rejuvenation to improve the state of piety. This is to help the animal called Man to become reformed, decent, modest and disciplined enough to be able to have an easy ride in his pursuit of social desires. The signs of Lent for the Christians and the arrival of Saomu Ramadhan must be seen as a blessing to us in Nigeria to seek Divine Intervention for Government Transition and for our next political dispensation to be fruitful and beneficial to all of us in Nigeria as a nation. Prof. S. A. Olagoke JP FNSE, FNATE, FNIM, FAES Ajagun Esin of Oyo State Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam Shafaudeen In Islam Worldwide.

Running for and winning an office as a governor is an accomplishment to be proud of. More importantly, Nigeria’s democratic political sphere, for the first time in history, gave the mandate to the people, through BVAS and INEC Servers, to perfect our voting exercise to have more credible or so reliable results to produce credible leaders in the government of the next political dispensation. However, the hackers' attempt was disturbing, while vote buying was at its worst practice despite the Naira redesign and cash crunch for the Nigerians making the winners, to look like beneficiaries of the highest syndrome. However, we need to congratulate the winners for peace to reign and the transition to be smooth for the emerging leaders to be able to perform in a conducive and peaceful environment. After all, those who feel cheated or unsatisfied with the results have the basic alternative to seeking redress in a court of law. For our Governor in Oyo State, I congratulate Engr. Seyi...

The much awaited general elections are just 11 days away and preparations by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) are in an advanced stage. However, Nigerians have continued to express mixed feelings about the elections. In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke JP outlines the reasons why Nigerians must vote in a new set of leaders that possess the political will to address the country's myriad of challenges. Excerpt: Do you think the outcome of the general elections will usher in a new set of leaders in Nigeria? Credible leadership in the Nigerian context is a farce, if we are to consider the socio-behavioral status of each of the presidential candidates as well as others who are vying for other sensitive positions in the next political dispensation. Each of them, however, have varying degrees of image issues. Without doubt, a winner must emerge among them. The present situation in the co...

The Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) has insisted that the January 31st deadline for the invalidation of the old naria notes remains unchanged. However, the Federal House of Representatives and the Senate want the apex bank to extend the deadline to 30th June, for the benefit of millions of Nigerians. Interestingly, a sizable number of Nigerians who have handled the new notes have expressed disappointment and dissatisfaction with the quality of the new notes compared to the old ones. In his reaction, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafasudeen-in-Islam worldwide, Prof. Sabitu OlagokeJP, opines that the deadline for the withdrawal of the 200, 500 and 1,000 Naira notes is in order, but warns that this could result in negative consequences. Excerpts: What is your reaction to the insistence of the CBN that the January 31st deadline remains unchanged for the invalidation of the old naira notes? First and foremost, we should not lose sight of the purpose of the introduction of the...

The general elections have been described as a good opportunity to establish functional education in Nigeria. This assertion was made on Tuesday by the Founder, Spiritual head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in his address titled, ''SHAPING THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA-THE FUTURE IS NOW'' at the 3oth Annual Shafaudeen-in-Islam stakeholders' Conference in Ibadan, Nigeria. ''Functioanl education is deserved by a nation like Nigeria to promote inclusive society, civility and patirotism, credible leadership and good governance driven through zero tolerance to corruption and institutional indiscipline. Education will make us realize achieving this sanity-prone environment for development. Luckily for us, the 2023 general elections will avail us the opportunity to achieve this if we make give the right choice of a visionary leader that would be spirit led to operationalize democracy through justice and equity to prope...

Nation building involves creating both a sense of pride in one's country and enhancing a country's status in the eyes of other nations, which naturally is one of the ways to build national unity. Sport is one of the ways because it creates a unified goal and brands all differing groups in a nation under one banner. Sports is an enabler of sustainable development through the growing contribution of sports to the realization of development and peace, the promotion of tolerance and respect, and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities, as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives. Realizing the Full Potential of Aport for Sustainable Development Goals The unifying factor of sports notwithstanding, there are still challenges to fulfillment of its true potential. Too often there are incidences of intolerance, racism, hatred and violence during sports events. Like many other areas, corruption also aff...

The expectation of Nigerians is that credible leaders with passion to put an end to hunger and poverty in the country will emerge after the general elections. This assertion was made on Thursday by the Founder, Spiritual head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeeen-inIslam worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in his lecture titled ''Leadership and the Three Rings of Life'' at the second Ogunelu Aaare Alasa Dynasty day in collaboration with Shafaudeen-in-Islam Medical Outreach in Ibadan, Nigeria. ''Nigerians are expecting credible leaders at all levels of government, who will lift them out of hunger, poverty and unemployment to emerge after the general elections.Only credible leaders at all levels of government, who are purposeful, visionary, emotionally and passionately patriotic, ready to sacrifice their best to serve the people will all digilence can be goal getters and unifying factors to the people of diverse interest-religious, ethnic divides and gender equlaity challeng...

We must be earnest in our approach to drastically reducing the threats to gender equality and provide for the environment of the girl child to thrive and attain her full potential. Empowering the girl child is a silver bullet that will solve age-long snags of alleviating poverty, eradicating feamle gential mutilation, tackling the problem of poor hygiene and malnutrition, reducing maternal and child morbidity, putting a stop to domestic abuse, rape, etc. We cannot over emphasize the benefits of gender equality to national development, and it is pivotal to achieving other Sustainable Development Goals(SGDs). The girl child, most especially in African countries, Nigeria in particular, still suffers various forms of oppression and inequality due to gender discrimination and the vulnerability of her status as a child, some of which include: gender stereotyping, sexual and gender based violence, child marriage, child trafficking, access to technology, healthcare, nutrition and education. A...

The actual population of displaced Nigerians is still unknown. These bonafide citizens were displaced majorly by violent crimes and economic hardships. The suggestion is that the uncollected Permanent Voters Cards(PVC) belong to the displaced Nigerians. In this piece, the Founder, Spiritual head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu OlagokeJP warns that the unending insecurity, economic hardships and the large number of uncollected PVCs will impact negatively on the 202 general elections. Excerpts: Nigerians are apathetic to matters relating to the collection of their Permanent Voters Cards(PVC) to be able to be eligible to vote in the 2023 general elections because of the perceived disturbing state of the nation. For example, the high prices of consumables and essential commodities coupled with the prohibitive prices of petroleum products has made life unbearable for millions of Nigerians. The result is the hunger, poverty and high unemployment rate in the ...

The language used in the media in relation to people with disabilities, may be an indication of whether social change has or would occur. For example, media stories about graduates or students wit disabilities often focus on the sacrifices of family and caregivers, instead of the students and the challenges there faced getting an education. It is disheartening, therefore, that persons with disabilities are seldom covered in the media and when they are presented, they are typically damaging stereotyped and not properly epitomized. It is not uncommon to see persons with disabilities treated as objects of pity, charity or medical treatment that have overcome a tragic and disabling condition or conversely, presented as champions who have accomplished great feats, to inspire the non-disabled. The Editors, producers and programmers are influenced by their own thoughts of disability and what they trust will attract listeners. Equity and Equality challenges indeed! The media, therefor re e...

The Oyo state government recently announced the derecognition of 50 secondary schools in the state for examination malpractices. 26 of the schools are government owned while 24 are privately owned. The Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in this piece expresses his views on the development. Excerpt: Examination calls for a process of strict invigilation and supervision underlined by the highest level of discipline to protect the integrity of the alumni of every school. The desire of parents to have their children in a choice of professions and universities, the pressure on children to pursue courses in which they have no aptitude, pressure on teachers who want to gain favor, overcrowded sitting arrangements, parental upbringing, peer group effects, mushroom schools promising good results among others all contribute to examination malpractices. These fundamental causative factors need to be addressed properly by stakeholders-p...

The government at all levels in Nigeria has been called upon to empower relevant stakeholders in the environment sector as a step toward ending open defecation in the country. This call was made on Friday by the Founder, Spiritual head, and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in an address titled ''SAY NO TO OPEN DEFECATION at the commissioning of the comfort house for the Shafudeeen national headquarters' mosque, Shafautedo, Apata-Omi-Adio road, Ibadan Nigeria. ''This calls for government empowerment of stakeholders-Town Planning Authority(Urban and Regional planning)as well as the Sanitary Inspectors to enforce people's compliance in every built scheme with effective sensitization on the essence of hygiene protocol to keep every place clean to avoid breakout of diseases and add value to the necessary beautification effect of the environment for healthy living. Comfort House is an essential utility for the home and public place...

We live in a world where there is an imperative focus on young people and People with Disabilities(PWDs) on the Inclusion Agenda. We, however, need to move from vulnerability to leadership and delivery of a truly transformative agenda. There is a divine need to walk the talk about the promotion of an inclusive society. For youths to be leaders of tomorrow; they must be equipped to achieve their dreams and for PWDs not to be burdensome, they must be positively engaged, thereby giving them the opportunity to participate actively in issues that directly impact their lives, which is literally everything in actual fact. Today, more than ever, society needs precisely this kind of healing to drive out poverty and unemployment. Only when PWDs have the opportunities they deserve, can they generate ideas, products and many more for society at large. Policies without commensurate implementation usually aggravate the hardships of the victims of the circumstance, in the case of PWDs, who deserve ou...

Mixed feelings have continued to trail the announcement by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) Mr. Godwin Emefiele that the 200, 500 and 1, 000 Naira notes would be redesigned. A sizable number of Nigerians believe that the action of the apex bank has a hidden motive, considering the fact that the head was once a presidential aspirant of the ruling party. Others however argue that the action would sanitize the monetary system in the country. In this piece, Prof. Olagoke warns of the consequences. Excerpt : To start with, the reasons given by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria for the redesigning of the 200, 500, and 1,000 Naira notes must be assessed and evaluated based on present realities. The word redesign becomes an issue because it would involve changes that may not likely go down well with our ethnic, tribal, and religious persuasions. Since it had the approval of the presidency various considerations must have been put in place to allay the fears o...

For any society to have peaceful co-existence, the people must be united with high respect for humanity, taking all other factors that differentiate our identities to be secondary. This is what the Holy Quran emphasizes as expected of every house of God to dwell their teachings and sermons on. , ''The Holy Quran 49 : 13 refers, ''O mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other, not that ye may despise each other.....'' A high level of respect for these injunctions will make us realize our claim that God is one, as impressed in the same verse above. ''Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted with all things. The Holy Quran 30 : 22 makes us to realize that our differences are creations of God which we must not lose to the disadvantage of others; ''And among ...

Unfortunately for Nigeria's basic education, there is a dearth of facility to drive Technical Education for our students to be technically sound to meet up with the chakllenges of technology advancement that drives the present ady knowledge economy. Technical education drives the economy of all nations currently, but for Nigeria, our economy is artisan driven to the detriment of our political management which b y polarization is hoodlum driven, exposing us to the whims of quackery in all facets of huma endeavor. This is because of the deficiency of meeting up with the quality and standard expected of every nation in domesticating international instrumnets on global best practices. Quackery and sysem collapse during or after completion has direct correlation based on facility design, specification and materials of inferior quality. Education must prepare our students for the global market. In Nigeria, education is highly underfunded and has resulted in the myriad of challenges conf...

Organization and professional ethics are important elements of governance or corporate governance. The elite now trample upon the Fundamental Human Rights of the impoverished masses, who have become mere pawns in their(elite) hands for the ease of manipulation to win elections. The present dividends of democracy include insecurity, poverty aggravation due to unemployment and high prices of commodities beyond the reach of the teeming population, avarice and greed exemplified through the blood of Timocracy running through the system of our politicians driving them crazy into Kleptocrarcy and deceptive plea bargaining; increasing the fold of cabal, cartel and the vicious cycle of the corrupt people's clubs in Nigeria. In all processes involving governance, leadership by appointment, promotion or election, the effective participation of the people matters at all levels of identification, selection, and electoral processes involving voters' registration and the collection of the...

Divine power is absolute and incorruptible, it is greater and more valuable than terrestrial and subterranean power, which usually are subject to the control of lesser forces from the created objects of beings. For man to succeed in life as a leader and in governance, he must seek the grace of God as bestowed on King Solomon in the Holy Bible. The substance of divine power are knowledge, wisdom and the power of a discerning mind, which makes man dispense with the power of authority with the fundamental respect-a follow up of due process in power dispensation. The Holy Quran 2 : 269 and the Holy Bible Proverbs 1 : 7 attest to this fact. ''He granteh wisdom to whom He pleaseth : and he to whom wisdom is granted receiveth indeed a benefit overflown ; but none will receive admonition except men of understanding.'' In the same vein, the Holy Bible Proverbs 1 : 7 emphasizes the need to rely on divine power only, most especially sourced through having respect for the dictates...

Religious leaders must avoid scriptural misinformation and misinterpretation, most especially in the areas that discriminate, marginalize and hurt womanhood. Avoid painting the girl child as half a male counterpart as well as avoid Female Genital Mutilation(FGM). Develop the mental capacity of the girl child on par with their female counterparts. Female children should be allowed to choose a career of their choice based on their God-given talents. forms. Avoid minor weddings and other forms of abuse against the girl child. Every male orientation must change from perceiving women as objects of sex. The focus must be on gender equity to avoid partriachal domination through such a policy that will allow women effective participation in all spheres of life. Women must take the chance to lead and not live at the mercy of men(malevolence)but believe in themselves to achieve any feat. The Holy Quran states that they must not tread a path of being suspicious of promiscuity and they must be ab...

Disability is yet to be seen as a developmental issue in Nigeria because it is grossly under-represented in legislative processes and outcomes. Instead, it has become a political weapon of campaign driven by social sympathy rather than empathy in our institutional arranegments. The Joint National Associations of Persons with Disabilities(JONAPWD) with many advocayc groups under it has been equally influenced by the usual charity/welfare model approach to disability. There is a need for all to develop a cultural oreintation of creating a world where the fundamental human rights of persons with disabilities including that of access is guranteed under the law and the need to create awareness on the promotion of creativity for PWDs to strenghten the voice of Persons With Disabilities through advocacy, capacity building and development networking. This will facitiliate their participation in the political process of the nation. Records show that some of the PWDs have been actively part...