The Imam ofAl-HabibiyyahIslamic Society, Fuad Adeyemi, has asserted that corruption is at the bedrock of flooding, which devastated many states in the country in 2022.
The declaration was made in Birnin-Kebbi yesterday by the cleric at a one-day capacity-strengthening workshop for Imams and Islamic scholars on the need to join in the anti-corruption crusade.
According to him, if most States affected by the floods had deployed the Ecological Fund” allocated to them regularly by the Federal Government to address environmental concerns, the effect would have been minimised.
Adeyemi expressed regret that it had become evident that the Ecological Fund had not been put to judicious use in most of the states. He, however, reassured that Nigeria remained the best country created on earth by Almighty God”.
The cleric also challenged Imams and leaders of the Islamic faith to ensure that they did not depend on others to make their livelihoods, stressing that they must endeavour to be self-sustaining as dependence on others could entice them into corruption.
He added that it was only when they could fend for themselves that they would be able to preach against corruption without fear or favour and only with the fear of God in their hearts. He noted that an Imam who did not have other visible means of livelihood might not be able to preach the truth to congregations.
The capacity-building, organised by the Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society for Imams and Islamic scholars drawn from Kebbi was supported by the MacArthur Foundation. The programme was meant to encourage lawful lifestyles by the imams and their followers and to enable religious leaders to stand on their feet.
Adeyemi also stressed the need for imams and Islamic scholars to convey the message of Almighty God diligently, hence the need for them not to rely on others for a living. He encouraged participants to take advantage of businesses around them, including agriculture, trading, traditional vocations and modern skills among others to improve their lives.
He enjoined the imams to form cooperative societies to be able to benefit from policies and programmes of governments and non-governmental organisations.
Delivering a paper titled: Wealth Creation for Islamic Scholars”, the Managing Director of a rice mill in Sokoto, Nura Abdullahi-Attahiru, observed that Islamic scholars are supposed to lead their followers in all aspects of life.
While demonstrating how to convert one naira to millions of naira, Abdullahi-Attahiru encouraged participants to develop multiple sources of income to be able to stay afloat on turbulent waters.
The cleric charged them to develop self-confidence and self-competence to cross over huddles that might be barrier to their successes.
