From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The commissioning ceremony of Darul Ilm, a centre for Islamic studies in Kaduna on Saturday, May 24, attracted the low and high in society who came from far and near to grace the occasion.
Security in the Dan Bushiya community of the New Millennium City, the venue of the event, was beefed up, with the number of security operatives, especially officers and men of the State Services (SS), almost outnumbering the population of the guests.
The reason for the beefed-up security was not far-fetched, because the Islamic Centre was built and donated to the community by the Director General of the State Services (DGSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, for the education of orphans and indigent children in society.
Though Ajayi, the benefactor, was unavoidably absent at the occasion, prominent Nigerians, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, and the Speaker, Rt Hon Abbas Tajudeen, who was represented by the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Liman Dahiru, as well as serving and retired DSS Zonal Directors, traditional rulers, and religious clerics, amongst others, were in attendance.
Speaker after speaker spoke at the occasion and expressed deep gratitude to DGSS Ajayi, a Christian who built a school for Islamic studies in the Muslim-populated area of Kaduna.
However, when the Sultan delivered his own speech, there was pin-drop silence as he poured encomiums on the benefactor of the school and tasked other well-to-do Nigerians to emulate him.
While speaking, the Sultan asked Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, represented by the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Yusuf Liman Dahiru, to move a motion to name the Islamic school after President Bola Tinubu by performing the semblance of passing a bill into law at the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Nigeria’s bicameral National Assembly.
“I know that the benefactor will not like the school to be named after him, so I want to propose here that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, who is represented by the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Liman Dahiru, perform the process so that we can adopt Yea or Nay. And I believe that Yea will have it,” the Sultan said.
Thereafter, the Speaker directed a former Minority Leader of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Mohammed Ali, to move the motion of renaming the “Darul Ilm Centre for Islamic Studies” after the President, which was seconded by the former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Yusuf Ibrahim Zailani. And so the centre was named President Ahmed Bola Tinubu Darul Ilm Centre for Islamic Studies, Kaduna.
Sultan Abubakar expressed gratitude to the DSS boss for the donation of the Islamic centre despite being a Christian, saying, “I don’t think we have any country in the world where Muslims and Christians interact peacefully like in Nigeria. Let’s not take religion to the level that it will bring hatred to us as Nigerians. We must eschew religious bigotry because on the last day, everybody will stand before God and give accounts of stewardship on the earth. We have challenges, but there is hope in this country if we can all do this. Nigeria is great, it will be great. We believe in our unity to surmount all our challenges. It is important to note that we are going through tough times, but Nigeria is not the only country going through such difficult times. We can surmount our problems in this country. We should do our best.
“If we know that we have problems, then it is half solved. We must pray for our President, governors, and other leaders. The problems of this country are not insurmountable. We must come together to solve our problems. We have so many resources in Nigeria, including human and mineral resources. Let’s not lose sight of those who are envious of Nigeria because Nigeria is the only country that belongs to us and it is that we know.
“We are all here for one purpose, we are here because education is the most important thing you can give any child in his life, no matter where that programme is taking place, we will endeavour to be there to show people that we believe in the education of our children, boys and girls at all levels, both Islamic and Western education.
“Today, we are gathered here to witness this historic programme in Kaduna. We are made to understand that the school was built for orphaned children by a non-Muslim with his personal funds, not government funds. I think this is a very big statement. If we can do this at all levels, I think there is a big hope for this country. Of course, we never lose hope that this country is going to be great. This programme looks small, but it is big. This community has never seen this number of dignitaries before.
“This school is a special school for orphans and indigent children. We are the parents of such children, and only God would reward us if we help them receivean education. I think those that are blessed by God should endeavour to buy land to build more of this type of school in the communities. We should not lose hope in Nigeria,” the Sultan said.
The Sultan, who urged Nigerians to de-emphasise religious and ethnic differences, said it was the ability of other economically successful countries to overcome these differences that led to their greatness.
He commended President Tinubu for appointing Mr Ajayi as DSS DG, saying the appointment has helped the president build several bridges of cooperation across the country.
The Sultan described the resolve of Mr Ajayi, “a Christian, to build an Islamic school for orphans and the less privileged,” as “a legacy project which would outlive most persons present.” He further described the project as “a big statement” which he urged Nigerians to emulate. “Doing things like this will make Nigeria a better place,” noted the Sultan.
“The coming together of people of different faiths and ethnicities will help bridge the gaps of disunity and de-emphasise the problems of this country. The presence of heads of sister security agencies here today shows the synergy amongst our security services and the trust they have in Tosin Ajayi,” observed the Sultan.
Speaking, the DSS boss, who was represented by a retired director of the Service, Alhaji Ahmed Zalmar, said he began nursing the idea to build the school during his years of service in the state.
The law setting up the DSS, he said, empowers the secret police to prevent five major threats to internal security, including espionage, insurgency, sabotage, subversion, and terrorism.
As a trained security officer, said the DSS boss, he identified reducing discontent in the populace as a powerful counter-subversion strategy. He said he identified education as a key method of dousing discontent.
“The latest of such is the building and donation of the well-furnished modern Islamic school with support from my friends and associates, which also reflects the core mandate of President Tinubu,” said the DG.
“It is also part of my policies to improve the nation’s internal security architecture through conventional and non-conventional engagements,” he added.
The DG stressed that he chose to channel the support for the well-being of vulnerable and needy groups through several social projects, including building schools, places of worship, and sports centres, among others.
He clarified that he had never used operational funds or budgetary provisions for the philanthropic gestures aimed at winning the hearts of the vulnerable population towards defeating insurgency and terrorism.
“I have always channelled parts of Corporate Social Responsibilities and other financial support from stakeholders for such purposes,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun, who was accompanied by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, emphasised the importance of education to Nigeria’s future.
He praised President Tinubu’s support for faith-based education initiatives and school feeding programmes.
“By 2050, 25 per cent of the global workforce will be African, with many from Nigeria,” noted the minister, stressing that, in spite of challenges, progress was evident in economic growth, increasing foreign reserves, stabilising inflation, and decreasing food and energy prices.
Dignitaries at the event included the state deputy governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, who represented Governor Uba Sani; the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Dahiru Liman, who represented the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Tajudeen Abbas; the Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi; the Emir of Zazzau, Amb Ahmed Bamalli; serving and past DSS directors; among others.
Also speaking at the event, the chief host, Governor Uba Sani, said the school represented hope, opportunity, and a commitment to education and humanity.
Sani, represented by his Deputy, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, praised the DSS director-general’s vision and selflessness, reaffirming his government’s efforts to address poverty, insecurity, and inequality.
He said his administration prioritised education, therefore allocating a significant portion of the budget to reduce the out-of-school syndrome, construct classrooms, and recruit qualified teachers.
Governor Sani encouraged the graduates to uphold values of integrity, discipline, and compassion, to be agents of positive change in their communities.
Highlights of the event were the inauguration and the second Quranic graduation ceremony of 22 students at the school.