Islamic scholar tasks National Assembly on Islamic schools

An Islamic scholar, Alhaji Yusuf Yahaya, has urged the National Assembly to formulate laws that will support and compel government towards the establishment of a special board for Islamic schools in the country.

Yahaya, who is the Chairman of Ittihadu Anwarul Hidaya, an Islamic umbrella body in charge of Islamiyya Madarasat in Plateau State, made this call over the weekend during a special prayer to mark the beginning of the Islamic Calendar.

According to him, there is the urgent need for the Government to establish such a board aimed at regulating the establishment of Islamic schools, as well as giving them the necessary human and material supports.

In his speech in commemoration of the Islamic new year, which is to usher in the year 1436 after hijra, Yahaya said: “Our reasons for demanding the enactment of the law and establishment of special board for the Islamic schools is simply because the schools are evolving every day, with settings like formal ones and has in them millions of pupils and students as primary and secondary learners.”

He described as unfortunate “a situation where most of state governments have not been giving due attention to the existence of such schools, talk less of knowing how the schools are been run”.

Yahaya said that Islamic schools are as important as any other institution of learning are to the country and the world at large.

“Today, we have not less than 165 Islamic schools in Plateau State alone,” he explained.

According to him, governments across the world have special programmes for Madarassat, stressed that the case is the reverse in Nigeria.

“But unfortunately, even the JNI, as an umbrella body, did not have the actual statistical number of Islamic schools in its records,” he added.

He noted that the situation “is more alarming in Plateau State because of the seeming inability of the successive regimes in Plateau State to encourage any Islamic activities despite the fact that such schools usually bring glory to the state from competitions nationwide”.

Also speaking, the Deputy Chief Imam of Jos, Sheikh Lawal Adam, said it is expected of every Muslim to renew his faith in Allah and refrain from their previous deeds, become remorse and repent over what was wrongly done.

Adam reminded Muslims to fast on the 9th and 10th of the Month of Muharram in appreciation of Allah’s blessings.

He added that Nigerians should braced up to pray for everlasting peace and good development in Jos North, Plateau State Nigeria and the world at large.

The event, which featured recitation of the Qur’an, was also followed by a procession to some major streets of Jos by school pupils, commencing from the premises of the Jos Central Mosque.