The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has canvassed the institutionalisation of Zakat by Muslim faithful in Nigeria.
Saraki said the obligatory charity will go a long way in drastically reducing poverty rate in the country.
He spoke in Abeokuta during a public lecture organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ogun State to mark its 4th Annual Ramadan Lecture on Tuesday.
Also at the event, a senior lecturer at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Dr. Sharafadeen Abdulkareem, called for the empowerment of teeming unemployed youths through Zakat.
Saraki, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Media, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, advocated the conscious observance of Zakat, which he noted remained one of the five pillars of Islam.
He decried the nonchalance of many “qualified Muslims” to the payment of Zakat, urging them to henceforth embrace the concept in order to empower the poor and needy.
He said: “Those who are qualified to pay Zakat should pay.
“Our religion is not complete except we pay Zakat.
“Muslims must learn more about Islam and learning more will let you know what is good and what is bad.”
Delivering the lecture, titled: “Zakat: Panacea for poverty eradication in Nigeria,” Abdulkareem expressed dismay that majority of Muslims were living in abject penury due to failure to operationalise Zakat.
The don urged various Islamic groups in the country to champion and encourage the obligatory charity concept in addressing prevalent poverty among Nigerians.
He described Zakat as a valuable economic means for establishing social justice, promoting prosperity and enhancing security in the society.
While advising civil servants to also pay their Zakat regularly, the guest speaker noted that its operationalisation would enable jobless Muslims to lead normal life.
He said: “Zakat is an obligatory act of charity to be performed by every sane adult Muslim who possesses a certain minimum amount of wealth (Nisab) for a complete lunar year.
“Whoever refuses to pay Zakat wants to destroy the pillars of Islam.
“Because people are hungry, that is why the rich people are in trouble today in this country.
“The level of injustice is too much.
“It is only in this country that when someone steals the phone of a governor, he will get 50 years imprisonment.
“But if you are bold enough to steal billions, you will be given a rousing reception.
“What manner of a society is that?
“There is no way out except we institutionalise Zakat.”
Earlier in his address, the Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Alhaji Kunle Olayeni, said the public lecture was designed to focus attention on societal challenges using the holy month of Ramadan as a veritable platform towards addressing them.
Olayeni said: “As journalists, we are always mindful of our professional ethics, social responsibility and agenda-setting role in the society. That is why great emphasis is often given to public lectures like this in order to mainstream such discourse into the public’s consciousness and also bond with relevant stakeholders.
“Nigeria is undoubtedly blessed with enormous resources and is, perhaps, one of the richest nations in the world. Yet, the vast wealth is at variance with the abject reality on the ground. The poor living conditions of majority of its populace and marked absence of social infrastructure are clear signs of Nigeria’s underdevelopment and backwardness.”
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