A prominent Islamic cleric, Mustapha Abd-Allah Berende, has charged Nigerians to see themselves as one irrespective of ethnic, religious and political differences.
Berende made the call in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, at the launch of a 90-page book authored by Hajia Zeenah Ibraheem, the wife of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Shaikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.
The book is entitled, ‘A Brief History of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria’.
According to him, Nigerians must come together under the banner of God and be one another’s keeper as enjoined by God and have a meeting point.
“We should unite as a people who believe in oneness of God, notwithstanding our religious, ethnic or political differences.
“Nigerians, especially Muslims and Christians, should always endeavour to coexist peacefully, realising that no meaningful progress can take place in an atmosphere of bitterness, rancour and acrimony.
Though we cannot think or reason alike, we should endeavour to embrace peace and show empathy and love to one another. We have no reason whatsoever to be enemies”, he added.
The Islamic cleric, who described the book as a significant milestone said the efforts of the IMN leader’s wife to write the book while in prison underscored its essence to document and preserve history.
He said the present system in Nigeria breeds corruption and encourages hero worshiping.
He said: “People are calling for an alternative system, there are also other people calling for a sovereign national conference, different people are thinking of reforming differently.”
He described the leader of the IMN, Shaikh El Zakzaky, as a revolutionist who is genuinely interested in reforming Nigeria for the better in his own way.
‘He never asked his people to procure weapons, not even a knife, but they must express their mind. All the attacks on him in his own place by security agents, he never fought back.
‘He didn’t campaign for revenge or retaliation, he left everything for God. I see him as a peaceful individual and a kind of sacrificial lamb for the youths of today.
The book reviewer, Dr. Usman Oladipo Akanbi, of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, said the book largely detailed the travails of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, as well as that of his family and followers alike.
“It sufficiently chronicled their collective struggles against the high-handedness of supposedly oppressive regimes in Nigeria”, he said
“The words in this heart-wrenching book are a call for justice in all forms”, he submitted.
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