Famous Islamic scholar, Mufti Ismail ibn Musa Menk, on Friday, visited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking after the meeting, the Grand Mufti of Zimbabwe’s Muslim community and head of the fatwa department for the Council of Islamic Scholars of Zimbabwe ,said he and other Islamic scholars were in Abuja for peace and unity convention scheduled for this weekend.
Menk, who said the delegation of scholars from across the globe were in Lagos last weekend for similar convention, underscored the need for all Nigerians to live together in harmony and respect one another despite their different faiths and backgrounds in order to witness the success of this nation.
He said the idea behind the convention was not only to empower Nigeria to nurture peaceful coexistence but also to appreciate the need for unity among its citizens.
Menk, who said countries failed when citizens refused to respect its leadership, added that Nigeria could be the best nation in Africa and a shinning example for the rest of the continent when citizens rallied behind the leadership, contributed positively and served the country with uprightness and honesty.
He said: “We need to be a united people, we need to respect each other, the leadership that we have, we should appreciate it, we should acknowledge it. We should understand that if we are going to respect our leadership, we will be able to achieve as a nation. If you look at the countries that have failed it’s because they don’t respect their leadership and they actually fail as a result.
“But if we are going to rally behind the leadership and ensure that everyone of us contributes positively to this nation, Nigeria can be the best nation in Africa, and in all honesty, I believe the population, the resources and everything we have in Nigeria myself being an African coming from Zimbabwe, we always look at Nigeria as one of the biggest economies. If not the biggest in Africa, I believe it is the right time to be upright and honest and to serve the nation and in this way, we will be able to be a shiny example for the rest of Africa. I always pray that we can be upright as citizens, and that way, we will achieve more than what we’ve actually dreamt of.”
