Opinion

Between Shaykh Dr. Bashir Aliyu Umar, Late Shaykh Umar Balarabe & the Kannywood of the Immediate Future

Published

3 years ago

January 15, 2021

Ibraheem A. Waziri

Sometimes on July 16, 2020, friends and well-wishers residents of Arewa Facebook Community (AFC) gathered around my wall, to mourn with me on a thread of tribute I wrote over the loss of my elder cousin, Shaykh Umar Balarabe Ibraheem. Part of the aspect of the tribute that attracted the attention of many was the reference to the deceased articulated Fatwa [legal position] that mirrors the recent Fatwa issued by Shaykh Dr. Bashir Aliyu Umar about divorce discharged in fictional drama. Dr. Bashir’s has caught the attention of many a pundit residents of AFC, since 9th January 2021, when a Hausa online newspaper reechoed his Fatwas obtained from an already extant video clip!

Then in my July 2020 piece, I wrote of Shaykh Umaru Balarabe, that part of his Fatwas while alive was: “Marriages pronounced in fictional drama (wasan kwaikwayo) are not valid because of lack therein, of complete conditions of marriages, according to the jurisprudential canons in use in this part of the world. But divorces in them are valid. Meaning if one is not legally married to the person they impliedly divorce in their fictional dramas then the divorcing words will automatically apply to their own spouses in real life. When asked why he used to answer that all the canons conclude that there is no joke in the affairs of divorce. Once it is uttered it has to fall real on something and that should be the real spouse at home – of the actor if he is married – outside the purported drama.”

I have had cause to reflect about this position for years. Shaykh Umar Balarabe used to quote from Mukhtasaral Khalil, the clause, “wa jadduhu wa hazluhu sawaun”, meaning in the affairs of divorce seriousness or seriousness (joke) doesn’t matter and stop there asking any disputant to show any nass(text) from Qur’an, Hadith or any of the Maliki/Ashariy canons in use here is West Africa nay Hausaland, Northern Nigeria, that explicitly contradict his assertion.

Here we are today where Shaykh Dr. Bashir Aliyu Umar is repeating the arguments of late Shaykh Umaru Balarabe – whom I used to think was a loner in this – point by point, Qur’an and Hadith. The only difference is the slight leeway Shaykh Bashir is able to provide where Shaykh Umaru Balarabe would not. Shaykh Umar maintained that even when a man in a movie point at another actress projected to be his wife and pronounced divorce upon her and owing to the fact that he is not legally married to her, then the divorce falls on his legal real wife if he is married. His argument used to be that, an adult person under any circumstances must not refer to himself as divorcing his wife, if he is not intending so since there is no room for jest in matters of divorce in Sharia and no matter the situation. So if one should ever mention divorcing his wife then the words will fall on his actual real wife.

Encomiums On Talban Zazzau Abdulkadir Iya Pate and Iyan Zazzau Bashari Aminu

Whereas Shaykh Bashir gives space for accommodation in terms of wordings and exact pointers and specifiers; he believes where an adult person refers to self, divorcing wife and without using appropriate specifiers in a movie scene only then the wordings will extensively apply to his real family outside the drama. He then cited Ibn Qasim with his Maliki largely regarded fringe Fatwa which differs from him and suggests that a context even without appropriate specifiers may not lead to unwarranted implications on a real marriage.

SOME THOUGHTS

Islam attaches so much premium to words spoken. In fact, one becomes a Muslim or non-Muslim, that is, belonging or not, to the universal brotherhood, instantly, and without causing any to doubt them by what they say in a brief period as in a second. Thus in all Muslim cultures, from the smallest unit of a society, which is family, have their foundations in the clarity and efficacy or otherwise of words spoken. It is the exactitude of words told that seal marriage contracts. Words to or from parents recklessly – as is believed – can open gates to multiple forms of spiritual and physical adversities and narrow the quantum of prosperity index for a child in their entire life. In the same vein, words spoken can ruin family or marital relationship, within a blink of an eye. This tends to foist a distinct form of awareness and unique character in any Muslim society when pursuing socio-cultural discourses and at any time. Muslims everywhere seem to concentrate too much on what and how things are said or not!

It is with this kind of mind-frame that the Muslim societies received cinema and cinematography, additional forms of operationalizing productive social dialogue, whose development to current form and practice was largely achieved, within late 19th century to the present, and by a civilization that does not place the same premium on words uttered as a Muslim civilization. In the West, a parent can say anything no matter how nasty to a child or vice versa without posing or attracting to themselves any supposed type of spiritual danger or provoking a general feeling of group-wide cultural impropriety.

Similarly, institutions of marriage are not endangered by careless whispers in an instant. Thus a film in the West does not pay attention to any perceived spiritual bearing the words of an actor can have on themselves, in their real life, no matter how they are spoken in as much as it is within the logical structure or particular thread of an outlined fiction.

This, of course, will pose a challenge to the Muslim societies who on one hand are beginning to come to terms with the utility and relevance of film making as an effective instrument of social engineering, cultural dialogue, and conscientization; and on the other, if not handled or managed carefully, could breed unpleasant social mutations in society, lead to non-conscious alteration of moral categories in favor of what the societies in their current form may consider detestable social and personal conceptions, thereby diluting the whole essence of Muslim societies and civilization. It is this similar concern as is clear from the two separate video clips by Shaykh Dr. Bashir Aliyu Umar, which informs his much-discussed Fatwa.

Therefore the implications drawn from these could be that movie directors, producers, and actors in Kannywood, must be extra careful in how they frame up and participate or present scenes and couch dialogues involving the Divine lest they shoot themselves out of the favor of their most precious Islam. While any other form of the depiction of other aspects of our social life might easily be accommodated attributing them to sole intention to dramatize, others relating to marriage and family life should be threaded with an extra layer of caution due to the reasons from the Qur’an, Hadith and the entire body of Maliki/Ashariy jurisprudence that is operational here as an ethical framework and a source of values for centuries as late Shaykh Umar Balarabe Ibraheem would mention.

This is not an exercise that seeks to nullify and invalidate the profession and practice of film making is this milieu as Hajiya Hamida Koguna , would want to say; but an effort to further pristinely purify the practice for it to serve our society upon its ordained chosen paradigm of social engagement. To some of us, it is better to borrow the modern social technology of entertainment and bend it to suit what is a local requirement of engagement, than to borrow it as it is, and then make our own ordained social order bend to its foreign requirements by sourcing for Fatwas out of our inherited ethical framework to achieve that.

Kannywood industry has been doing fairly well over the years. The government of Kano State, its host, has done better over the years by inaugurating a censorship board that oversees its activities and ensures compatibility of its output to the supreme but unwritten cultural constitution of these societies and the legal constitution of the land. To this end we have seen how a whole drama series spanning years could be run, keeping the interest of its national international audience nonstop, without men and women making body contact in ways that violate our sacred tradition in social engagement. Therefore couching film dialogues in divorce scenes that will not violate our traditional codes can never be harmful in any way and cannot affect the quality of an actor, director, or producer or affect their marketability and prosperity indices going upward in their profession. We also don’t necessarily need the extended hand of a Maliki fringe Fatwa, like that of Ibnal Qasim to execute this function satisfactorily.

Allah Ya jikan Shaykh Umar Balarabe Ibraheem da sauran magabata; Allah Ya tsare, Ya albarkaci Shaykh Bashir Aliyu Umaru damu baki daya!

Opinion

Forte GCC Sets New Standards in Engineering, Construction, and Real Estate-Adnan

Published

5 days ago

May 14, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

Forte GCC raises the bar in engineering, construction, and real estate with groundbreaking standards, by Adnan Mukhtar

In a move that is set to revolutionize the engineering, construction, and real estate sectors, Forte GCC Innovative Solutions Limited has announced its commitment to innovation, sustainability, and excellence.

Since its inception in 2019, the company has established itself as a trailblazer in the industry, with a team of dedicated professionals and a vision to harness the power of technology to craft a smarter, more efficient world.

The company’s mission and vision is to elevate services through continuous research and innovation and to become a frontrunner in engineering consultancy, construction, and real estate sectors.

Led by Engr. Khalil Sagir Koki, a seasoned engineer and project manager with a proven track record of delivering complex projects, the company’s management team boasts a diverse range of expertise and experience. Engr Khalil has a Masters of Engineering in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Surrey and a Master’s of Science in Engineering Construction Management from the University of East London. Engr. Koki is a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Institute of Civil Engineers UK, the Institute of Highways Engineers UK, and the Association for Project Management UK, and has attained the APM Project Fundamental Qualification from the Association for Project Management. He also holds a Construction Project Management certification from the Colombian University of New York.

Other members of the management team include Engr. Emmanuel Adetokumbo, a COREN-registered engineer with over a decade of experience in building and infrastructure projects; Muhammad Gazzali Ado, a seasoned finance professional with experience in accounting, taxation, and financial management; and Mrs Misriyya Imam Hassan, a management expert with a degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Sharjah and an MSc from the University of Leicester.

The company’s recent achievements include the successful completion of Laurat Terraces, its inaugural real estate development project in Katampe District, and the commencement of two new estates, Misriyya Terraces and Guildford Terraces, in Katampe District.

With its commitment to safety, ownership, integrity, passion, and teamwork, Forte GCC Innovative Solutions Limited is set to deliver unparalleled results and shape the future of Engineering, Construction, and Real Estate in Nigeria and beyond.

Opinion

Ahmad Abdulkadir Firdaus :A Successful Business Man And Philanthropist

Published

2 weeks ago

May 8, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

Abdulkadir Ahmad Firadusi

By AbdurRaheem Sa’ad Dembo

The fascinating story of Ilorin born businessman but resident in Kano, Ahmad Abdulkadir Firdaus is the one filled with a rare commitment and tenacious disposition. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Aquarich Integrated Services, Hydro Blue Water and Habidaus Global Concept in Kano. Indeed, no businessman or an entrepreneur would ever tell you it is easy to be in business or self employed but he has been making remarkable progress against all odds.

It interests me to write about him because I have been in the know of how he has positively metamorphosed from being an employee to become an employer of labour in the commercial city of Kano. Firdaus story is not a fairy tale as those who know him can attest to his growth in the Kano business community.

Sincerely, it is through observation of him I got to know practically that you don’t invest in a business if you don’t have time to monitor it, otherwise you would be feeding the greedy and glutton among your workers inadvertently, and before you know it, the business has collapsed. They don’t want to know how you come about the capital for the business but they would be ready to drain the resources to comatose, since no one would be around to have critical monitoring of their activities.

Successful businessmen do have challenges and that of Firdaus is no exception, especially given the current stifling inflation in the country. You must have the courage and sagacity to pull through in business with sincerity and promptness.

There was a time I visited Kano, precisely February, 2022 to attend the 40th Anniversary of Mass Communication Department in Bayero University, Kano, my alma mater. I observed him in the office and I discovered that he has full grasp of what it entails to run a business. He is an economist, so one shouldn’t expect less from him.

He is very strict but pragmatic. His strictness cannot be likened to nefariousness but proper way of doing things. He doesn’t cut corners. He will never bargain for substandard products.

As an entrepreneur you have a goal, but it should be predicated on your customers satisfaction. Without them your business will face retardation and sluggishness. That is why when you agree on a day and date for the supply of goods, do not renege. Customers develop confidence in someone based on their experience over time. If their experience is positive you are in for a good time with them.

Discipline as a core value in any setting, be it political, social or economic, will help anyone to grow; especially in business, financial discipline is key. To the best of my knowledge, Firdaus has it and his prudence is a great deal of idea.

*My relationship with Firdaus*

We are both from Ilorin but we didn’t know each other until we met in Bayero University, Kano. Although we gained admission the same time, he was a year ahead of me because his was a direct entry. Since graduation, the relationship has been sustained till today; alhamdulillahi! He is a thorough person, he neither receives ideas and/or opinions nor treat issues dogmatically. It takes a sound and convincing explanation of a subject matter to get him on the same page with one.

Our good friends, they say, are our lives. At one’s lowest hour, one must have that one person in whom to confide. This is reminiscent of Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter in which it is said “confiding in others always pain”.

Our relationship has transformed beyond friendship, it is now a familial bond. I can remember when I attended his wedding in Kaduna in the year
2009 and he reciprocated by attending my wedding in Ilorin together with his wife, an epitome of a good wife.

He is based in Kano but his door is always open to visitors. You can’t visit his family without giving a good account of their hospitality and humility. Great men are synonymous with humility and that has been my conviction over the years.

*His Philanthropic Activities*

He is a finest gentleman with a kind heart and generous disposition.He does not have a Foundation through which he reaches out to the less privileged because he believes giving to people is a personal thing and does not require publicity. His argument has been that he is doing it for the sake of Allah, not for people to praise him, and that getting a reward for doing good is preregative of Almighty Allah.

This is unlike politicians; there is no way they can keep in secrecy if they render assistance. If they don’t say it out, oppositions would use that against them, that they have neglected the people after gaining their mandates. So it is easy for him to do it in his own way, because he is not a politician.

There are cases of where he has helped and those people would be the one to tell me much later. If he helps you the third person would not hear about it. Emphatically, he has been kind to me as well.

Ahmad Abdulkadir Firdaus does not allow his busy schedules to deprive him of the opportunity to reach out to people through associations. He is currently the Vice President II of Bayero University Kano Alumni Association, the national body. He is also the Vice Chairman of Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Kano Branch. He is a Patron of Ilorin Emirate Students Union, BUK Chapter.

He is a detribalized Nigerian; his hand of fellowship spreads beyond his tribes and associates.

*His business sojourn*

Firdaus joined Royal United Nigeria Limited in Lagos State in 2007. He was later transferred to Kano office where he rose from the position of Accounts Assistant to become Regional Manager, North. In his words “I joined Royal United Nigeria Limited in 2007 through my Guardian, Dr. Abdullahi Jibril Oyekan”

Ahmed Abdulkadir Firdaus was born to the family of Alfa Ahmad and Hajia Halima of Ile Machine, Oju Ekun Oke, Adangba, Ilorin and grew up at Sebutu compound, Ilorin. He had his primary and part of secondary school education in Ilorin before proceeding to Lagos where he completed it. He is happily married with kids.

Below are his Educational background, Awards, and excerpts of the interview with him.

*Academic Qualification

In 2005 he bagged B.Sc. Economics from Bayero University, Kano with second class upper. He also obtained Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 2011 from the same institution. In 2006 he obtained Proficiency Certificate in Management and graduate member from the Nigerian institute of Management.
He became an Associate member , Institute of Chartered Economists in Nigeria (2006).

*Awards

Award of Excellence by Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union, IEDPU Northern Zone, 2023

Award of Excellence by BUK Alumni, Ilorin Emirate chapter, 2023

Award of Excellence by An-nur Islamic Organization, BUK, 2021

Award of Excellence by Ilorin -Ifelodun Social Group, Kano, 2021

Markazul Ulum Wal Maharif Islamic School Dei Dei, Abuja, 2020

Award of Excellence by National Association of Kwara State Students, BUK Chapter, 2019

Award of Excellence by Ilorin Emirate Youth Development Association, Kano, 2019

Award of Excellence by Ilorin Emirate Students’ Union, BUK, 2016

Certificate of Merit by National Youth Service Corps, Corps Welfare Association, Giginya Barracks, Sokoto, 2007

Merit Award (Chairman Fundraising) by Ilorin Emirate Students’ Union, BUK, 2005

Merit Award (Financial Secretary) by Ilorin Emirate Students’ Union, BUK, 2005

Merit Award (Member Fundraising) by Ilorin Emirate Students’ Union, BUK, 2004

Merit Award by Markaz Agege Alumni Association, BUK, 2003/2004

Al-Adabiyya Alumni Association, BUK, 2003/2004

Merit Award (Active member) Ilorin Emirate Students’ Union, BUK, 2002

*Interview Session*

What do you sell?

I sell different types/brands/sizes of Tyres and TableWater (HYDRO BLUE)

What could be the catalyst for your success in the business world?

Determination, patience, and passion can drive a business growth.

Nigerian economic challenges are enormous, but I always tell myself that if Dangote can do it, I can equally do with determination.

What advice do you have for upcoming entrepreneurs?

Business requires pragmatism, goal-oriented, and target. Including the culture of discipline

At the early stage of business, they must be available (full participation), adopt austere approach, have some level of accounting knowledge, and financial discipline.

They should understand that there is no shortcut to success; Rome was not built in a day.

Is it always rosy for your kind of business?

Not at all, like the Yoruba would say, a person that knows the day he would make plenty of sales might know the day of his death. Is just a saying nobody knows when he or she will die. No one can determine the day he or she will make enormous sales. However, business is unpredictable, most especially in the face of the current inflation that has influenced price instability.

It is obvious that even in the business world there are challenges but your ability to cope with its complexity and dynamism will determine how far you would go. This doesn’t rule out the significance of prayers as you weather the storm gradually. Our young men and women should cultivate the habit of sincerity and patience. Nothing good, they say, comes so easy. Get-rich-quick syndrome can’t be a way out of poverty but the road to doom. Patience is key to every facets of our lives just as Hausa saying “Hakuri maganin zaman duniyan”. Meaning patience is the key to successful life.

Firdaus, as a businessman is an example of those who would do their businesses diligently and would not surcharge the people.

He is in Kano, doing his business with utmost standard and excellent customer relations. Please patronise him for a life changing experience.

abdurraheemsaaddembo@gmail.com

Opinion

Exposing the fraud in NASS budget-Jaafar Jaafar

Published

2 weeks ago

May 2, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

By Jaafar Jaafar

In an unprecedented budget fraud, the National Assembly has appropriated N370 billion on running costs, contingency, vague and duplicated projects for the Senate and House of Representatives in the 2024 Appropriation Act.

I’m not talking about the hundreds of billions of naira padded in other ministries, departments and agency, but what they budgeted for their welfare and running of the National Assembly.

In the N370 billion NASS budget, the lawmakers duplicated projects and created new, unnecessary projects that increased the budget from N170billion in 2023 to N370 billion this year.

In budget (under Statutory Transfers ), the NASS budgeted 36,727,409,155 for the National Assembly Office; N49,144,916,519 for the Senate; N78,624,487169 for the House of Representatives; N12,325,901,366 for the National Assembly Service Commission and; N20,388,339,573 for Legislative Aides.

A senator recently told me that each of them (and members of the House of Reps) is entitled to five aides, while the four presiding officers (Senate President, Speaker and their deputies) have at least 3,000 aides. In total, you are talking about over 5,000 aides!

Despite the foregoing, the NASS budgeted N30,807,475,470 for “General Services” and N15billion as “Service-Wide Vote” – known in administrative parlance as “contingency” or “security vote”. The NASS never had anything like service-wide vote in the past as “service-wide vote” is always exclusive to the Executive arm. Insiders said this is a clear case of budget padding as the purpose for the huge appropriations are vague.

Even the retired clerks and perm secs (despite receiving their pensions) are not left out in this public funds buffet as they got N1.2billion padded for them.

Apart from padding the intangibles, the NASS will spend N4billion to build recreation center; about N6billion to furnish committee rooms for the two chambers and; another N6billion to build car parks for senators and members (don’t ask me whether they lack any parking space).

And despite this, the lawmakers padded N30 billion in the FCDA budget for “Completion of NASS Chambers” and N20billion for “completion of NASS Service Commission”! In the same budget, the lawmakers set aside another N10billion (under NASS budget) for the completion of National Assembly Service Commission building! How did this happen? No be juju be dis?

Still hungry to devour public resources, the avaricious parliamentarians budgeted another N3billion for the “Upgrade of NASS Key Infrastructures”. How come? What about the N30billion budgeted for “Completion of NASS Chambers”?

NASS Library Complex, named after President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, got N12billion as take-off grant and another N3billion for purchase of books.

Like other institutions under NASS, the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies got N9billion without clearly stating how or where the resources will apply to. The same institute also got another N4.5billion (is this ‘jara’?) for completion of its headquarters.

Despite the dedicated powerline and powerful generators backing up power supply in the National Assembly, the lawmakers budgeted N4billion to install solar power system. I guess this will give them a reason to pad billions for the purchase of batteries every year.

The committee that superintended this butchery of public resources, the Appropriations Committees of the Senate and the House of Reps, got N200m each for a job well done.