Barely forty-eight hours after attending the National workshop of the Majlis Ansarullah at Ilaro, the Respected Amir sahib went to pay a courtesy call to the Executive Governor of Nassarawa State, Engineer Abdullah A. Sule at the State capital in Lafia, Nassarawa State.
On the Amir’s entourage were the Naib Amir, Finance and Admin, Engr Mufadhil Bankole Sahib, Naib Amir Tabligh and Tajneed, Dr. Busari Abdul Lateef, the former Naib Amir for the North, Dr. Habeeb Yekeen, the Secretary External Affairs, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, Nassarawa Circuit President, Brother Jubrin Ahmad, Nassarawa Circuit Missionary, Muallim Akintola Misbahuddeen, Abuja Circuit President, Alhaj Sanusi Ahmed, Central Mubaligh of Abuja, Mukarram Maulvi Nasir Mahmood, Former Abuja Circuit President, Alhaj Atanda, Abuja Circuit Missionary, Muallim Nuhu Abdus Salaam, Naib Sadr North for Majlis Khuddam, Brother Ajimoti Abdul Mujeeb, and many others.
The Amir Sahib and members of his entourage were received by His Excellency in one of the conference rooms inside the Government House. The meeting with the Governor started with the opening prayer which was led by the respected Amir Sahib and recitation of the Holy Qur’an by Muallim Nuhu Abdus Salaam. The reporter did the introduction of Amir’s entourage and the Amir gave a glowing address which the Executive Governor and members of the State Executive Council listened to with rapt attention.
In his address, the respected Amir Sahib appreciated the Executive Governor for granting our request to pay him a courtesy call despite his very tight schedule and the short notice. Amir Sahib appreciated, as well, all the previous Governors of the state for granting Ahmadiyya Jama’at permission to operate in the state as a religious body.
The respected Amir Sahib informed the august gathering that out of the 5 Ahmadiyya- owned secondary schools in the country, three of them were located in Nasarawa State and they were the Ahmadiyya College at Umaisha, Ahmadiyya Community Secondary School Ara and Ahmadiyya Community Secondary school at Onda, all within the state.
Further addressing the Executive Governor and members of the state cabinet, the Amir highlighted the beliefs of the Ahmadis as the same with the mainstream Muslims as we believe in one Allah; the Holy Prophet Muhammad, on whom be eternal peace; as Khattaman Nabiyyin; we uphold the five pillars of Islam and the six articles of faith. That the difference would be in the areas of understanding and interpretation of some injunctions and verses of the Holy Quran. He reiterated that the founder of the Jamaat, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Alayhi salaam was an obedient follower of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alayhi was salaam.
Amir Sahib informed the audience about the focal point of Khilafat e- Ahmadiyya which was to establish and preach peace all over the world as Islam abhors violence but permits self-defense. He referred to what His Holiness had done and still doing; going to the Capitol Hill in the USA, House of Parliament in the United Kingdom, Congress in Germany and Canada and other world powers where he told them to embrace peace and jettison violence and manufacturing of arsenals and war ammunition. He advised that we should see ourselves as brothers and not as enemies. He said Islam did not allow any Muslim to act wrongly or misbehave to any Non-Muslim on account of a difference of religion.
Some of our social and humanitarian activities carried out under the umbrella of the Humanity First; such as education for all, light for all, health for all, portable water for all, disaster recovery, the welfare of the internally displaced persons, orphanage, etc. were mentioned by the Amir Sahib to the Governor.
The respected Amir Sahib presented three requests to the Executive Governor which were: one; an invitation of his Excellency to our National annual Jalsa Salana at Ilaro which holds in December every year and two; an invitation to our international Jalsa Salana at London which holds in August of every year and three; the strong support by the Governor as our spiritual worldwide leader was billed to visit the country in 2021. Amir Sahib wanted the Governor’s support in terms of facilitation in reaching out to Government departments and Ministries and possibly making the Presidency, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives accord His Holiness the respect he deserves which other bigger countries have accorded him. That they all need to listen and learn from the peaceful message of His Holiness which other countries have benefitted from. Amir Sahib prayed profusely for the success of the Governor in his administration and for peace in the state. He prayed for the security of lives and properties in the state for the Government functionaries of the state especially, the Governor. Amir Sahib prayed for peaceful co-existence among the people. He prayed for the progress and development of the State under the incumbent Governor.
Nine of the Jama’at’s publications were presented to his Excellency as gifts.
The Executive Governor, Engineer Abdullah Sule responded by reciting Ta’awudh and Basmallah and welcomed the leadership of the Jamaat. He said he was expecting very problematic issues when he received our request to visit him but that he was humbled and mystified when all we have come to do was to truly pay him a courtesy call and offered him Islamic literature as gifts and then prayed for him and the state. He felt elated and honoured.
The Governor said he was not a new person to Ahmadiyya as he had known Ahmadiyya many decades ago when he was in the secondary school in the 1980s as he used to pray inside our Mosque located in his town, Akwanga. Akwanga is just about 50 kilometers to Lafia, the State Capital. That the Jamaat’s mosque in Akwanga was the biggest in the area.
‘’Your College in Umaisha has hosted me twice when I went there for political campaigns and the school had produced many notable elites in the state’. He said.
He said he also came across the Jamaat ul Ahmadiyya when he went to the United States of America for studies. According to him, ‘’ Houston Texas was about 40 kilometers in length and 40 kilometers in breadth. At that time, the only Masjid I could find was the Masjid of the Ahmadiyya. I always prayed there and met Maulvi Shamshad who is now in Colorado. We are still friends till date. He kept me updated on Jama’at’s activities. I have always preached and enlightened my friends about the Jamaat Ahmadiyya as most of them are ill-informed. I know about your interpretations of most of the prophecies about the latter days and the advent of the promised messiah’’.
The Governor said he had taken part in our Jalsa Salana at Ilaro a couple of times. This fact was supported by Muallim Isah Eshemogie, who was then the Missionary at Akwanga. That the Governor was then a Managing Director of AP Petroleum before becoming the Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Group of Companies. The Muallim further narrated that it was the Governor who advised that the Jama’at would find it difficult to maintain the storey building mosque at Akwanga when it was under construction and provided funds for the roofing of our Mosque at Akwanga apart from numerous financial donations he made to the construction of the Mosque.
He appreciated the location of three of our schools in his state and humorously pointed to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) that the three schools were in his domain but the biggest of our mosques in the state was located in his home town, Akwanga.
The Executive Governor pledged his unalloyed and undiluted support and ready to use everything within his power to assist us in our quest. He finally said, ” You don’t need to convince me about Ahmadiyya”.
The Amir and his entourage later snapped a group photograph with the Governor and the State Executive and a befitting lunch was organized for the entourage at the Presidential Lodge of the State.
He also held a series of meetings at Akwanga where the entourage offered their Salat Zuhr and ASR before proceeding to Abuja.
Amir Sahib branched at HADEEQA E AHMAD located inside Nassarawa State but under the management of Abuja Circuit. Amir has since returned to Lagos.
Report by Abbas Iromini
The General Secretary.
