We've no hand in Abia Crisis - FG

14—Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016
NSCDC
deploys
40,000
personnel
for Sallah
By Omeiza Ajayi
A
B U J A —
COMMANDANT-
General of the Nigeria
Security and Civil
Defence Corps, NSCDC,
Abdullahi Gana
Muhammadu, has announced
the deployment
of 40,000 officers and men
of the agency for Eid-il-
Fitr celebrations.
Muhammadu, who
spoke during iftar—
breaking of fast— with
some journalists in his
Abuja residence Saturday
night, also regretted the
activities of some militants
in the Niger Delta.
He said: “We have
deployed no fewer than
40, 000 officers and men
to protect critical national
assets during the Sallah
celebrations. We are
working with sisteragencies
to ensure a
hitch-free celebration.”
He also ordered all
zonal and state
commandants to beef up
security in their respective
areas of responsibility.
He said there would be
no slack in operational
activities, adding
“personnel must be
deployed in all nooks and
crannies, suspected black
spots, prayer grounds,
markets, shopping malls,
plazas, motor parks,
among others.”
Farewell gifts to Ramadan
IT has been a rewarding 29-
day spiritual activity: a period
of recompense, a period of
closeness to Allah, a period of
illumination by the glorious
Qur’an, a period of re-direction
of destinies and possibilities, of
charity, of divine blessings. It is
indeed a memorable period.
Having passed through this
spiritual exercise, we have been
transformed, no doubt. It is time
to celebrate, but an important part
of the celebration is to express
warm wishes to your neighbours
and invite them for a meal. One
could chose to celebrate it with the
poor to make them happy.
It is important to remember one
of our cardinal responsibilities
this month— Zakatul-Fitr. It is
obligatory at this time that we are
bidding farewell to Ramadan.
That is why the suffix fitr is
attached to it— to commemorate
From left— Aare Musulumi of Osogboland, Alhaji Gani Adekunle; Asiwaju Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Khamis
Olatunde Badmus; Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, and Chief Imam of Osogboland, Sheik Musa Animasahun,
during the Laylatul Qadr (Night of Majesty) marking end of Ramadan, organised by Osogbo Muslim community, at
Ansarudeen playground, Osogbo.
Watch out for new moon, Sultan tells
Nigerian Muslims
By Demola Akinyemi,
with Agency Reports
THE
Nigerian
Supreme Council for
Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, has
asked every Muslim in the
country to look out for the new
moon yesterday and today for
the Eid el-Fitr.
Secretary-General of the
Council, Is-haq Oloyede, in a
statement yesterday, said the
council, under the leadership
of the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad
Abubakar, enjoined all
Muslims to look for the moon.
Mr. Oloyede said the Sultan
had, therefore, put in place a
National Moon Sighting
Committee, NMSC, to that
effect.
Oloyede, who is also the
Shehu of Borno and NSCIA
Deputy President-General is
the occasion of breaking the fast.
For the umpteenth time, a man
has to pay on behalf of himself
and his wife— even if she is
wealthy on her own— and his
children and parents, if they are
poor, and his daughter, if she is
married but the marriage has
not yet been consummated.
If his son is rich, he does not
have to give Zakatul-Fitr on his
behalf. A man has to give
Zakatul-Fitr on behalf of a
divorced wife, whose divorce
process (Talaaq) is not yet
concluded (i.e., she is still in the
‘iddah of a first or second
talaaq). But not in the case of
one whose divorce is finalised.
A son does not have to give
Zakatul-Fitr on behalf of a poor
father’s wife, because he is not
obliged to spend on her. A
Muslim traveller is also
enjoined to pay his Zakat where
among the 34 Muslims across
the country as members of the
committee.
Mr. Oloyede said: “NMSC
has advised the President-
General that the crescent of
Shawwal should be searched
for on Monday, July 4,
equivalent to 29th Ramadan
1437 AH.
“If the crescent is actually
sighted by informed persons
on Monday night and His
Eminence is so advised by the
experts, he would declare
Tuesday, July 5, as the first day
of Shawwal (‘Id day).
“If, however, the crescent is
not sighted on Monday night,
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
automatically becomes the first
of Shawwal 1437 AH (‘Id
day).” He enjoined Muslims
all over the country to be on
the lookout according to the
he spends the last two days of
Ramadan. If a person dies before
Maghrib, on the last day of
Ramadan, Zakatul-Fitr would
not be obligatory upon him even
if he fasted all the other days of
the month.
On the other hand, if a child
is born after Maghrib, it would
be obligatory to pay Zakatul-Fitr
on his or her behalf.
It should be given on one of
the foodstuffs which is commonly
consumed in the society. The
popular measurement of it is
four handfuls on behalf of one
person. If it has to be given in
money, although this is not
encouraged but the societal
demands and circumstances
sometimes call for it; it has to be
well-calculated that the
appropriate money equivalent is
given in accordance with the
existing price of the desired
foodstuff in the market, in your
area and at the right time too, to
meet the immediate need and
purpose for which it was given.
In essence, the rationale
behind it is to make others
happy during the festive period;
it purifies the fasting Muslim
from any shortcoming during
the fast. And since every Muslim
needs this, it is therefore
obligatory on him whether rich
or poor to pay Zakatul-Fitr.
directive of the President-
General of NSCIA on the
completion of this year’s
Ramadan fast.
He said as soon as NMSC
confirmed the sighting of the
crescent, the committee would
advise the President-General
of NSCIA, who will announce
the completion of Ramadan
and the observance of Idul-
Fitr prayer.
“Muslims are also strongly
advised to fast for six days
between the second and the
The Prophet (SAW) said:
“Make them (i.e. the poor and
destitute) rich on the day of Eidil-Fitr.
The Qur’an says: “The
Zakah are only for the
Fuqaraaì (poor), and the
Masaakeen (the needy) and
those employed to collect (the
funds); and for to attract the
hearts of those who have been
inclined (towards Islam); and
to free the captives; and for
those in debt; and for Allah’s
Cause, and for the wayfarer (a
traveller who is cut off from
everything); a duty imposed by
Allah. And Allah is All-Knower,
All-Wise” (Q9:60).
Before I end, I seek
forgiveness over my inability to
touch other areas you would
have wished, as well as my
inability to reply to all mails, text
messages, calls and comments.
May Allah forgive us all and
accept this as an act of
worshipping HIM. I also wish
to remind us that we can keep
the spirit of Ramadan alive
every day for the next 11
months Insha Allah. That is the
best gift to give Ramadan as it
bids us farewell.
On behalf of the Publisher,
the Editor, and the Muslim
community at Vanguard Media
Limited, we wish you all Eidil-Mubarak.
end of Shawwal,” Mr. Oloyede
added.
Mr. Oloyede said that
although Ramadan might come
and go, the lessons in it must
continue to reflect in the lives
of Muslims.
He said: “The council
encourages Muslims to
continue praying for peaceful
co-existence in Nigeria, as they
keep the virtues and gains of the
sacred month, as guide towards
accelerated development as
individuals and a nation.”
Hong Kong firm to build
200,000/bpd refinery in Nigeria
By Ediri Ejoh
THE country’s oil and gas
business may be heading
for good times as Blooming
Faith Petroleum Ltd., a
subsidiary of Hong Kong-based
Blooming Faith Global Holdings
Ltd, would partner the Federal
Government to build and operate
a refinery with an installed
capacity of 200,000 barrels per
day, in Akwa Ibom State.
In a statement made available
to Vanguard, a senior
management team of the
organisation, which is currently
in Nigeria to kick-start procedure
for the project, confirmed a
successful engagement with the
Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC.
Speaking on the
development, Chairman of the
company, Dr. Robert Yeung,
explained that the company’s
interest in building a refinery
was influenced by the discovery
that Nigeria, a major oil
producing nation, relied on
importation of refined products
to attend to its domestic needs.
His words: “We became
immediately interested for two
basic reasons: first, as a business
entity, we have identified a
vacuum to be filled, because the
government of Nigeria will not
import what it can access locally.
“Second, our confidence in
Nigeria as an investors’
destination of choice in Africa:
we know that we can never get
it wrong with a country of almost
200 million people.”
C
M
Y
K