The Nigeria Union of Journalists,NUJ, Ekiti state Council on Tuesday held this year Ramadan Lecture.
The event came up at the NUJ Press Center in Ado Ekiti, the State capital on Tuesday.
The Ramadan Lecture was graced by the President of the Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs,Ekiti State, Alhaji (Dr) Hammed Afolabi Bakare as well as several other male and female religious leaders ans stakeholders.
The theme of the Lecture was ““UNLOCKING ECONOMIC STABILITY IN NIGERIA, LEVERAGING ON ISLAMIC PRINCIPLE”.
In his opening remarks, Dr Bakare commended the organizers for the initiative which he described as first of it’s kind since the creation of the State in 1996.
The religious leader noted that” the gesture was ideal towards entrenching peace and tranquility among people of diverse religious leanings.”
He also gave kudos to the Muslim Community in Ekiti State for the “impressive level of tolerance and peaceful co-existence with people of other faiths.”
Dr Bakare described the government of governor Biodun Oyebanji as all embracing in its appointments and policies.
The islamic scholar from the department of Languages and Linguistics, Bamidele Olumilua University of Science and Technology (BOUESTI) Alhaji Qudus Olayiwola who was the guest speaker for the day advised government at all levels to adopt some core islamic financial principles and policies to address the various economic woes bedeviling the country.
According to him, “despite the fact that Nigeria is blessed with numerous natural resources, it is still among the struggling nations of the world due to failure to implement the right policies and principles.”
He highlighted some of the islamic principles which ought to be applied to include, free interest loan, zakat and sadakat which mandates the rich to pay certain percentages to the poor, mandatory debt repayment system, prudence management of public fund among others.
The scholar noted that” if Nigeria continues with the current lifestyle, the country’s economy may get worse.”
He attributed some of the factors wreaking the economy to “indiscipline, corruption, extravagance,, greed and lack of fear of Allah.”
The BOUESTI lecturer noted that the Federal Government must also establish more industries to create employment for more youths.