The Muslim Community Of Oyo State is elated by the appointment of Barrister Zhikrullah Kunle Hassan as the first Southerner to occupy the position of the Chairmanship of National Hajj Commission.
In the past before the commission was given a legal handle virtually all the former adhoc chairmen were of Northern extraction. Only Alhaj Ismail Babatunde Jose former chairman and Managing Director of Daily Times when it was arguably the best newspaper in Africa and comparable with any one in the world.
He was normally referred to as the doyen of the journalistic profession occupied the position as a southerner. That was decades ago. After the National Assembly approved the hajj commission the two occupiers before Barrister Hassan were from the North but by coincidence all veterans of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria.
Both Alhaj Muhammad Musa Bello now Minister of Federal Capital Territory, the first chairman of NAHCON and his successor
Barrister Mouktar Abdullah were prominent members of the Muslim Students Society Of Nigeria. We cannot congratulate Barrister Hassan yet because he is occupying the position with the image not only as a veteran of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria but a former National President of the organisation.
Congratulating him is analogous to applauding a surgeon on his way to the theatre. The surgeon would deserve accolades when he comes out of the theatre with a smile that epitomizes the success of the surgery
Therefore what the new chairman needs is a lot of prayers so that at the end of his sojourn in office and makes a success of the assignment we would roll out the drums and red carpet of celebration.
Barrister Hassan is experienced in the hajj industry. He was two years a member of lagos state pilgrims board the state of his domicility and eight years the Sole Administrator and Amirul hajj of the state of Osun his state of origin where he performed excellently well showing the traits of an MSSN trainee.
The only difference is that a National assignment is a different ball game from the state but we are optimistic with prayers and support of the entire Umma he would take Hajj exercise to the highest pinnacle of success comparable to the emulatable standard of the best countries in hajj administration namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran and Turkey
We must show gratitude to our President Muhammad Buhari who has shamed his critics who robed him with the regalia of being a tribal jingoist and an ethnic chauvinist and an extreme parochialist. I want to say without any fear of being contradicted that there was no protestations from the South West that we want a southerner to occupy this position nor did Barrister Hassan lobbied anybody in government for this appointment. It came from detrabilised Muhammad Buhari who believes in fairness and equity.
Muslims in this country are United also because of the exemplary , dynamic and unprecedented leadership of the Sultan who since he came on board had been building bridges of understanding among Muslims all over the country that some of his saducers and arm chair critics accuse him of being a nomadic Sultan who is too extrovertic. They prefer a leader who would be playing god and hiding in his cocoon.
Let me once again appeal to the entire Ummah to cooperate with the NAHCON Chairman Barrister Zhikrullah Hassan and fervently remember him in prayers that he may be a success story
May Allah cement the unity of the Umma of Islam
Ishaq Kunle Sanni
Chairman, Muslim community of Oyo state
