*We cannot thank Akintola enough – Maidoki
*Lakin Akintola shows not much money needed to make it fat in Nigeria – Kunle Sanni
*Lakin Akintola is an enigma – Yusuf Ali SAN
* He is a Muslim scholar of high repute – Oladejo
* Akintola, a great jihadist, who gave birth to both Jihad and Mujahid – Abdul-Rahman Balogun, MMPN President
*He is mentor that I cannot forget in my life – Mujtabah Daudu
By KEMI KASUMU
“There is nobody, whether friends or foes of Professor Akintola, who can accuse him of being a violent person. He has always directed attention to injustice being done to Muslims through peaceful means and so, that must have sent the right signal about what the Islamic jihad is all about.”
Encomiums are yet to end for the Professor of Eschatology and human rights activist, Professor Ishaq Lakin Akintola, whose retirement and book launch event held in the Lagos on Sunday July 9, 2023.
At the launch of the book titled, “My Jihad: The Autobiography off an Islamic Eschatologist Cum Human Rights Activist”, Professor Akintola exit from active service after 39 years was celebrated as many dignitaries from far and near joyfully welcomed him into now a private life but urged him not to be tired of service to Islam and the nation.
The DEFENDER reports on Retirement and Book Launch event of the great scholar started on Tuesday July 4 with a pre-event press conference at the headquarters of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Iba, Lagos, where he vowed that “Although I am retiring from active service to the nation but still very active upstairs and downstairs”.
That became the excitement that gave dignitaries at the Sunday July 9 event the confidence to hope that, the professor, whose retirement from service on Monday July 10 coincided with his 70th birthday, would now have the space of chance and time to do full-time the Islamic and human rights activism he has done on part-time basis.
We cannot thank Akintola enough – Maidoki
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The DEFENDER, Engr Muhammad Lawal Maidoki Sadaukin Sakkwato and Deputy Secretary-General (West Africa) for the World Zakat and Waqf Forum, said to describe Professor Ishaq Lakin Akintola without mentioning the word ‘enigma’ and a personality that is pragmatic by nature, “my goodwill message will not be complete.”
Maidoki, equally an Islamic scholar to the core and Chairman of Association of Zakat and Waqf of Nigeria (AZAWON), said, “This professor of interest that, despite being misunderstood, has successfully proved naysayers wrong by showing the world how Islam solves complicated problems or Islamic faithful’s rights are demanded without violence deserves a commendation from all Muslims of the world.
“Akintola, my very close, good and great brother has consciously demanded for rights, not only of Muslims but also Christians, in a egalitarian society like Nigeria though his slogan for achieving peace through dialogue without fight. He has achieved a lot in the peace and unity project that today sees Nigerians develop mutual respect for one another from North to South and across the religious boundary.
“Even where Muslims have been unjustly treated in parts of the country, he has been able to surmount the courage of rising above ethnic and religious sentiment in seeking dialogue for restoration of peace, law and order in the land. He deserves our commendation.
“We love the product of many firsts as member of alumni associations of Al-Azad University, Egypt, usually said to be the first university in the world (first degree), University of Ibadan, the first university in Nigeria (second degree) and then the University of Ilorin, the first ever university to carry the motto of and has been so justified as ‘Better by Far’ in the country’s university education setting.
“We love Professor Akintola, we cannot thank him enough and have decided to do him this honour here in his life time and pray that Allah would accept all his good deeds as act of worship, grant him more successful service on earth, put Barakah in all his fruits of children, wife and entire family and make Al-Jannah Firdaus their abode on the last day, Amiin,” The world body deputy chief scribe prayed.
Lakin Akintola shows not much money needed to make it fat in Nigeria – Kunle Sanni
In his goodwill message, Alhaji Ishaq Kunle Sanni, Chairman, The Muslim Community of Oyo State, pour encomium on the celebrant in the manner that heaven has been rejoicing.
“Professor Ishaq Lakin Akintola is one of the greatest jihadists of our time. He is one of the people, who have come into the Islamic propagation and give the right direction, because when people hear about jihad they think it has to do with violence.
“There is nobody, whether friends or foes of Professor Akintola, who can accuse him of being a violent person. He has always directed attention to injustice being done to Muslims through peaceful means and so, that must have sent the right signal about what the Islamic jihad is all about.
“Secondly, he is not a rich man, nevertheless, he has achieved a lot using his salary to fund his activities and that has shown that you don’t need a lot of money to actually make it fat in Nigeria. And when you look at his organisation, they are not many people and yet they have been able to make a lot of impacts in Nigeria. This means that a struggle that has the right purpose and is being guided by Islamic principles can actually have impacts on millions of people without any string attached.
“We are happy that he is retiring from the university. He has been doing this jihad in Muslim Rights Concern on the part-time basis, now he has to do the job full time.
“We wish him long life and more peaceful service and good health in Islam,” Alhaji Kunle Sanni said.
Lakin Akintola is an enigma – Yusuf Ali SAN
Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN), Chairman, Yusuf Olaolu Ali Foundation and Permanent Member of The DEFENDER Newspaper Advisory Board, who was Chairman of the occasion during the event, described Professor Akintola an enigmatic person.
“Ishaq Lakin Akintola is an enigma, a Muslim activist, a fair-minded man and a deep academic. And so, I am wishing him a very best having attained the age of 70. I pray that Allah elongates his life for more services to Islam and humanity,” he prayed.
He is a Muslim scholar of high repute – Oladejo
Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, the Deputy President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), was highly elated to be part of the event that saw Professor Ishaq Akintola appreciated right in his life time.
Also President of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), Alhaji Oladejo said, “Professor Akintola is a Muslim scholar of high repute who has devoted his life to fighting for the rights of Muslims in the whole of Nigeria, not just in Yoruba Land or South West.
“Because of that, the impact he has made, that has attracted many of us to this place. He is a good example that anybody who devotes his time to the worship of Allah and service of Islam is a honoured person and, so, we are all here to support and honour him.”
Akintola, a great jihadist, who gave birth to both Jihad and Mujahid – Abdul-Rahman Balogun, MMPN President
Abdul-Rahman Balogun, National President of the Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN) and Chairman, ISI-UI Muslim Parents Association, said:
“Prof. Ishaq Lakin Akintola is a highly principled and disciplined scholar. He is a great jihadist who gave birth to both Jihad and Mujahid. He is Asadu deen of our time. He is a great mentor, result oriented and seasoned scholar and a great Islamic resource person with unprecedented Media collaboration.
“May Allah preserve him for the Ummah and nenrich him more in taqwa, sound health, resources and iman to continue the Jihad of his life. Aameen,” the MMPN President prayed.
He is mentor that I cannot forget in my life – Mujtabah Daudu
Mallam Muhammad Mujtabah Daudu, Chief Imam of AIT/Raypower Muslim Community, Lagos, described Professor Ishaq Lakin Akintola as “my mentor that I cannot forget in my life.”
He looked back to the fact that he did his jihad to the point of producing Jihad and Mujahid as son and daughter and the fact that, by his activism, he has proved to cynics that Islam is not a religion with pool of violence and declared, “There can be no other reward for goodness except goodness. May Allah accept all of these from him as acts of worship and grant him long life, good health and prosperity to do more,” he prayed.
