General
As OCIS Clocks 40 , Sultan Sa’ad Extols Center
Last Thursday in the University town of Oxford, some 48 miles North West of London the Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies celebrated its 40th anniversary with the King of England Charles ||| superintending over the event. It was headlined by the speech of the very venerable King and also climaxed with the Annual General Meeting of the Board of Trustees as well as a tree-planting ceremony at the Centre’s garden.
Sultan of Sokoto , Saad Abubakar ||| extolled the Centre and it’s management for the remarkable achievements recorded in the last 40 years which has witnessed visits , lectures, seminars and speeches by very important dignitaries like former President Nelson Mandela and former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan. Sultan Saad lauded the administration of the Centre and expressed hope that the rest of the world especially the developing world would emulate the foresight and vision of the founding fathers of the Islamic Centre.
He expressed delight at the highly intellectual endeavor and community service both local and international that the Centre has become synonymous with.
Over the last four decades the Centre has become a citadel of learning incorporating lectures, seminars , provision of scholarship, research , fellowship, and engaging a multi-racial and multi-religious congregation as it’s students and clientele. A huge number of visiting lecturers frow the world over , are available to the academic faculty of the Centre.
Similarly, it’s Board or Trustees reflects variegated , ethnic, racial and cultural diversity with both Muslim and non-muslims co-habitating successfully on the Board .
While Saudi Prince Turki Al Faisal sits stop the board as Chairman, Sultan Nazrin Shah of Malaysia occupies the seat of Vice Chairman , Sheikh Mohammed Al Sabah former Prime Minister of Kuwait remains one of the pillars of the Centre.
There is also a strong British membership on the board , Rt Hon Dominic Grieve KC is former Attorney General for England and Wales , Sir Martin Donnelly KCB is former Permanent Secretary at the Department of International Trade as well Dr Catherine Swales , Director Clinical , Medical Sciences Division University of Oxford .
This array of Distinguished personalities on the board is further dignified by the inclusion and membership of the only African on the leadership of the Centre in the person of His Eminence Sultan Muhammad Saad Abubakar III.
The achievements of the Centre include the Research components of its study programme focusing on “the social and intellectual history of the Muslim world, the social and economic development of Muslim societies, science, technology and environment in Muslim societies and Muslims in Britain”.
Similarly, the Centre witnessed the emergence and growth of its publications , “The Journal of Islamic Studies” and the “Makers of Muslim Civilization”. The Lectures an Roundtables have also been a major highlight , while in the area of teaching the Centre has promoted multi- disciplinary study of culture and Islam and contemporary Muslim societies through fellowships like The King Charles fellowship, Nelson Mandela Fellowship, the Globe Fellowship and Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Fellowship among twenty others
The Director of the Centre Farzan Nizami in highlighting some of the story behind the success stated the centre proudly launched an Exhibition of “Lines of Faith:: Astronomy and the Art of the Astrolabe in the Islamic World”.
Two highly intellectual lectures that brought recognition to the Centre in the last one year are that of Lord Neuberger (former President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom) “Threats to the Rule of Law” and that of Professor Phillipe Sands of the Universe College London titled “On Genocide : Then ad Now”.
It is remarkable as well as instructive that the Centre came into existence in 1986 in a wooden hut on St Cross Road and grew tremendously into the oak it is today, esconsced on a beautiful piece of land on Martson road in the heart of Oxford town vigorously propagating interfaith dialogue and inter- civilization co-habitation as well as social harmony and general well-being of the human race.
Without doubt with the continued commitment of the Centre’s Grand patron King Charles ||| and the unique, sagacious capacity of it’s African monarch Sultan Saad of Sokoto the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies is bound to continue to grow in leaps and bounds probably surpassing the successes of the last 40 years in another 40 years.
Nasir Danladi Bako PhD, OON
Kogunan Sokoto
July 22, 2025.
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A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Gender Awareness Trust (GAT) has commended women across Katsina communities for their contributions towards promoting peace and security.
The GAT’s State Coordinator, Muhammad Maifada, made the commendation on Friday during a sensitisation exercise at the palace of the District Head of Shinkafi, Abdurashid Abubakar.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise was organised in collaboration with UK International Development, SPRING, and Tetra Tech International Development.
Maifada said that the sensitisation programme, which featured participation of about 13 community leaders, was part of activities to commemorate the 2026 International Women’s Day.
He noted that studies have shown the significant contributions women make in enhancing security within communities, particularly through the provision of vital information to security agencies and other relevant stakeholders.
Maifada further emphasised that parents and religious leaders also have a vital role to play, noting that they were close to the people and serve as permanent community leaders.
According to him, they are in a strategic position to help promote peace, guide the public on security measures, and inform citizens on appropriate channels for reporting issues in order to protect their communities.
He, therefore, called on members of the public to understand that everyone had a role to play in ensuring security and peace, stressing that each individual could contribute in different ways toward safeguarding their communities.
According to Maifada, GAT supported Women peace and security implementation committee members to carry out community sensitisation to inclusive peace-building.
Maifada further revealed that GAT also operates in Kaduna, while in Katsina State its activities cover Batagarawa, Kaita, and Katsina Local Government Areas.
“Among the key activities of the organisation is raising community awareness on the importance of women’s participation, particularly in matters relating to security and peace-building.
“The organisation is also advocating against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), a menace that affects women and children in the state,” the Coordinator said.
In his remarks, the District Head, who is also the Turaren Katsina, expressed gratitude to God for the choice of his district to host the celebration marking the International Women’s Day.
He also acknowledged the positive impact of the organisation’s activities within the community and pledged continued support and cooperation to ensure sustained peace and security across Katsina state.
NAN
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Kano State Government says it is targeting the distribution of more than 3.5 million meals under its 2026 Ramadan feeding programme across the state.
The Commissioner for Religious Affairs and Chairman of the Ramadan Feeding Programme, Alhaji Ahmed Tijani, said this while inspecting designated cooking centres responsible for preparing and packaging meals for beneficiaries.
Tijani said the inspection was aimed at assessing hygiene conditions, quality of ingredients and the general cooking process at the centres.
According to him, the team focused on cooking facilities and packaging processes rather than distribution points.
“We visited some of the major contractors responsible for preparing large quantities of meals daily for the programme.
“One of the companies we inspected feeds about 25,000 people daily, while others also prepare between 13,000 and 25,000 meals each day,” he said.
He explained that the programme targets the preparation of about 115,000 meal packages daily throughout the 29 days of Ramadan.
The commissioner said the meals would be distributed across the eight metropolitan Local Government Areas of the state.
Tijani commended the contractors for maintaining good hygiene standards at the cooking centres.
“We inspected the kitchens, the environment and the packaging process to ensure that the food meets the required hygiene standards.
“We are satisfied with what we saw. The level of cleanliness and the quality of the food being prepared are commendable,” he said.
He added that government officials had intensified monitoring to ensure quality control throughout the programme.
According to him, the supervision has helped address earlier concerns about food quality recorded at the beginning of the exercise.
“For the past two weeks, we have been visiting different centres to monitor both the quantity and quality of meals being prepared,” he said.
Tijani also said the government had resolved cases where some individuals attempted to divert food meant for designated distribution centres.
He noted that the situation had been addressed in collaboration with local authorities, adding that such cases had reduced significantly.
The commissioner said the cooking centres were also complying with the dietary standards approved by the state government.
“We checked the ingredients being used, including cooking oil, seasoning and meat, and they meet the required standards,” he said.
Tijani described the 2026 Ramadan feeding programme as one of the most organised in the state, noting that the government would continue to monitor the exercise to ensure its success.
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A political support group, Tinubu/Dikko Assured (TDA 2027) has on Wednesday donated ₦11 million in cash and 95 bags of rice to party executives of the All Progressives Congress in Katsina.
The distribution, which took place in Katsina, was aimed at supporting party leaders and stakeholders during the holy month of Ramadan.
The Director-General and founder of the group, Umar Ahmad-Zayyad, said the distribution exercise would be supervised by members of the TDA State Steering Committee.
Represented by the TDA State Coordinator, Khalil Aminu, the D-G said the gesture was part of the group’s continued commitment to strengthening the party structure from the grassroots while supporting loyal party executives.
He further assured that the structure of the party in Katsina Local Government and the state in general, remains intact, adding that it had mobilised ahead of future political engagements.
Ahmad-Zayyad described the outreach as part of a sustained effort to consolidate party unity and reinforce grassroots mobilisation in line with the objectives of the Tinubu/Dikko 2027 Project.
He described Ramadan as a period of sacrifice, compassion and generosity, adding that the initiative was designed to cushion the economic burden on party officials and their families during the fasting period.
According to the breakdown provided at the ceremony, five bags of rice and ₦500,000 were distributed across each of the 12 Wards in Katsina Local Government Area.
In addition, 15 bags of rice and ₦2 million were presented to the Katsina Local Government Executives to support their activities and welfare.
Similarly, 20 bags of rice alongside ₦3 million were handed over to the State Party Executives as part of the broader intervention package.
Party leaders who received the items expressed appreciation to Ahmad-Zayyad for what they described as a timely and thoughtful intervention.
Other beneficiaries who spoke at the occasion pledged their continued loyalty and support to the party’s leadership at both the state and national levels.
NAN
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Katsina Statistician General donates N20m to students, Islamic preachers
Ethnic community leaders commend Nigerian Army’s security efforts in Kano
NGO celebrates women as Katsina peace champions
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