Workshops by Media Forum wrapped up in Minna

The hands-on workshop on Social Media organised by the Media Forum of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria last weekend in Minna, the Niger state capital, was concluded this afternoon with a closing speech by Sheikh Abdulhameed Bello.

The theme of the workshop was “hands-on on Social media” with particular emphasis on Blogging. Participants, who came from far and wide across the Northern states, were taken through the elements of blogging. Each participant went home with a blog of his own.

The national Secretary of the Media Forum, Malam Abdulmumini Giwa, gave a rundown of what the whole workshop was all about and what was achieved at the workshop. He said that those who could not attend the workshop were already regretting their decision not to attend considering the phenonmenal amount of knowledge and skills acquired during the workshop.

Describing the workshop as first of its kind in the history of the Movement, the Chief facilitator of the workshop, Dr. Shuaibu, described the workshop as unprecedented and an important milestone in the history of the Movement. He showed delight at how within a spate of only one weekend youths, both boys and girls, were able to sufficiently grasp the basic skills to create blogs and take to blogging heads-on.

In his speech, Sheikh Abdulhamid drew the attention of participants to the importance of the “tripod” upon which the Islamic Movement stands. He said that the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky had always talked about these three pillars – Knowledge, Struggle and Piety.

He stressed on the importance of seeking knowledge because, according to him, “even to worship Allah, you still have to know Him.” He cited how at the start of the Movement the leader had emphasized seeking knowledge, and how early members of the Movement went into every nook and crannies of the towns in search of knowledge, even from seemingly hostile environments. He called on participants to regard this new knowledge and skills they acquired as just the beginning in the quest for knowledge.

When he turned to struggle or ‘Ijtihad’, he said that is what prepares one for the task ahead. He called on each and every member of the Movement to spare time to judiciously and actively engage in ijtihad, so as to strengthen oneself for the enormous tasks ahead.

On piety, he enjoined participants to always remember Allah and fear Him. He cited several verses from the Holy Qur’an where the virtues of piety were mentioned and called on participants to always apply piety in their endeavours, particularly in their blogging and other posts on social media.

In his own comments, the representatives of IMN members in Minna, Malam Ibrahim Khalil, expressed his delight at the choice of Minna as the first place to host this important workshop. He thanked the organisers for the choice and pledged to always be ready to host any subsequent gathering.

The Vice President of the Media Forum, Malam Abdullahi Usman Tumbrukai, gave the vote of thanks on behalf of the President, Malam Ibrahim Musa, whom he said had made frantic efforts to attend the workshop in person, but was unavoidably absent due to some very important matters that needed his urgent attention. He thanked all participants and facilitators for making the workshop a memorable one, and prayed for the safe return of everybody back home.

Minna was acknowledged and specially cheered for being such a wonderful host against all odds.

The workshop was declared closed with a closing prayer offered by Sheikh Abdulhamid Bello. There were group photographs at the end of the occasion. Kano was announced as the venue of the next event, expected to hold towards the end of the month of Dhul Hijjah in the Islamic calendar.