By Mahdi Waziri Isa
Babul-Ilmi Academy in Samaru has honoured 14 of its former students, including one of their teachers, who have recently earned university degrees.
The celebrants, most of whom graduated from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, all finished their preliminary Islamic studies from Babul-Ilmi, with some volunteering to teach at their alma mater.
Speaking to the celebrants, Professor Habib Danmalam, who was the Guest Speaker at the event, said education does not end with a first degree, urging the graduands not to relent in continuing their studies beyond their first degrees.
Professor Danmalam likened stopping the pursuit of education at the degree level to someone who tastes the sweetness of a dish but was deprived of eating more.
“That is how education is. I’ve now bagged my third degree (PhD), and I’m still learning, because as long as someone tastes the sweetness of education, he wouldn’t relent in continuing the pursuit of education. That is why the Prophet and his infallible household told us in the narrations that learning never ends,” he emphasized.
On his part, Malam Isa Waziri Gwantu, who spoke on behalf of all parents of the graduands, advocated for the use of Hausa language as a means of communication, arguing that although the Nigeria recognizes English as its official language, it is a language of colonization and subjugation.
He said, “All the developed countries we see today developed by using their mother tongues. Look at Japan, China, Iran, and Russia, they all developed and became technologically advanced countries using their languages. Let’s adopt the same technique and see how we can progress as a nation.”
He also called on the graduands to learn skills alongside their university certificates, saying “certificates without a skill that will add value to the society is useless.” He urged parents to help their children to learn skills in order to be able to make ends meet.
Malam Luqman Alfa, who is one of the celebrants and also their Islamic teacher, thanked Almighty Allah for his blessings and prayed to Allah to “allow us to witness more of this success and celebration.”
