Preamble
For every activity of man that yields success or results in failure, there must be a history from which others can learn a lesson. Sometimes, it is man that makes history and some other times, it is history that makes man. Whichever is the case however, the symbiotic relationship between history and man is a confirmation of the fact that none of them can be separated from the other. There can be no history without man just as there can be no man without history. The genesis of Ramadan Lecture in Nigeria is one historic contribution of Nigerian Muslims to the popularity of the fourth pillar of Islam called Ramadan. For Nigerian Muslims who are between the ages of 45 and 50 years, it will be noticed that one of the most prominent components of Ramadan month today is Ramadan Lecture. That component which was not in existence before 1985 is so rampant today that most African Muslims can hardly think of Ramadan without Ramadan Lecture. it has virtually become a spiritual phenomenon strongly waxed into the fabric of the sacred lunar month called Ramadan. Whether in Lagos, Sokoto or Calabar or even in Abidjan or Harare or Kinshasha, once Ramadan arrives every year, most African Muslims engage themselves passionately in Ramadan Lecture either as preachers or as programme sponsors or as audiences.
Incidentally however, the genesis of that phenomenon does not seem to be of any concern to many who see it as just an addendum to the sacred month of fasting. Even when it is undeniable that Ramadan fasting as a pillar of Islam has been in existence for almost one and a half millennia, it hardly occurs to most Nigerian or African Muslims of today, that Ramadan Lecture which began in Lagos about 33 years ago (1985) is Nigeria’s own contribution to the enhancement of the liveliness of the fourth pillar of Islam called Ramadan Fasting. Question: how did the idea of Ramadan Lecture which many African Muslims are now taking for granted come about? Who were the inventors of this ingehuous idea that has become a global heritage and what was actually the role of Bashorun MKO in this historic invention? Please, read the details of these in this column next Monday and you will add to your knowledge of Ramadan. Welcome on board of ‘Ramadan Update’, a column that ventilates the atmosphere for research and knowledge.
