Nigeria Belongs To 13 Islamic Organizations: Full List
Out of about 324 international organizations to which Nigeria belong, 13 are Islamic Organizations, a document obtained from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has shown.
The federal government, through one of its Ministries, is represented in each of the organizations.
Further checks by our correspondent showed that there is no other faith-organizations listed in the document to which the country belongs.
However, a foreign affairs analyst and International Relations Lecturer at Bayero University Kano, Dr Riya’uddeen Maitama, explained to THE WHISTLER in an exclusive interview, that Nigeria as a sovereign country is a member of the international community, which affords her the opportunity to be a part of many international governmental and non-governmental organizations.
“The basis of being a member of these organizations is for the country to derive mutual benefit between and among those member countries of a particular organization.
“The essence here is that of cooperation between these countries to share mutual benefit with countries in international system that are signatories to a particular international organization,” he said.
Maitama said that similarly, Nigeria joined the Islamic organizations because of what the country and its citizens stand to gain.
He said Nigeria has been deriving great mutual benefit through many dimensions, with the coming of Islamic Banking.
“Nigeria is securing a great deal of funding from international Islamic organization to facilitate and fund infrastructure in Nigeria. This is of great benefit and importance to Nigeria.
“Nigeria, being a member of about 13 Islamic international organizations is not an issue per se, because the very question that one should ask is that, are there other Christian or faith-based international organization that Nigeria rejected to be part of? I doubt if they exist and Nigeria decides to decline membership in those international faith or other faith organizations.
“I can recall of recent that Nigeria secured a scoop funding , which is a kind of non-interest Islamic loan or credit that the country secured from its membership of Islamic organizations. These funding have been used to facilitate giant infrastructural development in Nigeria, a case in point is the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Kano-Abuja-Kaduna expressway and even the Second Niger Bridge; part of those projects were funded by these scoop funding secured from international organizations.
“And being a member of international organization does not make Nigeria to deprive other non-Muslims of Nigeria their right to exercise their religion or to enjoy any benefit from these Islamic funding.
“The funding that Nigeria is securing from these kinds of international Islamic organizations are beneficial to all Nigerians irrespective of their faith or their religion and I think that this is important and good,” he said.
He added that people should not read negative meanings to Nigeria’s involvement in international organizations whether it has a secular or religious portfolio, but how it is positively imparting on the country.
“Another important point here is that the country being a member of an organization is not an issue, but what benefit…let us not look at the ideology of that organization, whether Islamic or non-Islamic; what Nigeria is benefitting from its membership in this organization is the most important thing.
“If Nigeria is benefitting and its national interest is being protected, and its economy is benefitting from being a member of these organization, it is okay, then we are good to go with that. But where Nigeria is being a member of these kind of organizations and it is depriving its citizens of any right to worship or exercise their freedom of religion and what have you, that is where the problem may arise and I believe that Nigeria is not depriving any of its citizens its right to exercise his faith as enshrined in the constitution ,” he said.
The 13 Islamic organizations are as follows:
1.Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
The OIC has a membership of 57 states from four continents and it models the collective voice of the Muslim world.
Responsible Agency : Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development finance institution geared towards Islamic finance. It is located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Membership of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is mandatory for enlistment as a member of the bank.
Responsible Agency: Federal Ministry of Finance
The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation’s objective is develop and expand intra-Organisation of Islamic Cooperation trade among Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) members, by extension, improve the conditions of all people.
Responsible Agency: Federal Ministry of Finance
ICD “fund projects that are aimed at creating competition, entrepreneurship, employment opportunities and export potential. We also bring additional resources to projects, encouraging the development of Islamic finance, attracting co-financiers and advising governments and private sector groups on how to establish, develop and modernize private enterprises and capital markets. “
Responsible Agency: Federal Ministry of Finance
The Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) is an international institution with full juridical personality to provide investment and export credit insurance for Islamic states.
Responsible Agency: Federal Ministry of Finance
ICESCO is a Morocco based international non-profit organization with special emphasis in the fields of education, science and culture.
Responsible Agency: Federal Ministry of Education
ICDT, was founded in Casablanca in 1984, with the mission of promoting Trade & Investments in OIC Countries.
Responsible Agency: Ministry of Industry Trade & Investment
Among other things, the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC) seeks to strengthen cooperation among the Member States.
Responsible Agency: Ministry of Industry Trade & Investment
Islamic University of Technology (IUT) is an educational and research institution of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The institution’s objective is weaved around contributing in the development of human resources of the member states of the OIC.
Responsible Agency: Federal Ministry of Education
“International Islamic Fiqh Academy is an international Islamic institution for the advanced study of Islamic jurisprudence and law based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.”
Responsible Agency: Federal Ministry of Education
Part of its mandate is to collate, process and disseminate socio-economic statistics and information on and for the utilisation of the member countries.
Responsible Agency: Federal Ministry of Education
The main functions of IRCICA is to “ act as a focal point and meeting place for scholars, researchers, artists, institutions, organizations, and other parties within and outside the Member States which deal with studies and research on various aspects of Islamic civilization.”
Responsible Agency: Federal Ministry of Education
13 Islamic Solidarity Fund, Jedda
The Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) is involved in reducing poverty in its member countries by providing financial support.
Responsible Agency: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Story Credit: The Whistler