Members of the Christian and Muslim communities in Igbaye, Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State have formed a coalition against crimes and social vices like drug abuse, cultism and hooliganism associated with youthful exuberance in the town.
The coalition, spearheaded by community elders and religious leaders, in collaboration with the security agencies, was formed at the instance of some of the town indigenes on the platform of the Igbaye Development Vanguard (ICV).
The coalition came up when it was observed that the community’s youth were tending towards some strange habits that were inimical and antithetical to cultural attitudes known with the peaceful town.
And to nip the vices in the bud before they escalate beyond control, the concerned elders floated the coalition to enlighten the youth and elders alike about the larger implication of crimes, drug abuse and acts of brigandage either to them as individuals, to their parents as well as to the community.
Speaking with our reporter during one of their joint meetings and interdenominational prayers at the town’s market square, the Chief Missioner of the Muslim Community, Sheikh Abdur-Razaq Odewale and the Local Chairman of the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), Venerable Bejamin Adegoke admitted that the coalition was formed to foster unity among the residents as well as to curb the rate of social vices among the youth.
According to Odewale, who is also the founder and proprietor of Darus-Salam Arabic and Islamic Studies in the town, the prayers and sensitisation efforts are aimed at letting the youth turn a new leaf from unbeneficial exuberance with a view to making them good leaders of tomorrow and good ambassadors of the town.
Corroborating the views of the Islamic scholar, Venerable Adegoke, who doubles as the Pastor of the All Saints Church, added that the youth have been made to realise that any act of social vices has tendencies of spoiling family name just as it has the potential of making the town a pariah community.
The cleric, who was once the Principal of Igbaye Community High School (ICHS), informed that the coalition has gone round all the schools, both public and private, to warn the students and pupils alike against social vices like stealing, drug abuse and cultism and their adverse effect on their persons as well as on their parents and the society.
Speaking on the implications of drug abuse on the society, a retired medical personnel and pastor of the Christ Healing Church in the town, Pastor (Mrs) Martina Adeyemi said: “When drugs are abused, it turns the abuser to a social miscreant, a psychiatric case and a nuisance to the community.
“And when that happens, such a person can lose his head and start to exhibit some attitude that can be damaging to the society, threat to life and destruction of public utilities and individuals’ property,” Pastor Adeyemi noted.
The Imam of Isale-Adegba Ratibi Mosque, Alhaji Abdul-Kareem Ajibike, in his own contribution, expressed happiness that the coalition’s efforts are yielding fruitful results. He noted: “The parents, the teachers as well as the youth are now seeing reasons to be good and law abiding citizens, and normalcy has started returning to the town.”
It was gathered that the coalition, apart from visiting all the schools in the town for the sensitisation programmes, has also held meetings in the mosques and churches to sensitise the parents on the need to step up their parental duties towards their children as charity always begins at home.