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RECESSION: Causes, Consequences, Remedy From Islamic Perspective

Yahaya Ayodeji Awal

 

In today Nigeria, the majority of the people lives in abject poverty and survives mendicantly. Painfully, the country passes through this experience despite abundance of natural endowment with which we are endowed, human and mineral resource.

Many other countries do not have more than crude oil yet such countries thrive well and are developed. These countries provided the essential needs of their people but Nigeria, despite the abundance of crude oil and many other mineral resources her people still find life difficult. Majority of Nigerians, live in uncertainty about its high unclearly of living consequential to bad leadership, mismanagement of resources and above all corruption that is prevailing.

According to English mini Dictionary, recession is everywhere and it is a temporary decline in economic activity. This is the exact situation that we are experiencing in Nigeria. The prices of commodities get higher by the day; everything in Nigeria has become very expensive, even a sachet of pure water, tooth paste, toot brush, locust bean and Garri to mention but few of the essential consumables just because of the rise in dollar price.

I am still curious about this because I wonder why a palm oil seller in Nigeria will sell his/her product three times the normal price on the false assumption and mauling his customers for rise in dollar. All these are the agitation in present situation of Nigeria citizen why we are try to discuss the causes of this so called recession, it causes, the consequences and suggested remedy for the indentified problem.

Before diving into the causes of recession I will like to cite a verse in the holy Qur’an as a reference to the cause of this so called recession which goes thus: and “Allah puts forward the example of township that dwelt secure and well content: its provision coming to it in abundance from every place but it people denied the favor of Allah.  So Allah made it taste the extreme hunger (famine) and fear, because of that which they used to do”. (Q 16: Vs 112).

From this verse we can perceive the bounties and blessing that Allah has bestowed on every nation particularly Nigeria but which due to our ingratitude we are experiencing the down side; due to some of our bad deed which include corruption, bribery, high interest rate, adultery and fornication, lack of justice; all these are the causes of recession in the country.

Bribery and corruption: the most rampant attitude or habit of almost every Nigerian is the case of bribery and corruption. It circulate through all sectors, political and the most surprising is that of religious  sector, education sector where by teachers imposes unnecessary charges on his student to be awarded marks and good grades either he is commitment or not, in a country like Nigeria, this is the cause of run down in education standard and this will warrant the collapse in economy of the nation because those that are dedicated to do the necessary job are half baked bread that is useless.

Political sector is also a corrupt environment because they are not aiming to serve the country but  longing, hungry and eager on a mission to embezzle the country’s fund. Allocation given is not utilized for the project it was bodgetted and infrastructural development is rather ignored, Rather than serve the people, they safe keep the country’s funds in places like cementary and sanitary systems. All these leadte country into economic stagnation and eventual, recession.

The grievous aspect  of all this is the corruption and bribery among the religious leaders such as Imam, Pastors who should be the of outstanding and emulable character. Rather than serve as role models to these politician they do otherwise and encourage them to embark more on illicit acts like bribery and corruption and empowering  them with spiritual powers  and later seek for Allah’s forgiveness, forgetting that Allah is watching and that he has power over them all.

Adultery and fornication: which is highly detested by Almighty Allah and a highly punishable act which he detest so much is what every one both the young and the old assume to be right  and is very provoking to Allah. According to Allah’s saying in the Holy Qur’an: and as it comes not near to the unlawful sexual intercourse, these great sins and other evil ways affect the prosperity and potentials of our nation.

It is a way of evil which the devil has beautified for the sinners that anybody who indulge in them will gain nothing but to perish. It is individuals that make a family, a community, a town, the state and country. The surest destiny of any country that indulges in these sinful acts is nothing but destruction.

Lack of honesty in the judiciary, especially among judges, poor leadership, the sinful act by politicians constitute a major factor, creating the lack of misunderstanding among their followers.  For example in politics if a graduate is prospecting for a job and he/she does not belong to their political party such an applicant will be denied the job, simply because of political differences. These act has been affecting the country’s potentials and also lead contribute to causes of recession. Denying a person what he/she is entitled to leads to ill feelings and bad blood and eventually a reduction in patriotic values.

CONSEQUENCE OF THE RECESSION

The result or effects recession in any country is the destruction of the society and promotion of negative tendencies because it affects lot of things. Major among its effects is starvation and famine: if the economy of a country is on the decline there is bound to be famine and resultant food scarcity such as we are experiencing in Nigeria today. A lot of things had happened that was rumoured,  heard of or even witnessed, how some people in poverty stricken communities steal pot of “Amala” from fire when the owner of the food, while preparing the food, leaves it and goes inside to pick something but befor the person returns to the food she was preparing, the pot of “Amala” had disappeared. This is the critical level that poverty had reached among the people of Nigeria as some are even dying of hunger.

Insecurity is another child, born by evil doers as a result of poor governance in a sinful nation. There is wide spread deterioration in security, kidnapping and even assassination of pesons, political opponents and business associates, acts of people defrauding themselves and even government in selfis cercumstances as the love of nation is down at the detriment of patriotism.

 

SUGGESTED REMEDY

According to the Qur’an 13 Vs 11: “Verily, Allah will not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goodness themselves”. This is indicating that before we can get rid of recession we should all change our attitude for good, we should desist from all forbidden act as gambling, sorcery, alcoholism, fornication and aldultery and other sinful acts.

Moreover, we can prevent recession by abstaining from taking interests because it irritates Allah.  Allah says in the Qur’an Qur’an 2 Verse 275: “Those who eat Riba (Usury) will not stand (on the day of resurrection except like the standing of person beaten by Shaiton leading him to insanity, that is because Allah has permitted trading and forbidden (Usury), whereas Allah has permitted trading and forbidden Usury.”

From this we can see and deduce apparently how Allah emphases on the taking of Usury because it causes more harm than good. By this I think if we can work with Allah’s injunction our nation will be free from economic recession.

 

 

 

YAHAYA AYODEJI AWAL writes from iIorin

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