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Sermon: Dreams Die: Build a Legacy
By Babatunde Jose
“O Prophet! Truly We have sent thee as a Witness, a Bearer of Glad Tidings,
and a Warner, And as one who invites to Allah’s (Grace) by His leave, and as a Lamp spreading Light. (Quran 33:45-46)
In this verse of the Quran, Allah summarizes the legacy of Prophet Muhammad as the harbinger of good tidings, the warner, the summoner unto Allah, and as the lamp spreading light in a world that was plunged in darkness; a man who delivered a message to humanity that enlightened every aspect of human life, carrying with it solutions to every problem that humanity would ever face – political, economic, social, judicial, moral and spiritual – for all times, places and people, to take mankind from the darkness and oppression of man-made ways of life and systems to the light and justice of the System from the Lord of the Worlds.
There are many great characters in history, but none of their legacies impacted the world nor shaped the politics and lives of nations to the extent that the life and legacy of Prophet Muhammad. Indeed he was the most influential man in history, as agreed by many historians and writers, including Michael H. Hart, the American author, who ranked Muhammad as number 1 in his book, “The 100 Most Influential Persons in History”, writing, “Of humble origins, Muhammad founded and promulgated one of the world’s great religions and became an immensely effective political leader. Today, thirteen centuries after his death, his influence is still powerful and pervasive.”
First, is the unparalleled political system he pioneered and left behind through the Revelation of Allah – a system that was emulated by the Muslims following his death – and continued for 1300 years – right from the Khilafah Rashidun of Abu Bakr, Umar bin Al Khattab, Uthman bin Affan, and Ali ibn Abu Talib, through the Umayyad, Abbasid, and Uthmani Khilafah until the destruction of this magnificent state at the hands of the western colonialists and their agents in 1924.
It was a political system that was the embodiment of guardianship and care of the people and whose distinctive qualities were justice and accountability in governance as acknowledged by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. A system fashioned upon the words of Allah in Surah an-Nisa: “O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: For Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well acquainted with all that ye do.” (Quran 4:135)
Apart from leaving a legacy of a sound political system based on justice, fairness and equity, the Prophet also left a legacy of good leadership. The Caliber of Leaders the Prophet left behind can be gleaned from the life of the Khalifs: Leaders who truly understood their heavy duty to be the guardians and servants of their people, caring for their every need. The prophet said: “Each of you is a guardian and each of you is questioned over his subjects, the Imam is responsible over the people and he is questioned over his responsibility.”
Leaders such as Khalifah Umar bin Al Khattab who during the famine in Medina refused to eat anything but coarse food. His health began to deteriorate and he was advised to take care of himself, but he replied, “If I don’t taste suffering, how can I know the suffering of others?” This was a ruler who would patrol the streets at night to ensure every single one of his citizens had their needs met and was cared for.
He left behind a legacy of leaders who would use their own wealth to make their people rich even if they died poor – like Khalifah Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Before he became a ruler he was a rich man; in fact it took 100 camels to bring his possessions to the city. But he died with only one shirt to his name despite the Khalifah enjoying economic prosperity at the time, because he had spent his wealth for the sake of his Ummah. This was a man who refused to use even a drop of public oil to fuel his lamp for his personal affairs or even use water heated with the state charcoal for his ablution due to his immense sense of accountability over state funds. Subhanallah!
Can we say these about our leaders? Do they even understand what it means to leave a legacy of service?
A leader’s legacy is established by leaving something of enduring quality behind for the organization and its people. Effective leadership occurs when the leader strengthens others’ capacity to learn, to reflect and to extract meaning from their learning.
In essence, “legacy” is what you leave behind when you’re gone. It’s that “thing” that you did either for better or worse, and it’s most often the “thing” for which you are most remembered.
Integrity is perhaps the most important principle of leadership because it demands truthfulness and honesty. … Integrity means telling the truth even if the truth is ugly. Better to be honest than to delude others, because then you are probably deluding yourself, too. Do our leaders pass this benchmark?
Legacy is fundamental to what it is to be human. Research shows that without a sense of working to create a legacy, adults lose meaning in their life. … Being reminded of death is actually a good thing, because death informs life. It gives you a perspective on what’s important.
Let us live to leave a lasting legacy. May Allah guide us a right. It is understandable then why, George Bernard Shaw, the famous British writer and political activist once stated, “I have studied Muhammad – the wonderful man – and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness: I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today.”
Barka Juma’at and Ramadan Kareem
The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has constituted the LSSTF Monitoring Team with clear guidelines detailing their baseline expectations, roles, responsibilities, and performance. This is to ensure that all security agencies based in Lagos that benefit from the LSSTF largesse are responsible and responsive to the public goodwill which is reposed on them.
The constitution of the LSSTF Monitoring Team is in fulfillment of the pledge of the Executive Secretary/CEO of Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Ayo Ogunsan at the recent Strategic Media Parley with Senior Editors and Media Executives. He had assured the journalists that the era of abuse and misuse of public resources is over.
It will be recalled that Ogunsan outlined his leadership focus at the media Parley which held at the Agency’s Headquarters on 5th December 2025. ‘Public confidence in the Fund is essential. Under my leadership, transparency will be the standard not the exception. We will, maintain strict oversight on contractor performance, monitor all funded projects closely, publish updates on the utilization of donations, strengthen internal governance and reporting, and deepen stakeholder communication and feedback mechanisms.’
With the LSSTF Monitoring Team duly constituted, Ogunsan gave them the marching orders to include: ‘Monitoring and tracking of vehicles and other security assets belonging to RRS; Conducting routine field inspections to determine the state of Fund’s assets; Maintaining accurate records of assets deployed by the Fund to the RRS and providing operational reports; Accessing the application of assets provided to the security agencies as a prerequisite for further allocation; Monitoring repairs and refurbishments embarked upon by the Fund; and Any other duty as may be assigned from time to time.’
The inauguration and public presentation of a monitoring vehicle to facilitate the efforts of the LSSTF Monitoring Team will be held very soon.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos Sector Command, has confirmed a tanker explosion that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, 17th December 2025, along the Temu–Sabo route, by the Bypass Pobona area of Epe, Lagos State.
The incident, according to a statement by the Public Education Officer, SRC Oluwadamilola Jayeola, made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), occurred at about 0205hrs and was reported at 0210hrs. Operatives of the FRSC Epe Unit Command responded promptly and arrived at the scene within minutes.
Speaking on the incident, the Sector Public Education Officer, Superintendent Route Commander (SRC) Oluwadamilola Jayeola, stated that preliminary findings revealed that the explosion involved a commercial MACK tanker and five other vehicles, bringing the total number of vehicles affected to six (6).
She explained that the crash was attributed to brake failure, which resulted in loss of control and a subsequent lone crash. Although two adult persons were involved in the incident, no injuries or fatalities were recorded.
Traffic control was immediately established by FRSC operatives to prevent secondary incidents. The Corps worked in synergy with the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and the Lagos State Fire Service, which successfully contained and extinguished the fire.
A private tow truck was also contacted and placed on standby to facilitate the prompt recovery of the affected vehicles and clear the obstruction along the route.
The Sector Commander, FRSC Lagos Sector Command, Corps Commander Kehinde Ganiyu Hamzat, reiterated his advisory to motorists, particularly operators of heavy-duty vehicles, to ensure regular and thorough vehicle maintenance, with special emphasis on braking systems, before embarking on any journey.
The Lagos Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps remains steadfast in its commitment to prompt emergency response, effective traffic management, and the safety of all road users.
Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has formally submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Ahmed Farouk, over alleged corruption and financial impropriety.
The petition, dated December 16, 2025, was submitted through Dangote’s lawyer, Dr. Ogwu James Onoja, SAN, and received at the office of the ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN.
In the petition, Dangote called for the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the NMDPRA boss, alleging that Farouk has been living far above his legitimate means as a public servant.
Dangote specifically accused Ahmed Farouk of allegedly spending over seven million United States dollars on the education of his four children in Switzerland, paid upfront for a six-year period, without any lawful explanation for the source of the funds.
According to the petition, the four children and their respective schools in Switzerland were clearly identified, along with the amounts paid on their behalf, to enable the ICPC verify the allegations.
The industrialist further alleged that Farouk Ahmed had been using his position at the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain and private interests, actions which he claimed had recently triggered public protests and widespread criticism of the agency.
Dangote maintained that Ahmed Farouk has spent his adult life working in Nigeria’s public sector, adding that his cumulative earnings over the years could not reasonably account for the alleged seven million dollars reportedly spent on the overseas education of his children.
“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement constitute gross acts of corruption, for which your Commission is statutorily empowered under Section 19 of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute,” the petition stated.
It further noted that under the same section of the ICPC Act, any person found guilty of such offences is liable to imprisonment for a term of five years without an option of fine.
Dangote urged the commission to act decisively, stressing that the ICPC, alongside other anti-graft agencies, is strategically positioned to investigate and prosecute corruption-related offences.
“In view of the foregoing, we call on the Commission under your leadership to investigate the complaint of abuse of office and corruption against Engr. Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting,” the petition added.
The Dangote Group Chairman also expressed confidence that the matter, being in the public domain, would not be ignored, urging the ICPC to act in the interest of justice and to protect the image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Dangote further pledged his readiness to provide additional evidence to substantiate his allegations of corrupt enrichment, abuse of office and impunity against the NMDPRA Managing Director.
