Dawah Institute urges Islamic organisations to prioritise community development, social services

A Human resources expert, Dr Tokunbo Salam of the Islamic Education Trust and Dawah Institute of Nigeria based in Minna, Niger State has called on Islamic organisations to expand their activities beyond religious programmes to address community development, social welfare and humanitarian needs.

Salam made the call during a capacity-building programme organised by the Ogun State Muslim Council in Abeokuta, the state capital, to strengthen the ability of Islamic organisations to design and implement effective community-based initiatives.

He explained that the training, which he described as a capacity transfer programme, was designed to encourage Islamic organisations to become more actively involved in providing social services and addressing challenges affecting individuals and communities.

He said  religious organisations should not limit their responsibilities to spiritual activities, mosque management and religious lectures but should also contribute meaningfully to solving social problems.

“The essence is to see that Islamic organisations are deeply involved in community conversation and social services. Not only the spiritual aspect, they need to be directly involved in dealing with people’s social support problems,” he said.

Salam stressed that strengthening the capacity of the organisations would improve their programming, management and overall effectiveness, enabling them to deliver measurable results in their communities.

He explained that the initiative was informed by the decision of the organisers, identified in the interview as the NGMC and the Muslim Council, to improve the capacity of participating organisations.

The facilitator said the programme was designed to produce noticeable changes in the activities and operational approaches of participating organisations within three months.

He said the central message of the training was the need for new thinking to translate into new actions, with individuals and communities taking responsibility for driving sustainable change.

According to him, the ultimate objective is to ensure that the activities of Islamic organisations have a direct and positive impact on people’s lives.

Salam maintained that Muslim organisations must recognise their potential to contribute to the well-being of the wider society, stressing that their responsibilities should extend beyond religious gatherings to initiatives that benefit humanity.

He said the training encouraged participants to reconsider their existing approaches and identify practical ways of addressing pressing community needs.

Reflecting on the interactive sessions with participants, Salam observed that some organisations were involved in numerous programmes without establishing a clear area of specialisation or priority.

He noted that an organisation implementing 10 or 20 programmes annually might struggle to achieve meaningful results if its activities were not properly prioritised and coordinated.

While acknowledging the importance of their existing activities, he advised the organisations to identify at least one distinctive programme for which they could become known.

He described this approach as a “Tower of Priority,” explaining that each organisation should establish a clear focus around which it could mobilise resources, build expertise and measure its impact.

According to him, having a clearly defined priority would help organisations deploy their limited resources more efficiently and improve the effectiveness of their interventions.

He added that organisations with well-structured programmes would be better positioned to attract support and demonstrate their capacity to prospective donors.

Salam disclosed that the capacity-building initiative would be followed by another programme focused on strategic fundraising, tentatively scheduled for December or January, depending on the timing of Ramadan.

He explained that the current training concentrated on strategic programming, including how organisations develop, structure and manage their activities.

Participants are expected to spend the next three months reviewing their programmes and applying the lessons learnt during the training.

He said follow-up engagements would be conducted online to assess their progress, challenge them to improve their plans and encourage them to develop more effective interventions.

According to him, the subsequent fundraising programme would prepare the organisations to seek financial support for projects that are properly designed and capable of delivering tangible benefits.

Salam emphasised that potential donors would be more willing to support organisations that could demonstrate competence, accountability and the ability to manage funds effectively.

He explained that the organisers would assess the participating organisations’ readiness before considering which ones might be suitable for further support and follow-up.

“Nobody wants to waste money on non-activities,” he said, underscoring the importance of ensuring that funding goes to credible organisations with well-defined programmes and the capacity to achieve results.

Commenting on the participants’ response to the training, Salam expressed satisfaction with the level of engagement and the willingness of many attendees to reconsider their existing approaches.

He said some participants initially questioned what new knowledge the programme would offer, believing that the subject matter might not be significantly different from what they already knew.

However, he noted that the interactions helped many of them appreciate new perspectives on organisational development, programme planning and community impact.

According to him, the most important outcome is for participants to acquire new knowledge, rethink their activities and translate their learning into practical changes within their organisations.

Salam expressed optimism that the training would encourage the participating groups to adopt more strategic approaches to their work and become more responsive to the needs of their communities.

He urged them to embrace the lessons learnt and begin implementing changes that would improve the quality and impact of their programmes.

The initiative underscores the importance of strengthening the institutional capacity of faith-based organisations to enable them to contribute more effectively to social development and humanitarian services.

President-General of the Ogun State Muslim Council and Olowu of Owu-Kingdom Oba (Prof) Saka Adelola Matemilola while encouraging the participants from the selected Islamic organizations to start embracing new thinking and new action in carrying their dawah activities, presented certificates of participation to participants at the training.

Similarly, Secretary General of OMC, Asiwaju Kamaldeen Akintunde Esq  commended the Islamic Education Trust and Dawah Institute of Nigeria for partnering with the State Muslim Council in ensuring the successful conclusion of the highly impactful capacity transfer training.

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He described the training as unity driven that equipped participants with the needed skills of identifying and focusing on areas of strength of their respective organizations to attract the needed financial support.

Oba Matemilola along with Secretary-General of the State Muslim Council, Asiwaju Kamaldeen Akintunde Esq were also appreciated by the Islamic Education Trust and Dawah Institute of Nigeria for their numerous contributions to the growth of Islam and society at large.

The organisations whose members attended the training include the State Raabitah led by Chief Imam of Ikenne-Remo, Shekh Lawal Hussein, Ipara-Remo Muslim Youth Association, Sagamu Muslim Youth Organization, Islamic Human Rights International, Dawatu Nurul Islamic Society, Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) , Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN ), Islamic Mission for Africa(IMA), The Muslim Congress (TMC), Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria (MCAN), Najah Joint Muslim Organisation (NAJOMO), and Ogun State Council of Islamic Affairs (OGCIA).