15th May, 2020
PRESS RELEASE:
MURIC CONSOLES HON. ABDUL LATEEF ABDUL HAKEEM
The mother of the immediate past Commissioner for Home Affairs in Lagos State, Hon. Dr. Abdul Lateef Abdul Hakeem, has passed away. Alhaja Risikat Balogun answered the call of Allah yesterday, Thursday, 14th May, 2020 after a prolonged illness which was not related to any infectious disease. She was survived by seven children.
Meanwhile an Islamic human rights association, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has sent a condolence message to the family of the deceased. In a press statement signed by the Director of the group, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Friday, 15th May, 2020, MURIC described the deceased as a devoted Muslim and an exemplary Muslim mother.
“Alhaja Risikat Balogun was a devoted Muslim and an exemplary Muslim mother. Islam and service to Allah was Alhaja’s main focus while she was alive. She was gentle, loving and caring. A mother in a million, she mentored her children along the path of Islam, piety and dignity and made several sacrifices to ensure that they succeed in life.
“Alhaja Risikat Balogun lived a fulfilled life. Her first child, Hon. Abdul Lateef Abdul Hakeem, is an erudite Islamic scholar, popular preacher, televangelist and the Chief Imam of the Lagos State House of Assembly. He also holds a doctorate degree in law from the University of Lagos. Few Nigerians can return to the pulpit after a long sojourn in the murky waters of politics but he did.
“One of his siblings, Dr. Idris, is also a medical doctor. The remaining five children who are females, Bidemi, Nafisat, Aminat, Muhibat and Ajoke are also successful in life. For a woman survived by seven children, Alhaja Risikat Balogun’s life can only be described as a huge success.
“MURIC consoles the family as a whole. We urge friends and members of the family to find solace in the tenets of Islam concerning the inevitability of death and source for strength in the depth of faith. We pray that Allah in His Infinite Mercy will also make her Hereafter a bigger success story by reposing her soul in the highest pedestal of Al-Jannah firdaus.
“Before we draw the curtain, we must commend Hon. Abdul Lateef Abdul Hakeem for leading by example, particularly for resisting the temptation to draw a mammoth crowd to his mother’s burial ceremony thereby exposing innocent people to the ravaging COVID-19. His facebook message spoke volumes. He said, ‘It is my turn to grieve! My darling mum has just died. Inna lilahi wa inna ilaehi rajiun. Please pray for her in your places. DO NOT COME FOR HER BURIAL. LET US COMPLY WITH GOVERNMENT DIRECTIVES! She lived well and died well. May Allah forgive her shortcomings and grant her Al jannah fridaus. Aamin.’”
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
