By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An Islamic endowment fund called MetWaqf, designed to support the education of underprivileged persons in Nigeria, irrespective of their religion, has been launched by The Metropolitan Law Firm with the support of FBNQuest Trustees.
The charity initiative is part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of the two organisations and was unveiled at the 5th Islamic Estate Planning Clinic in Abuja.
The Managing Partner at The Metropolitan Law Firm, Mr Ummahani A. Amin, stated that the MetWaqf was established for the betterment of education in Nigeria.
According to him, MetWaqf is an Islamic endowment fund dedicated to promoting and providing education, most especially to underprivileged persons in Nigeria, saying he looks forward to the impact the initiative will have in society.
Also, the Managing Director of FBNQuest Trustees, Mr Adekunle Awojobi, said, as the first and leading providers of trust services in Nigeria, FBNQuest Trustees was particularly elated about the partnership and support on the MetWaqf initiative, expressing optimism that this charity initiative in its entirety will get the interest of everyone regardless of religion.
Speaking on the estate planning clinic, Mr Awojobi stated that the basic principle of estate planning was ensuring the preservation of legacies.
The event had some renowned Islamic financial scholars educating participants on the Islamic law of inheritance (Farā’id), the importance of estate planning in Islam and the various Shari’ah compliant estate planning tools like Waqf, Zakat, Hibah etc., and how they can be used to ensure that the affairs of all heirs and beneficiaries are adequately addressed in modern times.
These topics were dissected by Dr Nuruddeen Lemu, Director of Research and Training at the Da’wah Institute of Nigeria; Professor Ahmad Dogarawa, a professor at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; and Dr Warshu Tijjani, Rabi’u a Shariah Board member of Noor Takaful Nigeria, who is currently the Deputy Director, Research and Publication of International Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance, Bayero University, Kano, Kano State.
Others were Ummahani Amin, the Managing Partner at The Metropolitan Law Firm; Mohammed Yunusa of The Metropolitan Law Firm; Mutiat Olatunji, a Private Trust Specialist at FBNQuest Trustees; and Aminu Dabo Musa, the Relationship Manager at FBNQuest Trustees.
Modupe Gbadeyanka