From Classmates To Changemakers: Rebuilding Communities Through Alumni

By Abdullahi Abubakar Lamido.

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA: It was a cool evening in Abuja,just after Maghrib.
I sat in a garden with a friend of mine (Let’s call him Abdul).
He Is a brilliant fellow,a senior executive at a multinational company.
We had met after a long while and the conversation was flowing like the breeze.

Abdul sighed and said, “We had our primary school reunion last December.
You won’t believe the state of our old school.
It is a complete mess.
No toilets,broken roofs,no floors,overcrowded classrooms,yet hundreds of children attend the school daily.
We even wrote an open letter to the government about it but nothing happened”.

He shook his head in frustration.

I smiled and asked him calmly, “Abdul,in that reunion,did anyone suggest you contribute to fix any of these problems yourselves”?

He looked at me,slightly confused. “Well,not really. The focus was on pressurizing the government to renovate it”.

“Do you still believe,sincerely,that the government will come to fix that school just because you made noise”?

He looked down.
I pressed further,not to mock him but to stir thought:

“How many of your classmates are well-to-do now?

How much will it cost to fix a roof,build a toilet,hire a temporary teacher or provide benches for the pupils?

Why must we always wait for the government to do simple things for us when we are no longer waiting for them in our own homes and children’s schools?

The Women Who Planted,Hopes.

I told him the story of our Women Empowerment Programme at Zakah and Waqf Foundation. Back in 2019,we gave widows and single mothers just ₦10,000 capital,along with training in goal setting,financial literacy and emotional resilience.

One year later,many of them were not only on the path of financial stability,but also mentally empowered. Can you guess what they did next?

On their own,they contributed ₦1,000 each to create a Waqf.

They used that little contribution and bought a piece of land at the edge of Gombe for ₦75,000.
As ALLAH-SWT would have it,the area developed.
The land was resold at a profit and they bought a larger hectare.
Today,that land hosts a Waqf Orchard that was initially funded by women who used to be waiting for help. These can comfortably take care of themselves and can now give others.

Waqf turned them from receivers into donors.
They are no longer “less privileged” but community supporters”.

Reunions Or Revivals?

I turned again to Abdul.

“Why then,do we form Old Students Associations?
Is it for us to take photos and complain on Facebook?
Or Is it for us to give back to the school”?

And More Importantly:

Why do we think giving back is optional and not a responsibility?

In truth,many elites,especially those in their 40s and 50s—are who they are because this Country once worked for them.
It gave free or subsidized education,public scholarships,caring teachers,access to free or cheap books and clinics,all from public institutions or community support.

But today,many say:
“Just focus on yourself and your family,the Country is not worth it”.

That thinking is not just selfish,it is barbarians and anti Islam.

Let me tell you a hadith.
The Prophet ﷺ once described the Ash’ariyyin (A tribe from Yemen who used to live as a tight-knit community in Madinah)
“When their food became scarce during a journey or at home,they would gather all what they had in one cloth,then distribute it equally among themselves. They are from me and I am from them”.
(Sahih al-Bukhari & Muslim).

This is not just compassion,it is institutional solidarity.
It is the DNA of Waqf.

Alumni Power: A Global Model.

Across the world,especially in the West,Alumni Associations do more than party and post pictures.
They build endowments.

Harvard University has a $50 billion endowment,most of it came from Alumni.

Oxford and Cambridge Universities receive millions yearly from old students.

Even in Turkey, many Islamic Universities and social projects thrive on such support.

In Malaysia,cooperatives run Waqf Hospitals and Schools.
In Indonesia,Alumni from Islamic schools do come together to create education endowments. They call it Wakaf Produktif,productive Waqf. You Will Find:

Waqf-Run Skills Centers.

Waqf Lands Were Leased Out For Incomes.

Waqf buildings are with shops,classrooms and clinics.

They don’t just donate;
They invest in perpetual benefits.

Are You an Elite who resides in Abuja,Kaduna, Lagos,Kano,etc

If you grew up watching your village suffer from lack of water and now you live in Maitama or Asokoro or Guzape,then You should ask yourself:

What stops me from building a community Waqf to solve so,so and so problem once and for all?

If your Alma matter lacks desks,roof,toilet classroom (s) or water,then ask:

Why don’t we,the Alumni, create a Waqf Educational Trust Fund to fix it permanently?

Imagine creating a Skills Development Center in your home state,funded by shops and rentals on a Waqf building. Students learn tailoring,coding, welding,catering,farming,soap and cream making and the Waqf rents and pays the trainers at the end,give out tools and transport money.

This is not fantasy.
This is what Malaysia and Indonesia are doing.

Use the cooperative Waqf model. Here is how it works:

A group (Classmates,Villagers,Masjid communities) agree on a goal,a school,borehole or hospital.

Everyone contributes a small amount monthly.
Even ₦2,000 or ₦5,000.

The fund is used to buy assets, lands,shops or equipments.

The assets are registered as Waqf,never to be sold or inherited.

The profits from the assets are used to run the projects sustainably.

It is very simple. And it works. It is time we stop lamenting and start legacy-building (s).

Your Classmates,Masjid members, Facebook friends, Neighbors or Families can become a Waqf Cooperative. You don’t need to be like Alico Dangote.
You can start small because all that you need is conviction,sincerity and cooperation.

Giving back is not an act of pity but a duty of gratitude.

“The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others”.
(Hadith)

So,what will be your reunion plan (s) for next December?

A selfie or a school?
A dinner or a dream?
A complaint or a contribution?

Let it be Waqf. Let it be Community.
Let it be Change.

C O P I E D .