5,000 attend 9th Ibadan Eldfest as Muslims celebrate Eid-el-Fitr
No fewer than 5,000 Muslims converged on Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, for the ninth edition of Ibadan Eldfest, an Islamic recreational gathering organised by The Muslim Tribe to mark
No fewer than 5,000 Muslims converged on Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, for the ninth edition of Ibadan Eldfest, an Islamic recreational gathering organised by The Muslim Tribe to mark the end of Ramadan.
The event, held on Saturday at the premises of the University of Ibadan Central Mosque, brought together children, families, clerics, academics, professionals, students, and youths in a relaxed atmosphere that combined celebration with community engagement. It also provided a platform for entrepreneurs to showcase goods and services.
Convener of the programme, Barrister Mahmudat Yussuf, said the initiative was conceived in 2018 to counter the perception that Eid celebrations lack recreational value.
“We created this platform to bring Muslims together in a fun, family-friendly environment after Ramadan. It is designed to foster connection, exchange ideas, and celebrate Eid more engagingly,” she said, noting that the event enjoyed support from MTN Group and Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc.
Participants at the event emphasised the need for Muslims to sustain the discipline and spiritual lessons of Ramadan beyond the fasting period.
An Ibadan-based Islamic scholar, Dr. Daud Amoo Alaga, urged adherents not to abandon the values imbibed during the holy month, stressing that Ramadan instils piety, self-discipline, and adherence to divine injunctions.
He described the festival as a positive development, particularly for younger Muslims, noting that such gatherings promote joy and reinforce Islamic values within a structured social setting.
He said, "The primary verse that talks about Ramadan fast is Qur'an 2 verse 183, and it ends by saying that you can be pious. By the time we ended Ramadan fast, our minds had been trained, our mouths had been trained. All the organs of our body have been trained to act along with divine injunction. One of the biggest aspects of Ramadan is to uphold what we have been doing during Ramadan. We should not abandon what we have been doing during Ramadan fast. Spiritualisation is a continuous process after the Ramadan fast.
"I see this as something desirable. In our own time, we do not have things like this. Right now, we need something like this. This type of gathering should be done in an Islamic manner, and you are doing it the way that is Islamic. It makes the little ones joyous, and everyone is happy. May Allah continue to bless the sponsors and organisers of the event.
A retired Controller of Correctional Service and Executive Secretary of Child Development and Concern Foundation, Alhaji Iskil Yusuf, while speaking, urged the Muslims to imbibe what they learnt during the month in their daily activities.
"So I am here today to celebrate the successful end of Ramadan. We thank God for seeing the end of Ramadan. We pray to God to grant us more of it. We should continue to do the good things we did during Ramadan. Alhamdulillah, Ibadan Eidfest is a beautiful thing that has come to stay.
"The programme is the 9th edition, and it is a unique way of concluding the stressful period of Ramadan. The period of Ramadan is very stressful for anybody who really wants to perform Ramadan as expected and as laid down by Almighty Allah. This programme is a very good programme for relaxing after a stressful period. Coming here is a way of relaxing after the end of Ramadan, and you meet fellow Muslims brothers and sisters where we can build up a relationship based on Islamic tenets. It is a way for business owners to sell their products and services. You can see some educational programmes here for the children and adults. Children have the opportunity to expand their knowledge. There are a lot of benefits in this programme".
Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abdur-Rahman Balogun, who doubles as the National President of Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), noted that there are a lot of lessons learnt during the period, as he urged the Muslims to sustain the tempo.
"I have always been telling people that Ramadan is like a retreat. You know, when you go on a retreat, a seclusion to practice a way of doing things. Ramadan is to teach us the ideal way to practice Islam. Ramadan will teach us how to fast, how to pray. Ramadan will teach you how to do charity and how to behave among fellow Muslims and non-Muslims. Outside Ramadan, we are to maintain all these lessons.
"It is good, before now, individual families did it on their own. There is a blessing in this kind of programme. The point I am making is that even here cannot accommodate all of us; this is just Ibadan. The great thing about this is that it is good. Before now, Muslim children did not have anywhere to go for recreation and to relax like their counterparts. But now, we have places to relax, connect, and share ideas and experiences."
