Okikiola Qasim
I was invited by the Muslim students’ society of Nigeria, OAU branch to attend their newly resuscitated and energized Jihad week. I gladly accepted to attend, this is because I have heard and read so many spiteful situations perpetuated by a group of students who hijacked the leadership and control of MSSN in the institution for over 15 years, creating division with their creed of Lajama, apportioning hell fire for those who repudiate their malevolent methods of preaching and disregard to the constituted authority of the institution.
Evidences from my research exposed that the group severed the entire relationship of the MSSN in the institution with the parent body (UNIFEMGA), OAU Muslim Community, including the entire strata of MSSN, and declined to reckon with the MSSN logo and constitution. Meanwhile, they use the name of the society to seek assistance from many Muslims to fund their activities.
The jihad week identified with the MSSN OAU branch was surprisingly replaced with Islamic Awareness Program (IAP) with the claim that Jihad week is not in line with the Sunnah of the Prophet. And I wondered which of the verses of the Quran or the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) which established and supported IAP for their group.
Among other extreme and barbaric acts committed by this group was several attempt to beat-up the chief Imam of OAU Prof Abubakar A. Sanusi, without no regards to his age and status both for his educational excellence and Islamic leadership standard. This is because he constantly foils their moves to tarnish the name and image of MSSN while perpetrating evil in the name of practicing the creed in the institution.
However, this has aggravated to the level of disrespecting the current National Ameer/president of MSSN, Mal Muhammad Jameel Muhammad during his visit to the institution last year for the inauguration of the newly approved executives for the MSSN OAU branch. His leadership was overtly renounced in his presence and he was not acknowledged as the national Ameer. In fact, same was the case with
Prof Omar AbdulRahaman, one of the founding fathers of MSSN OAU and a retired Prof of the institution who said the problem he had with this group started during his tenure as the chairman OAU Muslim community.
He said yearly, in the past, the Jihad week has a day set aside for the Muslim Community participation and that particular year, he invited faith based organizations for a program which was commended by many Muslim scholars but his actions were rejected for not conforming with Islam by the (lajama) group and for that reason, the OAU MC was excluded from their entire activities in the campus, and unpleasant comments were subsequently rained on him and other leaders publicly. This was the beginning of the whole problems.
These and other reasons informed my attendance and my participation in the major programs of the Jihad week of the institution. I would remain grateful for being invited as many issues that were not understood by me and many Muslims who do not have the opportunity to the firsthand information and facts as against the group fallacies were all simplified to clarity with a new bold decision by the institution, the Muslim Community and the leadership of MSSN, Bzone and other stakeholders have henceforth terminated the entire activities of this extremist group in the institution. Hence, my objectives for this week’s article.
The position of the OAU Muslim Community remains that any student or group of students who wish to use the emblem of Muslim Students’ Society Nigeria (MSSN) must remain under the leadership structure of the society. And any group or person who does not believe in the leadership structure or does not want to be associated with the activities of the society is free to renounce his membership from the society.
Moreover, they may wish to form their own organization and bear other name and identity, it would be approved for them to operate in the institution. And if they have to bear the name of MSSN, they must remain under the leadership of AbdulHakeem Idowu who is the current Ameer of MSSN, OAU branch as approved by the state of Osun Area Unit, the B Zone respectively and all the stakeholders.
This position was declared by the chief Imam of OAU Muslim community, Imam (Prof) Abubakar A. Sanusi in his Khutbah delivered on the 3rd of February, 2017 for the Jihad week special Jumaat at the OAU Muslim Community Mosque, to mark the beginning of the Jihad Week of the Institution.
In his sermon which many students referred to as a wonderful lecture with numerous clear messages intended to end the malicious and baseless creed that has crippled the activities of MSSN for over 15 years in the campus.
Imam said, from the inception of human existence, everything that is considered evil till this present time are still considered evil worldwide and nothing could change this established positions.
He cited many verses of Quran and Hadith of the prophet to establish his messages he tagged “the ethical concept of Morality in Islam. He also dissociated the Muslim Community of OAU, MSSN OAU branch from those who go about distorting facts and inciting the innocent newly admitted students against the elders and fellow students by disrespecting the constituted authority whose activities has never derailed from the dictates of Quran and Sunnah of the messenger of Allah.
He said our souls would always desire every good thing, yes! Everything God has created is meant for our benefits, he admitted; he therefore admonished that we must seek for everything with the fear of Allah. This includes positions of authority in Islam, societal leadership, political leadership and family leaderships.
Thereafter, while felicitating with the students on their Jihad week, he urged the students to search their soul and ask how many injuries they have caused their souls, institution and Islam in general.
He said the students should struggle with their soul on how they can benefit themselves, their country and Islam. He prayed and assured the students that the Jihad week has come to stay and they must remain in peace with one another no matter the provocations.
After the Jumat prayers, Dr. Rasheed Abdul jabbar Bawayb (Iwo) delivered a wonderful lecture on “The way to Paradise.” Where he admonished the students that path to paradise are numerous but often neglected as the expense of none important activities. He said prayers, jihad, salat and saying the truth are among acts of attaining paradise.
He advised those who usually spread falsehood in order to attain a religious leadership post, political and other position to shun such acts as it would not lead them to paradise. Furthermore, one of the memorable part of the jihad week and first of its kind in the history of OAU was the intervarsity debate and Quran Competition held in honour of Prof. Omar Abdulrahaman with various scholars, politicians and educationist in attendance, under the chairmanship of Engr. AbdulWaheed Odeyimka, National president of UNIFEMGA, Prof. I.O. Aransi, chairman OAU Muslim Community, Prof Abubakar A. Sanusi, chief Imam OAU, Prof M. A Durosinmi, Prof M.O Opeloye, Prof S.O Ajadi, Mr. Mufau Bello, representing NSCIA and Hon Min of communication, Barr Adebayo Shitu were all in attendance to honour the great man.
The Chairman of the occasion Engr. Abdulwaheed Odeyimka in his speech said Jihad week has come to stay and he advised the Lajama group to stay clear and stop the unauthorized running of their activities with the name of MSSN. Therefore, any attempt by the deviant sect to disrupt the new MSSN administration in OAU, they would have all UNIFEMGA members, the school authority, OAU Muslim Community and other stakeholders to contend with.
Furthermore, the chairman said when this occasion came to his knowledge, he wholeheartedly supported it because Prof. Omar Abdulrahaman is a father to all, and his achievement deserved this honour set aside by the OAU MSSN and his land mark will continue to manifest in the history of the institution. In this respect, the debate and Quran competition was put together to kick start the process of institutionalizing a foundation in his honour and he assured the students that a well-structured plan has already commenced in order to deliver a national debate and Quranic competition during the next year jihad week.
The Minister of communication Barr. Adebayo Shitu, also commended the leadership and fatherly role of Prof Omar AbdulRahaman as a wonderful asset to OAU, Nigeria and Islam in general. He used the occasion to enumerate the Federal Government’s plan to establish ICT Universities to boost the efficiency of ICT resource personnel’s in Nigeria.
He also urged the university lecturers to always ensure adequate and resourceful knowledge is impacted to the students so that they can be employable and useful to the society.
The formal opening ceremony of the Jihad week, held at Oduduwa Hall, remains another remarkable occasion considering the high caliber of Islamic leaders and educationist in attendance. The guest speaker Sheikh Ahmad AbdulRahaman, delivered a powerful and mind rejuvenating lecture on the topic: “The Muslim nation strategies to strengthen the Ummah.”
Imam Ahmad, centered his lecture on the right creed and appropriate behavior in Islam and he advised the students to understand that Lajama epidemic is fading away instantaneously as all their tricks have been established to have sprang up from half-baked knowledge capable of destruction, and self-acclaimed scholarship. He related the source of this epidemic to be as a result of a long time neglect and lack of central control on those who should be authorized to speak in the public. He urge the parent bodies, OAU MC and the students to rise and put an end to this shameless attitude of the group.
The chairman of the occasion Alh AbdulKabir Adisa Aliyu, ably represented by one of the stakeholders Mr. Luqman Obileye who turned the entire program around with his vibrancy and Intellectuality. His presentation convinced the students of the need to join hands together with school authority, UNIFEMGA, OAU MC and the current leadership of MSSN to stop this epidemic that has taken too long time demonstrating high level of narcissism due to the freedom accorded to them which was invariably misused and abused.
The five universities which participated in both debate and Quranic competition include: Bayero University, Kano-State University, University of Ibadan, State of Osun University, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and OAU. OAU won the debate, while Bayero University came 2nd position and LAUTECH emerged the 3rd position in the highly contested debate.
Also, University of Ibadan made history by winning the Quran competition, with OAU coming 2nd position, while BUK came 3rd position. Honour/Award night was also organized for over 60 graduating and undergraduates.Who have 5 and 4 points as their cumulative grade points in their academics and cash prices were presented to them. A wonderful lecture was delivered by Dr. Abdul Rasheed Fasasi on unemployment, Halal earning and wealth creation in Islam.
Let me conclude by saying, this is the appropriate period for Islamic leaders in Nigeria to regulate public lectures in order to reduce the influence of blinded and unexposed acclaimed Islamic scholars, who do not understand the influence and the impacts of Quran on technology and civilizations. Otherwise, we shall witness more of this self-acclaimed scholars who will continue to pass fatwa on how the use of tooth pick to eat “PONMO” is now haram and anyone that uses it has been allotted a space in hell fire. This is nothing but abuse of public preaching.
I rest my case.
