Okikiola Qasim
Let me start by laying the main objective that led to the creation of Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), in other words, permit me to quote one of the past National president of MSSN, now a professor, Oladosu Abdul Hafees in his speech presented at the diamond jubilee symposium at the Trenchard hall, University of Ibadan.
“We were all there 60 years ago when it was launched. Were we not? I thought we were. We were all there at least in spirit. We were there together in that cave at Ansar-Deen School, Alakoro, Lagos where they met together. It was between the month of April and May of 1954. Unlike the Ahl al-Kahf (Quran 18: 1-20), those who met in that ‘cave’ of Alakoro that day were known. Initially they were fourteen in number. They were young girls and boys who wanted to flee the oppression of their society. They were young girls and boys who had gotten tired of the brazen oppression, horrendous suppression and tortuous persecution of the Muslim youth by the colonial authorities. During that time, no Muslim youth was considered good enough until and unless he became a Christian.
Pa Emmanuel Alayande, who was then the “Oga on Top” at Ibadan Grammar School, would give you admission, no matter what your score was during the qualifying examination once you were a Christian. He would not give you admission no matter what your score was if you happened to be a Muslim”
“Following the first decade of the establishment of the MSSN, the association entered the second phase of its history, which was that of consolidation and expansion. It needed to solidify its reach, create a niche for itself in the society and become a truly national organization drawing members from all over the federation. Thus, following the Ilesha conference in 1957, the leadership of the MSSN became more than over before determined to make the Society one of the most progressive youth organizations in the country. Thus, the Society had become a force to reckon with so much that the government of the day “began to communicate with it and seek its opinions even on national issues. For instance, brothers Adegbite and M.A Adeniran as president and General Secretary respectively were invited by the then premier of Western Region, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, to attend a luncheon in honour of the then visiting Sudanese Prime Minister. That probably marked the genesis of the formal recognition accorded the MSSN in government circles.
It equally gained the acceptance of Mallam Aminu Kano and more particularly the political gladiator of the National Council for Nigerian and Cameroon (NCNC) in the Western Region, late Alhaji Adegoke Adelabu (otherwise known as Penkele Mesi) who offered the Society the use of his personal car for various activities of the society”
This serve as the background to the directions I wish to follow in this article, it painful to know that some of those that passed through the vigorous training of MSSN, now leaders, politician, head of government agencies and leaders of one society of the other are now consciously or unconsciously using all their knowledge, financial capacity and societal positions to pull down the existing structures of the society since 1954 in other for their own newly acquired ideology to triumph. Should we allow this to happen to MSSN we all cherished and worked for up to this level? Hence, the reason for me to create this awareness and to set agenda in other to put some search light on some issues and if care is not taking, this may cause the Muslim youth lots of damages.
The immediate past president of MSSN Mallam Sirajudden Folayemi once declared that we must all rise to save our society MSSN from all open, hidden and internal enemies that would not want the progress of this organization. Permit me to quote him in his words:
“To our leaders and fathers, the situation of the society today calls for a sober reflection. At sixty, the society is still battling with government and educational policies that are discriminatory to religious profession and practice. Today, our members are denied the use of hijab in Law schools, military and paramilitary training schools, and other professional institutions all over the federation. Our younger ones are being brutalized on daily basis in the secondary schools especially in the southern part of the country. We all must stand against this and give MSSN our moral and financial support. At 60, the Muslim students as a vanguard of change and the hope of the Muslim Ummah will embark on aggressive campaign to dislodge any government or political party that is anti-Islam.
We will work tirelessly to destroy any political structure that wants to scuttle and ruin the future of the Muslim child. We will be ready to collaborate with political parties whose agenda is promising to the survival of the young Muslim. MSSN has done a lot of good to this Nation as a whole and to the Muslim Ummah in particular. We all must support it and work towards making it a pride to an average Muslim parent in this country and beyond.
Recently, the current National president of the society Mal Muhammad Jameel Muhammad stretch the hands of love on the aggrieved members or groups and also he went tough on those who openly declared enmity against the society. Recently, I engaged him on an interview on I-Media TV online on my popular program called ‘connecting the dots’ as he itemized all efforts made in the past by the previous administrations and steps build upon by his administration since their inception, he affirmed that some were bent on destroying the structures Allah would not allow them any success.
When asked about his opinion on the leadership saga rocking the Ogun state Area Unit of the Muslim Student Society (MSSN), the 35th National President, Mallam Muhammed Jameel Muhammed stated that he will see out the crisis Bi’tnilLah, that he will be visiting Ogun state immediately after NACOMSISS in kaduna, where he plans to meet with the State Governor and other security agencies on in a bid to quell the crisis.
When asked further on what steps he had taken before now, he said a letter had been written to the respective bodies in Ogun state most especially the ministry of education in the state not to recognize the kangaroo selection in place of the dully selected and recognized in the person of Alhaj Saheed Kayode Hamisu.
In a country governed by law and in an organization such as MSSN, impunity should not have its way as impunity begat nothing but corruption and a corrupt society begat nothing but calamity! To this end, he promised to settle the matter through the state’s stakeholders and to ensure such occurrences does not repeat itself in the future.
The 35th National President, however, gave a hint on the controversial plan to ban the use of Hijab by children in public primary and secondary schools in Osun and Lagos state as he affirms that the two states have been taken to court praying that the state governments allow Muslim children to express their fundamental human rights as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and various state’s laws.
In my interview with the B-zone Ameer of MSSN, Mal Mushafau Alaran condemned the purported press release and referred to it as criminal and deceit of the highest order, and no Muslim should be found with such an act, needless say a formidable organization of MSSN magnitude.
He said the leadership of the B-Zone as since corrected the wrong impressions spread out by those who have nothing in common with the operations of MSSN. He further stressed that those people are not part of organization operational systems, they don’t attend our programs and they are not with the zone in any form. Their actions are dubious and it shows the level at which people are desperate to destroy good structure because of their own interest. Permit me to quote the press release signed by B-zone at iwe iroyin House, Abeokuta:
“It has got to the notice of the zonal Headquarters of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), B-Zone, the press release issued and relayed by all electronic media in Ogun State that the leadership of MSSN in Ogun State Area Unit led BY Alhaji Saheed Kayode Amisu had been dissolved and that one Yahya Hassan has been sworn-in as the new President of the Strata of the Society in Ogun State Area Unit.
The Zonal Executive Cabinet wish to unequivocally inform the General Public, religious leaders and groups, print/electronic media, security agencies and state government that this is a serious case of insurgence, impostor, rebellion and usurping of power.
We wish to categorically state that Alhaji Saheed Kayode Amisu remains the Amir/President of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Ogun Area Unit and maintain that we are not in the known of any conference in any form within the Society in Ogun State in Accordance with norms of the society.
We, therefore, call on all security agencies (state Security Services, The Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp, Nigeria Immigration Services, Nigeria Custom Services and Others) to arrest this ugly situation and handle those behind this uncivilized act before it eventually becomes another case of insurgence.
We call on all Muslims, especially, those in the southern part of Nigeria to be wary of individuals or groups giving support to this act that is contrary to the position of Islam for their selfish ends”.
