‘MUSLIM STUDENTS’ SOCIETY OF NIGERIA AT 60: IMPACTS, PROBLEMS AND
CHALLENGES’ A SPEECH PRESENTED BY OLADOSU ABDUL HAFEES TO THE
MSSN DIAMOND JUBILEE SYMPOSIUM AT THE TRENCHARD HALL, UNIVERSITY
OF IBADAN, TODAY, SUNDAY 11TH RABBIUT-THANNI, 1435 A.H.( 9TH MARCH 2014).
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our
noble Prophet, Muhammad bin Abdullah (SAW), as well as his beloved wives, respected
Companions, revered household and those who follow their teachings till the last day.
Brethren, 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.
Thus dear Brethren, they eventually met. They met at Alakoro which became their own Dar alArqam. Boys and girls from Methodist Boys' High School, Kings College, Methodist Girls' High
School, Queens College, CMS Grammar School, Ahmadiyyah High School and Lagos City
College. On that day, they met and named the organization the Muslim Students’ Society
(MSS). By choosing to meet, it meant they were prepared to use Islam. Thus, they appointed the
first leader of the Society by name Mr A. T. I Lawal. He was destined to serve in that capacity
before a proper executive was constituted for the society in what they called Ist National
Conference in 1955.
But that was not all. On that day, in Alakoro, in their own Dar al-Arqam, the young boys and
girls had a vision; they had a clear mission for the society they were founding. It was their hope
that the newly formed society would do what Ansar-ud-Deen Society (1923), the Ijebu Ode
Muslim Friendly Society (1927), Muslim Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Nawair-ud-Deen
Society of Nigeria (NUD), and Isabatudeen Women Society of Ibadan could not do. It was their
vision that the MSSN shall bring into closer union Muslims students of different educational
institutions no matter their ethnic, social or cultural affiliation or status. It was their vision that
their society, the MSSN, shall encourage the study of the Glorious Quran and Arabic Language
as the lingua franca of the Muslim world. It was their vision that the MSSN shall promote the
social, moral, religious and intellectual standards of Muslim-Students such that in comparison to
others shall be referred to as the crème-de la-crème of the society. Brethren, the MSSN
established in 1954 by those brothers was meant to watch over and safeguard the interests and
rights of Muslim students particularly in an extremely oppressive society where to be Muslim is
to be tagged a virus or an infection.
1955-1965: THE ERA OF INAUGURATION, PROCLAMATION AND EXPANSION
Brethren, once MSSN had been inaugurated, what remained was for it be to be proclaimed.
Brother Adegbite and his co-travelers needed to move to the next stage. They realized they had
to follow the Prophetic standard. He (salallahu alayhi wa salaam) ran from the Cave Hira and
sought a covering from his wife. Soon the divine injunction came. Yayyuhal Muddaththir, Qum
fanzir…Adegbite and others had to rise up. They realized they needed to call to Islam using the
platform of the MSSN. They realized they needed to walk the talk. What better path could they
have made use of other than that of organizing lectures on topical issues of the time. Soon the
MSSN became the new bride in town. It was embraced by all and sundry. Young members of the
Ansar-Deen flocked to its camp. Ask Alhaji M. K Ekemode about this. He it was who delivered
the first public lecture organized by the MSSN on Sunday, 27th of June, 1954. It was not long
thereafter before the MSSN became known at the international level. Ask Dr. M.A. Dike of the
University of London who presented a lengthy lecture on the Role of Muslim Youths, at a MSSN
forum held on Friday, 6th of August, 1954. Ask Alhaj Babatunde Jose who featured as a guest
lecturer at a program of 3rd of October, 1954. How many of us here present know that when you
attend an MSSN program and you are invited to participate in what they call Pick and Talk .The
Society is actually building on what was started in the late 1950s by those who established this
society. They called that program then the "Brain Trust".
Brethren six months after its founding, the MSSN had expanded beyond the shores of Lagos. It
established branches in such major cities as Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ilesha, Ijebu-Ode, Ede and
Ikorodu. It increased its activities to include series of talks to commemorate the birthday of
Prophet Muhammad, prayer sessions and thanks-giving services for the school leavers among its
members. To complete secondary education then and still remain a Muslim was like gaining
certificate to paradise while still on earth.
Brethren, during those early years of the MSSN, its activities equally featured the celebration of
various Islamic festivals such as Laitatul-Qadr (i.e. Night of Majesty) to which distinguished
Muslim scholars were invited to give lectures. Soon it was a year after its founding. To mark the
occasion the late Oba of Lagos, Alaiyeluwa, Oba Adeniji Adele II of Lagos, was the father of the
day in 1955. The same year, the leadership of the society reached across the Niger. It appointed
late Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, Alhaji A.R.A. Smith of Ilesha, Dr. S.O. Biobaku
who was the then Registrar of the university college, Ibadan, Alhaji Inuwa Wada, the Federal
Minister of Works, Mrs. H.M. Shodeyinde and Alhaja Humuani Alaga of Ibadan as its patrons.
Talk of a leadership with vision. The anniversary, which was held in 1955 was tagged the first
National conference of the Society. A cardinal programme of activity on that day was “Operation
join the MSSN” which was launched on behalf of the society by the then Monarch of Lagos,
Late Oba Adeniji Adele II. The anniversary witnessed the election of the first generation of
national officers of the Society, thereby giving it a national outlook as against its earlier
restriction to Lagos state. The first President of the society was the precocious Abdul-Lateef
Adegbite. Brother Shuaib Oloritun of Kings College, was appointed First Vice President, Sister
Saidat Anibaba (later Mabadeje), Second Vice President, Abdur-Rahman Saheed of Methodist
Boys High, General Secretary 1; Abdur-Rauf Adedola of Ilesha Grammar School General
Secretary 2:, Asst General Secretary: Alhaji M. Otubu of Ijebu Ode Grammar School; Treasurer:
Ganiat Oshodi of Abeokuta Grammar School, Abeokuta; Financial Secretary: A. Jeksenumi of
Ibadan Boys’ High School, Ibadan. Ladies and Gentlemen, Adegbite was chosen to be the
president because he had an appointment with destiny. He was destined in the womb of time to
become the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in the old Western State of Nigeria.
Saidat Anibaba (Later Mabadeje) Mabadeje had a date with history. She was destined to become
the first Female Professor in the University of Lagos, in the Southwest of Nigeria and indeed in
the whole country.
1965-1975: ERA OF CONSOLIDATION
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. During this
era, the Society depended mostly on the meager one shilling monthly contribution from its
members. It began to receive additional funding from its members through the receipt of
generous donations from its lovers, traditional chiefs, politicians and Muslim philanthropists.
The second national president of the MSSN, brother M.A. Adeniran continued with the
herculean task bequeathed to him by his predecessor in office. He and other members of the
Society strove to build on the solid foundation on which their predecessors established the
MSSN. Thus, the 1960s and 70s witnessed the expansion of the Society which extended to the
northern parts of the country where branches were founded in almost all the existing post
secondary Schools. The national conference held in Zaria in 1966 recorded a much larger
attendance and witnessed a review and ratification of the constitution of the Society.
The review of the Society’s constitution which took place during this decade led to the division
of the Society into eight area units from the previous four. Consequently, several units were
created in the West, North and of course, Eastern Regions. The inclusion of the provision for the
Islamic vacation courses was another important aspect of the 1966 constitution review. The
vacation courses have since been holding twice a year in April and December. In June 1966, the
Society held an International Islamic Seminar at the University of Ibadan which was attended by
delegates from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, the Sudan, Egypt, Pakistan, Ghana and Gambia.
Fraternal messages were even said to have been received by the seminar from Indonesia, India,
the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Aside the Islamic vacation courses, the Society had to its glory the publication of Islamic
Magazines such as Al-Muadhin, Al-ilm, Miftahul - Ilm, The awareness as well as The Radiance.
Similarly, the organization, at the national, state and even local government levels awarded
scholarships to deserving members to facilitate their educational ambitions. As at 1975, the
MSSN had already organized four international seminars on Islam. These included Ibadan
International Seminar which took place in 1966, the one in Kaduna in 1968, yet another one in
Ibadan in 1975 and another one in Lagos in the same year.
1975-1985: DECADE OF PROGRESS/SUCCESS
This decade was that during which the fruits planted in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s began
to fructify. Unlike Imam Hasan al-Bana who was assassinated in 1948 long before Muhammad
Morsi became the President of Egypt in 2012, this decade witnessed the realization of some of
the objectives which informed the establishment of the MSSN in 1954. These included the
solidification of existing unity among Muslim Youths from over the federation. This decade saw
the MSSN become an important youth forum recognized by Law all around the country. It was
one in which, unlike before, to belong to MSSN is to be feared by those in power. Thus, Muslim
students could not walk tall in the society. It was one in which you could project and proclaim
your Islamic identity without fear of molestation. It was one in which, together with new
organizations such as the NACOMYO, the MSSN became a strong pressure group. The decade
was equally one in which the MSSN became fully recognized at the international level. It
became an important arm of WAMY and IFSO among many others.
Brethren, the years between 1975-1985 were ones during which what mattered was your
willingness to identify with Islam not what you wore. Members of the society were openminded, open-hearted, and highly receptible to new ideas and trends. Such was the trend that
playing music as a dawah method was considered a necessity. Such was the trend then that there
was no chance for the propagation of foreign dawah methodologies and opinions which were
considered not suitable for a terrain such as ours.
1985-1995:EMERGENCE OF SCHISMS, DISENSIONS AND EXTREME OPINIONS
Perhaps in line with the will of the Almighty, that nothing on earth is free of tribulation; that
there is no shield against the tremor of uncertainty:
‫واللطف موجودعلى كل حال‬............‫دوام حال من قضايا المحال‬.
‫والجد بالجد مريش النبال‬..........‫والنصر بالصبرمحلى الظبا‬.
‫حرب وسلم والليالي سجال‬...............‫وعادة االيام معهودة‬.
‫حال فان الحال ذات انتقال‬..........‫وما على الدهر انتقاد على‬.
Thus the decade witnessed the emergence of schisms within the MSSN. It was one in which the
dawah landscape in the MSSN began to show evidences of cracks and implosion. This was an
era in which graduates of Arab Universities outside Nigeria were returning home. Consequent
upon their arrival, there was the need for them to propagate what they knew. There was also the
need for them to work for the money they would have to earn. One of them told me: “when I
came back from Saudi in 1990, I looked around and found no other organization in the field of
Dawah except MSSN; I had no option other than to join the society”. Thus the MSSN was found
to be a fertile ground for the propagation of all sorts of opinions. Thus unlike before, what
brothers wore became a marker for their Islamic consciousness; the kind of the hijab that sisters
put on became a measurement of how close to or far away they were from paradise.
At an IVC in the early 1990s, the campaign was ‘no socks no paradise’ for sisters. Brethren,
before this decade, the MSSN had operated without god-fathers. Members would relate to one
another without reference to their state of origin. However, this decade was marked and marred
by the emergence of ‘Lagos Brothers’ versus ‘other brothers’. It witnessed the emergence of
individuals, though imbued with knowledge, but were desirous to take control of the leadership
of the society for their personal desires. It was an era in which meetings would last for seventeen
hours and yet issues would remain unresolved. May the Almighty forgive those who were
‘actors’ and ‘actresses’ of the era. May the Almighty overlook all our shortcomings.
Now ,once we became busy fighting with one another, the dawah landscape began to suffer. The
MSSN began to lose its vigour and vitality. Elders of the society who had contributed to its
founding and sustenance were alienated. They were dismissed for lacking in knowledge.
Gradually, the IVC became a battle-ground for the display of knowledge and exaggerated taqwa.
Have you forgotten that sometimes in the past, we debated whether we must eat with three
fingers or not. Whatever we read we were ready to follow. While some of us called for caution
and introspection, while some of us wanted to know whether the Prophet could have drunk pap
with three fingers, others were saying we must keep with the esoteric meanings of the text not its
exoteric imports. Eventually MSSN became fragmented. Camps emerged within the rank and
file.
1995-2005: ERA OF TOTAL BALKANIZATION
If the previous decade was used in sowing the seeds of discord within the MSSN at least in the
Southern parts of Nigeria, the decade between 1995 and 2005 marked the full realization of the
schisms within the society. from Lagos to Akure, from Port-Harcourt to Abeokuta, the MSSN
was held in the jugular by some among its members who became willing instruments in the
hands of those who thought the MSSN should serve their own agenda. Eventually, the decade
witnessed the launching of new organizations whose membership was drawn from the society. In
certain parts of the country, the trend was that the new organizations would operate outside
institutions of higher learning but would prefer to source its membership and control the
leadership of the MSSN branches. There were instances where properties of the society were
converted to personal use by some of those who, having become active members of their
organizations still prefer to relate to the MSSN as the cow from which it would and could source
its milk and sustenance.
2005-2015: ERA OF REDISCOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION
Brethren, following from the emergence of The Muslim Congress from the MSSN during the last
decade, those who sought to stand by the original intention of the founders of the society have
remained resolute. These are brothers and sisters who have chosen not to establish new
organizations with the MSSN though they have the ability and followership to do so. These are
brothers who used to refer to the MSSN as ‘the Camel of Allah’ in Nigeria. Through their
commitment, the MSSN is presently going through reconstruction and rediscovery. An evidence
for that is the IVC permanent site of the B-Zone which is undergoing construction. An evidence
for that is the new interest in the activities of the society by past leaders of the society. They are
now working with the present leadership to assist the society realize its objectives. An evidence
for that is this symposium which is holding here today and across the country. But what has been
the impact of the MSSN since 1954?
IMPACTS OF THE MSSN AT 60
Perhaps no other person could capture the impacts of the MSSN other than Dr Adegbite
(rahimahullah). He had this to say when MSSN marked its 50th anniversary:
Alhamdulillahi, today you have millions of Muslim students in all
institutions of learning. Millions who have passed out through
these institutions remain strong practicing Muslims and are
contributing their quota towards the development of the nation in
all spheres: political and economic. There is hardly anywhere you
turn today, that you do not find products of MSS playing
prominent roles in the Society. Virtually every Muslim
organization is indebted to MSS for its quality manpower, either at
the spiritual or administrative level of leadership.
When Dr Adegbite made this comment, there was no way he could have known that Ishaq
Oloyede would become a Vice-Chancellor; there was no way he could have known that Laolu
Alli would become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria; there was no way he could have known we
would have MSS ‘professors’ in the person of Abdul Lateef Sanni, Razaq Kilani, Rasheed
Aderinoye, Oloyede Abdulrahmon, Lateef B. Salako, Abdul Hakeem Lasisi, Ishaq Amoo,
AbdulGaniy Raji among others. How could it not be said that the success recorded by
Kamaldeen Dairo had a lot to do with his sojourn in the MSS; that Kunle Sanni would never
have become a household name today were it not for the MSS; that Tajudeen Salahudin would
probably not have excelled in Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria and now as a successful School
Proprietor if he had not undergone rigorous training in the MSS.
In other words, Brethren, MSSN members who properly undergo the balanced training programs
the Society offers are usually very thorough, highly dynamic, very resourceful and resultoriented. While others are sitting, they are always standing; while people are standing they are
outstanding. Wherever they are today, they are like thermostats for the society not thermometers.
Brethren imagine NASFAT without Abdullah Akinbode, a former member of the MSSN;
imagine Ogun State Government without Shuayb Salis, imagine Osun State government without
Zikrullah Hassan, imagine the intellectual fortune of the North without Dr Usman Bugaje.
Brethren, MSSN has equally assisted Nigeria establish stable families from which stable social
networks are evolving. Over seventy percent of its membership marries from within the society;
over eighty percent of MSSN families are stable and successful.
Brethren, one other critical impact of this society is the brotherhood it has built across ethnic
boundaries. Except you are not and you were not active in the Society, at least you would know
of a brother either in Niger, Kaduna, Kano or Maiduguri who could host you and your family
should exigencies of life take you to that part of the country. In other words, what Nigeria has
spent hundred years looking for, MSSN had found and established it sixty years ago.
MSSN AT 60: CHALLENGES NOT PROBLEMS
Those in medicine would probably confirm this that to attain the age of 60 is to face a number of
health challenges. The greatest challenge facing the MSSN today is not the possibility of loss of
followership, though developing quality followership remains a problem; the greatest challenge
facing MSSN today is not that of evolving an effective administrative structure, though a society
lacking functional secretariat has a lot questions to answer. Brethren, the greatest challenge
facing MSSN today is not that of finance though lack of a coordinated method of fund generation
remains a gap waiting to be filled. Brethren, I thought the challenges facing the MSSN today are
the exact extension of the challenges facing the Ummah as a whole. These include that of
modernity. Brethren whereas Islam is hinged on the principle that there is no god but Allah,
modernity is premised on the notion that there is no god but gods; whereas Islam is premised on
tawhid, the pillar of modernity is takthir. The gods in the world of takthīr are legion. Remember
the god of progress, the god of science, the god of nationalism, of socialism; remember the ,
democracy, the god of freedom and equality between men and women. But perhaps the most
dangerous of the gods are those that are the most difficult to recognize for what they are, because
we in the modern world take them for granted and look upon them much as we look upon the air
that we breathe. If you are still in doubt as to whether we are in the age of takthir not tawhid,
look at your brother’s palm and count how many hand-phones he is ‘condemned’ to carry
around. Ask your brother and sister where he is and is he likely to tell you he or she is on Twitter
or Facebook not in the Mosque or at home! Rasulullah(S.A.W.) envisaged this thus:
“ ‫ما الفقر اخشى عليكم ولكن اخشى عليكم الدنيا ان تفتح عليكم كما فتحت على الذين من قبلكم فتنافسوها كما‬
‫تنافسوها فتهلككم كما اهلكتكم‬
Aside from the above, the MSSN is presently battling with new trends within its membership. It
is battling with the emergence of the Salafiyyah, the Sufiyyah and the Tairqah in the Southwest;
it is facing challenges from the Izala and the Tariqah in the north. Nowadays, the young
members, once they could access some sources in Arabic they begin to look at themselves as
scholars; they begin to refer to one another as Ustadh-little do they know that Ustadhiyyah in
Arab-Islamic universities is the highest stage of scholarly achievement; it is made use of in
reference to a Professor.
Aside from that, while the young ones today are learning lessons in Arabic, they are leaving
behind the prodigious intellectual tradition in our heritage. They are reading without thinking;
they are thinking without reading; how can you think without reading. In other words, the MSSN
must confront this question: what led to the emergence of polymaths such as Fakhr Din al-Razi,
al-Ghazalli, Ibn Taimiyyah among others and why is it that after the passage of centuries,
Muslims are yet to replace them with new thinkers?
MSSN AT 60: THE PROSPECT
Brethren, insofar as the sun rises in the morning, the future remains rosy for the MSSN; insofar
as you are there playing your roles as members and patrons of the Society, the future shall be
good for the Society. That future is actually here; it is you!
REFERENCES
Oladosu A. A (2002) “Dawah to the Globalized: Perspectives from the Muslim
Students’ Society of
Nigeria. In Proceedings of WAMY’ International Conference on Muslim Youth and Globalization, Riyadh
WAMY
S. Ahmad-Rufai: “Da’wah in the Face of Christian Persecution: The Historical
Development of the MSSN” accessed December 2013
Adegbite, L.O. (2004), Welcoming Address in The Commemorative Brochure of the Golden
Jubilee Anniversary Celebrations of the MSSN, Abuja.
Adeosun, T.A.A.(1993), "The Contributions of Dr. Lateef Adegbite to Islam and the M.S.S. in
Nigeria,” an unpublished N.C.E. Islamic Studies Project, F.C.E., Abeokuta.
Akintola I. L. (1993), The Friday Question, Lagos: Al- Tawheed Publishers.
Fafunwa, A.B. (1982), History of Education in Nigeria, London: George Allen
and Union.
Gbadamosi, T.G.O. (1980), “Islam and Christianity in Nigeria” in Groundwork of
Nigerian History, ed. O. Ikime, O. (ed.), Ibadan: Hein
Oloyede, I.O. (1987), “The Council of Muslim Youth Organization of Oyo State in Nigeria:
Origins and Objectives,” Journal Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, 8:2, July, pp. 378-386
Yisa, K. (1985), “M.S.S. at 30: from dry seed to giant tree,” Al-ilm (The Knowledge), Nigeria's
foremost Muslim Quarterly, January-March issue