The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has urged Nigerians to assist one another.
He said: “I would like to enjoin us to provide service for fellow Nigerians and come to one another’s assistance where and when necessary.”
Tinubu spoke yesterday in Ikeja, Lagos during the luncheon and award ceremony, as part of activities to mark the 70th anniversary of Anwar-Ul-Islam College Agege (formerly Ahmadiyya College) Old Students Association (ACAOSA) international convention.
Represented by the Chairman of APC in Lagos State, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, he said the occasion called for service.
“This moment calls for service to our people, selfless service, the type that birthed this great institution. As Muslims, our religion enjoins us to engage in service. In fact, service to Allah and mankind is the essence of Islam. Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said and I quote: “The teachings of the Holy Quran can be divided into two major categories. The first being unity of God, love and obedience to Him. The second is to treat kindly your brothers and fellow beings… be kind and merciful to humanity…always work for the good of mankind.” This injunction to do good to mankind is also true of other religions. It therefore gives me great joy to be part of this occasion, which is part of activities marking the 70 years’ anniversary of Anwar-ul-Islam College, Agege, the first Muslim College in West Africa.”
He said the institution was established by the Muslim group, Anwar-ul-Islam Movement of Nigeria, formerly Ahmadiyya Movement, in a bid to achieve a twin-objective: promotion of Islamic religious beliefs and provision of quality education to our people-.
“This responsibility set for themselves by the founding fathers of this institution was a difficult and daunting one, given the prevailing situation at the time. At that time in the 1940s, Islam was under severe strain in Lagos as the Christian missionaries were reportedly putting pressure on Muslim students to renounce their religion before they could gain admission to secondary schools. This group of thinkers then got together to bail their children and wards out of this situation by not just creating an educational platform for its teeming religious populace, but also using the same means to expand the frontiers of Islam. Thank God both were amazingly accomplished.
“For me, however, the inception of this historic institution and the excellent achievement of its founders is a thing of pride and pleasure. For among those forefathers of this institution is our own Saka Tinubu. As a matter of fact, Anwar-ul- Islam College was established as Saka Tinubu High School, Olushi, in 1948.
“By establishing a clear vision and sharing that vision with others, so they followed willingly and realised these our fathers had demonstrated good leadership. We must therefore salute the courage and sagacity of the founding fathers of this institution. We must commend them for their selfless service. Our own task is to continue to build on this legacy by ensuring that this institution and all that it stands for is maintained and sustained. Their legacy must not be allowed to die,” he said.
ACAOSA President-General Lawal Pedro, SAN, said the school, which was established to satisfy the yearnings of Muslims for higher western education, was also opened to non-Muslims without fear of losing their identities or religion in line with the injunction of the Holy Qur’an that there is no compulsion in religion.
“This is a happy occasion for ACAOSA, old students of the ace, who know what is meant by being loyal, honest, hardworking, dedicated and prayerful to God as being taught everyday in the college. It is these values and ideals merged with the education we got from the great college that snapped and moulded us to who we are today,” he said.