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Tag: CRESCENT UNIVERSITY

  • Crescent University celebrates excellence

    The gown celebrated the town at the 13th founder’s day of Crescent University, Abeokuta, when the institution witnessed a tripartite celebration recently: the founder’s day lecture, 85th birthday of the founder/proprietor, Judge Bola Ajibola and Community Award of Excellence in his honour.

    Ajibola,  a former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Nigeria and also former judge of the World Court, The Hague, Switzerland, used the occasion to give glory to God who had made his vision for academic and moral excellence a reality at 85.

    Four distinguished Nigerians emerged winners of this year’s Bola Ajibola Community Award for Excellence. They are Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed Mamara, Alhaji Rafiu Ebiti, Sheik Caliph SA Adenekan and Prof. John Adewale Abolurin. They clinched the award in recognition of their contributions to philanthropy and human development.

    Bola Ajibola Community Award was instituted in 2018 to recognise and reward excellence in personalities who have made their marks from different endeavours.

    Quoting the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Ajibola stressed that “recognition of greatness in others is in itself greatness”, adding that winners of the 2019 award deserved it.

  • Philanthropist, others honoured at Crescent varsity founders’ day

    It was a celebration of humanity as the founder, Ibeji Foundation; Alhaji Rafiu Ebiti alongside three others was honoured with the prestigious Bola-Ajibola 2019 Community Award at the Crescent University’s 13th Founders’ Day Abeokuta; in recognition of his immense contribution to the well-being of humanity.

    Integrity in leadership as a moral compass for societal development dominated discussion at the 13th Founders’ Day Lecture of Crescent University held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital last week. The event was also used to honour four distinguished Nigerians who had contributed immensely to the growth and development of the society. One of  the recipients of the awards was the Managing Director of  Istabaraqim Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Rafiu Ebiti whose Ibeji Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) founded in memory of his father in 2010 has been  directly involved in the education of several indigent students at Crescent University, even as it has provided immense opportunities for empowerment and entrepreneurial development  for Muslim youths, access to quality education, research and vocation, enormous contributions to the promotion of Islam and economic and social welfare of anyone who has come in contact with him.

    The occasion which coincided with the 85th birthday of the school’s founder and eminent jurist, Prince Bola Ajibola (SAN), had eminent Nigerians in attendance. Some of the dignitaries who graced the occasion were Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who was represented by his Deputy, Mrs. Yewande Onanuga, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof.  Ishaq  Oloyede, Alake of Egba Land, HRM Oba Adedotun Gbadebo III,  Prof. Dawud Noibi, and the Olowu of Owu, Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu  among others.

    Special lectures of the event were delivered by  Mashood Baderin, a Professor of Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) , University of London, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Ibraheem Gbajabiamila and former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu.

    In his welcome address, Prof. Gbajabiamila stressed the importance of the 13th Founders’ Day of the school, noting that it is a major scale for the university.

    He said: “At the start of 2018, we had about 12 programmes that were deemed for accreditation. Indeed, by the end of the year and the start of this year, we are very proud to announce that all our programmes scored 100%, and we got accreditation for all. This is an important recognition of the quality of our university as one of the best.”

    Delivering the Founders’ Day Lecture whose theme was “Integrity in Leadership: A Moral Compass for Societal Development”, Prof. Baderin stressed the need to build human capacity in the drive for development in all spheres.

    “Government must be about integrity if they want to bring about development. This is because, development is about people, and that is the only criterion for measuring its ultimate success or failure; it is what it does to enhance the lives of individuals.

    Read also: ‘Youth empowerment critical to development’

    “In my opinion, effective societal development must reflect an actual human development which facilitates freedom and opportunities for ordinary people, leading to actual improvement in their general well-being.

    “Human development is about empowering ordinary people to decide who to be, what to be, and how to enjoy an adequate standard of living as enhanced by the concept of individual and collective capabilities. What people can do, and what they can do now, are necessary equipment for realising a path to follow,” he said.

    He further said opportunity for human development will not pass a society that delivers necessary basic human capabilities; including access to good health, good functional public education, a decent standard of living and human security. Other capabilities centre on human development including ability to participate in decisions that affect one’s life, to have control over one’s immediate environment and freedom from violence.

    “In advancing human development, I propose that the following germane areas must be prioritised to enhance effective societal development in most African countries; including Nigeria. There should be promotion and respect for human dignity, pushing human right and enablement, advancing good and functional public education and capacity building for all, promoting and ensuring human security,” he said.

    Eulogising Alhaji Ebiti, the University’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Idris Katib described him as a man of sterling character.

    “He is a man of sterling character who sees life as an opportunity to seek the pleasure of Allah and prepare well for the life hereafter, protect the weak and advance the cause of Islam and humanity to the best of his ability. He is a man naturally endowed with the spirit of altruism, fellowship, co-operation, empathy and regard for others.

    “He is a hardworking individual that gives a hundred and one percent to whatever cause he believes in. He strives to encourage others to attain progress and frequently contributes to the development of his community. A philanthropist of no mean measure who is well known and appreciated in the Muslim communities where he seeks to spread the knowledge and practice of Islam and foster the spirit of the Islamic brotherhood,” he said.

    In a chat with Southwest Report, Alhaji Ebiti said he was overwhelmed by the recognition.

    “To say that on a daily basis you can make a difference; well, you can. One act of kindness a day can do it. You have nothing until you can affect your immediate environment with the little Allah has given you. I derive joy in giving back to the society in any way I can, and that is what has kept me going. I’ll urge everyone to render a hand of help to all the needy out there, only then can the world be a better place. And I am grateful to this University for counting me worthy of this prestigious award,” he said.

    In same manner, his wife, Alhaja Rafiat Ebiti attributed her husband’s recognition to Allah, even as she said she was proud of her husband.

    She said: “I thank Almighty Allah for today, for his mercies over my husband. I  thank the  University  for the honour  bestowed on him today. May Allah continue to give him strength, good health and prosperity to be able to continue to help the needy. I am very proud of him because he is a very compassionate person, so kind hearted, and someone that skips food to take care of the needy,” she said.

    One of his sons Dr. Abdulrasaq Moyo Ebiti said he was happy for the honour bestowed on his father.

    He said: “Knowing the quality of Alhaji and how earnestly he works for youth development and education, I am not surprised at that the institution singled him out for honour. He is hardworking, tireless, and an enthusiastic supporter of Islam and Education. We pray for more grace and blessings on him.”

    Old friends of Alhaji Ebiti, Y.K.O Abdulkareem and Mobolaji Abdulfatai said their friend of over 30 years deserved the award. He is a philanthropist and a man of the people.

    Two of the students, Kamorudeen Kehinde and Abdulsalam Ibrahim, among several others whose education in Crescent University are being sponsored courtesy of Ibeji Foundation thanked Alhaji Ebiti for his kindness.

  • Crescent University to hold 13th Founder’s Day

    The 13th Founder’s Day of Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State, has been scheduled to hold on Friday on the university campus.

    A Professor of Laws from School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, United Kingdom, Mashood Adebayo Baderin, will be delivering the Founder’s Day Lecture titled: “Integrity in leadership: A moral compass for societal development”.

    The 13th Founder’s Day coincides with the 85th birthday of the founder and former Judge of the International Court of Justice, His Excellency, Judge Bola Ajibola.

    REad also: Oyo sets up committee on proposed Oke-Ogun University

    Professor Baderin, a first class graduate of law from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria, holds an LLM in Public International Law and a PhD in Human Rights and Islamic Law, both from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.

    He is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

    Bola Ajibola Community Awards will also be given to deserving recipients as part of the university’s corporate social responsibility.

     

  • Crescent University: The difference is clear

    Preamble

    As there any university in Nigeria today that evidently distinguishes between education and literacy? Yes, it is Crescent University, Abeokuta.

    What most Nigerians do not understand about higher institutions is that admission into Universities or Polytechnics or Colleges of Education does not necessarily fetch education as expected by men and women of civility. Many ignorantly placed premium on certificate these days (which only fetches meal ticket). This has eroded the value of education in human life. Today, most higher institutions concentrate on advanced literacy for the purpose of paper certificate instead of human value. This is where Crescent University clearly makes the difference by which it separates the wheat from the chaff.

    One of the best ways of evaluating the quality of a university or any other higher institution is to evaluate the products of such institution in terms of conduct and civility. It is on that basis that Crescent University deservedly catches the attention of ‘The Message’ column today.

     

    Three years ago

    When Crescent University was celebrating its 10th year anniversary in 2015, the attention of yours sincerely was fortuitously drawn to its uniqueness by certain patriotic Nigerians, home and abroad, who had been following its track record as a young Nigerian private university. That was due to the distinctive but quiet status of a citadel of knowledge accorded it in various parts of the world. Those unique recognitions for Crescent University were from the western world where the global reputation for quality education resides eminently today.

    Thus, in response to the clarion call by those patriots, yours sincerely zoomed into  research for confirmation of their assertions or otherwise. And when those assertion became confirmed with facts and figures, I had no option other than to put my pen to paper in accentuation of their findings. That is a way of showcasing the great potential with which some Africans are endowed in the realm of knowledge.

    Below is what I wrote on that subject in this column on June 5, 2015. The article was entitled Crescent University @ 10. Here it goes:

    “Do you not see how Allah projects a parable of a single valuable word like a gargantuan tree which roots are firmly planted in the belly of the earth while its foliages sprout magnificently into the firmaments of the orbit? It yields valuable fruits every season by the grace of Allah. Thus Allah sets forth parables for human beings that they may be mindful (of their Creator’s grace)”. Q.14:24

     

    Similitude

    The similitude of the above quoted verse of the Qur’an is like the Nigerian-based Crescent University, a modern FIRST among equals in the realm of knowledge and civilisation. In theory and in practice, the establishment of that University in today’s Nigeria is like today’s conscientious prayer with a solo intention to which tomorrow is eagerly waiting to chorus AMEEN.

     

    History and man

    History and man are like Siamese twins. The one cannot do without the other. History makes man just as man makes history but the latter is deemed greater than the earlier. This is because it takes little or no efforts at all to be made by history. But on the contrary, it takes man a lot of efforts, sometimes guts, to make history. A Nigerian of rare breed and unique personality is currently exhibiting this assertion. Through the royalty of his birth, he became a product of history. And through the aristocracy of his intellect he turned round to become a maker of history. That personality is His Excellency, Prince Bola Abdul-Jabbar Ajibola, SAN, KBE, LLD, D. LTT, CFR, a unique Nigerian who does not need to be introduced before recognition in any part of the world. By all standards, this man stands out vertically in a distinguished world where most others of his peer are dwelling horizontally. As a product and a maker of history, he is today qualified not only to be a proverbial confluence of knowledge and civilisation but also a manifest signpost in the world of intellectualism the like of whom the world seldom rears in centuries.

     

    Philosophy

    Looking closely at Prince Ajibola’s background and comparing it with his lifestyle, one may tend to believe that he shares his philosophy of life with that of another great Nigerian of blessed memory, who became a model for scores of other African leaders even long after his demise. That other great Nigerian is Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first President who was popularly known and called Zik of Africa.

    While revealing that philosophy in his autobiography entitled ‘My Odyssey’, which he published in 1970, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe wrote thus: “Man comes into the world and while he lives, he embarks upon a series of activities absorbing experience which enables him to formulate a philosophy of life and to chart his courses of action. But then he dies, nevertheless, his biography remains a guide to those living who may need guidance either as a warning on the vanity of human wishes or as encouragement or both”.

    Prince Ajibola might not strictly be a contemporary of ‘Great Zik’ but he surely shares the qualitative life that granted Zik the qualitative history with which his footprint was firmly planted on the sands of time.

    Like the colossal Zik  of the 1940s, 50s and 60s, Prince Ajibola has personified intellect and integrity since  the 1970s through the 80s and the 90s for the world to behold with admiration. And like a summer rainbow giving a treasured delight to its beholders, Prince Ajibola’s mark of intellectual influence cuts across all spheres of humanity in an indelible manner.

     

    Like UNN like CUAB

    In Dr. Azikiwe’s philosophy intimately shared by Prince Ajibola, there is an angle that strongly believes in giving more to the world than what has been taken from the world. That angle was what prompted the Great Zik to establish the first private University in Nigeria (University of Nigeria, Nsukka) in 1960 which he dedicated ‘to all those who continue to do good in spite of man’s inhumanity to man’. It is the same philosophical angle that prompted Prince Ajibola to singularly establish Crescent University in a country where ignorance still thrives vehemently and at a time when the pessimistic word ‘impossibility’ was and is still in vogue.

    Today, there is a historic ‘Crescent University in Abeokuta established in 2005 as much as there is the ‘University of Nigeria in Nsukka, established in 1960’. While the two Universities coexist glowingly albeit in different parts of Nigeria, the only difference that so far remains between them is the age gap. And who says the young cannot grow? After all, UNN also started one day and has now outgrown the teething age.

     

    How it all began

    “While man’s desires and aspirations stir, he cannot choose but err; yet, in his erring journey through the night; instinctively, he travels towards the light”. Johann Von Goethe

    The dream of Crescent University began in 2002 when the Educational Board of Islamic Mission of Africa (IMA) recommended the establishment of a University to be named Crescent in Abeokuta. The academic committee set up for that purpose later submitted its recommendation to IMA which presented it for registration. Then, the National University Commission (NUC) approved the establishment of that university in 2005 while the academic programmes commenced in earnest in December of the same year.

    According the Proprietor of the university, Prince Bola Ajibola, in a press interview, the objective of this university is to assist Nigerians in closing the widening gap between attainable potential student population and limited space in Nigerian education system. Thus, the Crescent University hopes to produce the kind of graduates that will fit into the current economic and social agenda of any progressive country. It hopes to gradually ensure total quality assurance of consciousness in terms of its staffing, its teaching and learning environment, its equipment support base and its infrastructure and super structural development.

    In addition, the university is designed to build a new generation of graduates imbued with industry and diligence as well as to inculcate spiritual reawakening and moral uprightness in the development of humanity. As a unique element, this university is designed to assist in the global quest for accelerating the education of the girl child towards the build-up of intellectual Womanhood.

     

     A University for all

    Towards this end, all students are welcome in the university irrespective of colour, race, tribe and creed. Along this line, the administration of the university shall be guided by Islamic tenets and practice. Meanwhile, in the said interview, Prince Ajibola as the proprietor of the university said: “I have pledged my life to developing this vision and I hereby use this medium to invite you all to join several others that are supporting this mission.”

    Prince Ajibola’s mission is perfectly in tandem with Crescent University’s philosophy which includes the following:

     

    • To provide access to education for the increasing population of eligible candidates

     

    • To create a new breed of Nigerians imbued with loyalty to God, the nation and the fellow men.

     

    • To motivate candidates to develop entrepreneurial skills for men in an ever changing society

     

    • To equip and prepare an enabling environment in which teaching and learning shall be conducted in an atmosphere of harmony, peace and love.

     

    • To equip our graduates with decent character and encourage them to learn consciously about the fear of God in their daily lives.

     

    Objectives

    The real objectives of the university are as follows:

    • To produce graduates empowered with knowledge for sustainable living in an ever changing world. This requires adequate and up to date facilities including lecture rooms, laboratories, studios, healthy officers and comprehensive use of information technology.
    • To offer education guided by Islamic principles and tenets of spiritual and moral discipline. The intention here is to employ the teachings of Islam as a veritable tool for ordering life with the consciousness of doing good and shunning evil deeds as well as for interacting with others in harmony, peace and love.
    • To promote exemplary research and services piloted towards the achievement of human development.
    • To encourage and promote higher education for women. The strategy here is to place emphasis on the enrollment of female students in the ratio of 60:40 (female: male) hitherto subsumed in the overall 60:40 (science: arts) ratio as prescribed by the National University Commission (NUC).

     

    Motto

    The motto of the university is ‘Knowledge and Faith’ which emphasises the principles of pursuing academic excellence in a Godly way as envisioned in the mission and the Founder’s Day’s statements. This is gloriously celebrated on the 22nd of March, every year as an encouragement to the rightly guided students of today who will become great leaders of tomorrow.

     

    Great reminder

    With its actions and pace, Crescent University has come to remind us of the world’s oldest University in existence today. That university based in Cairo, Egypt, is called Al-Azhar. It is one of the most important Centres of intellectualism and Islamic civilisation in the world. Al-Azhar University was established in Cairo, Egypt, in about 960 CE by one Jawhar, a liberated slave who became an army General during the reign of Caliph Muiz of the Fatimid Dynasty. It later became a full fledged university in about 977 through the influence of a Muslim convert (Ya’qub Bn Qillis). Then, it eventually developed as a major global center of Islamic scholarship, providing education for students of all ages and races.

     

    Evidence of Determination

    Out of determination to impact positively on the lives of others and to show gratitude to Allah, Prince Ajibola sold out virtually all his properties for the purpose of using the proceeds there from to establish the Islamic Movement for Africa, IMA, which gave birth to projects like IMA Nursery and Primary School, IMA Colleges, the Crescent University and the IMA Hospital, also in Abeokuta. This is a confirmation that real men think more of what they can give to the world than what they can gain from the world. Perhaps, it was to such men that Williams Webster referred in his famous axiomatic oration when he said:

    “If we work marble it will perish; if we work upon brass time will efface it; if we rear temples they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds and instill in them just principles we are then engraving that upon tablets which no time can efface but will brighten to all eternity”.

    Al-Azhar University celebrated its 1000 years of existence in 1977 and yours sincerely witnessed that occasion as a student then in Cairo. It is our wish and prayer that Crescent University too will one day celebrate a millennium of existence and more by the grace of Allah. Long live Crescent University, long live its proprietor.

    The brief profile of Crescent University and that of its proprietor is just an indication of a worthy legacy today that is rapidly becoming a worthy heritage of tomorrow.

     

    The Graduates of Crescent University

    Most graduate of Crescent University, so far, are not just alumni but wonderful Ambassadors of that citadel in various parts of the world. Some of them will be exhibited with their activities and wherewithal in this column next Friday, in sha’Allah. Watch out!

    Governance, like culture, has a variety of colours, flavours and tastes. What is called democracy in a State may amount to despotism in another State. Governance, whether democratic or monarchical, is fundamentally a function of culture. That is why a country like Britain claims to operate politically on a constitution that is partly written and partly conventional. Borrowing a foreign culture to practice democracy through a constitution written in a foreign language is like borrowing another man’s mouth to eat. Into whose stomach will the food go?

    “Allah does not change a people’s lot unless they change what is in their hearts. If He seeks to afflict them with a misfortune, none can ward it off. Besides Him they have no protector”. Q. 13:11.

     

    N1.5b Islamic Centre for Oyo

    Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar will lead prominent Islamic leaders to Ibadan on Sunday for N1.5 billion fund raising for the proposed International Islamic Centre for the Muslim Community of Oyo state (MUSCOYS).
    A statement by the MUSCOYS Public Relations Officer, Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said Oyo state Governor Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi will host his colleagues from Osun, Ogun, Kano and Kaduna states.
    Other guests expected include President Dangote Group of Companies Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, Alhaji Ahmed Raji (SAN), Alhaji Sakariyau Babalola, Alhaji Daud Makanjuola, League of Imams and Alfas in Yoruba land and other Islamic chiefs.
    The multi-purpose International Islamic Centre will be the first of its kind in Nigeria and West Africa as it contains all facilities for the Muslim Ummah

  • Crescent varsity to honour media guru

    Crescent University Abeokuta will confer an honorary doctorate degree (DSc honoris causa) on Islam Channel Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mohammed Ali at its ninth convocation, which holds on October 14. The medium  is based in United Kingdom (UK).

    A release by the university, founded by the former Judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Judge Bola Ajibola in June 2005, stated that Ali would be conferred a DSc in mass communication in recognition of his positive contributions to free press and media industry.

    Ali founded the Islam Channel in 2004 and is credited for organising the first Global Peace and Unity event in 2005, which now attracts over 50,000 members of the public.

    Past recipients of the university’s honours include Africa’s richest businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, former president, Alhaji Shehu Usman Shagari, Chairman Honeywell Group, Oba Otudeko and an All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain and philanthropist, Sir Kensington Adebutu.

     

  • How Nigeria can overcome recession – Economist

    An economist and former Vice – Chancellor, Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun state, Prof. Sheriffdeen Tella, has advised Nigeria to start producing goods consumed locally by Nigerians as a way out the recessiom buffeting the country.

    Tella, who is a lecturer at the state – owned Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, also said the governments and Nigerians should go into agriculture to make food available and affotdable.

    He explained that these measures when applied would not only stimulate the economy to create jobs, more industries, markets and income but also facilitate its quick recovery from prevailing doldrum.

    According to the don, there may be respite insight for the nation if Nigeria continue import heavily, the goods being consumed locally and at a great drain to the foreign exchange.

     

  • Crescent University’s 7th Convocation Lecture

    Monologue

    University is a city of perspiring dream which some people turn into inheritable reality but which others keep in perpetual suspense.

    The knowledge that propels the world into great hopes may sometimes be packaged in the University classrooms or laboratories.

    But the basis of such knowledge is surely outside the University. The most knowledgeable human beings in history never knew anything called University. Yet, they ventilated the environment that brought University into being.

    Crescent University, Abeokuta held its 7th convocation on Saturday, October 10, 2015. But its Convocation Lecture which yours sincerely was privileged to deliver came up a day earlier (Friday, October 9, 2015).

    The theme of the lecture was ‘Moral Education and Nation Building’. The intention was to publish that lecture in this column today. However, since the lecture was too lengthy to be published in a single edition of ‘The Message’ column, culling an excerpt from it may not be a bad idea. Please, read on:

     

    Preamble

    Any time I remember an historic inscription once placed conspicuously at the main entrance of the University of Cordoba in Spain, my heart throbs. The inscription goes as thus:

    “The world is sustained by four formidable pillars: The Wisdom of the Learned; the Justice of the Great; the prayers of the Righteous and the Valour of the Brave”.

    It must be noted that the key words in that inscription are four: Learning, Justice, Righteousness and Bravery. Those words are the real factors of ethics and morality embedded in the University curriculum from inception. The factors were coined to accentuate the high level of discipline and fear of Allah required to form the character of an average University graduate.

    Those factors simply summarise the essence of temporal and spiritual life of man in all ramifications through the vehicle of education. Without them, no life can be said to be worthy of living and no education can be rightly proclaimed.

     

    University of Cordoba

    For those who did not know, University of Cordoba was the very first formal and standardised University ever established in the world. It was established in the mid 10th century CE by Caliph Abdur-Rahman III of the second Umayyad dynasty who ruled in Spain from 912 to 961 CE. University of Cordoba preceded the three oldest universities in the world today: Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt; Qarawiyyin University in Fez, Morocco and Zaytuniyyah University in Tunis, Tunisia. Each of these universities is well over 1000 years old now.

    It was at the University of Cordoba that the Christian Europe first came in contact with the yoke of the knowledge that fetched it what is now called modern civilisation. Thus, at a time when the city of Cordoba under the Muslim rule, was styled ‘The Jewel of the World’ by the Europeans because of its beauty, serenity and grandeur, the University of Cordoba stood out as a second to none citadel of learning in the entire world.

     

    Attestation

    To attest to this fact, a French Historian of the 20th century and author of ‘The Civilisation of the Arabs’, Gustave Le Bon, had the following to say:

    “At an epoch when the rest of Europe was plunged into the darkest barbarism, Baghdad and Cordoba, the two great cities where Islam held sway, were centres of civilisation which illumined the whole world with the light of their brilliance”.

     

    Arabic Numerals

    If some people in the present generation are still in doubt over the above narration and quotes, then, we can shift our focus to a related but more familiar terrain that has no shadow and cannot be doubted.

    At least most of us can still recall that the numerals which we inherited from our colonial masters are called Arabic numerals. Those are the numerals with which we were taught mathematics in schools when we were young. They are the same numerals with which we now conduct our economic activities. It was through those numerals that Muslim intellectuals introduced the figure called zero (0) into the world thereby bringing decimal system into being. Today, everyone knows that without decimal system the achievement of any scientific advancement would have been impossible.

     

    The Roman Numerals

    Before the invention of zero by the Muslims, Europe had relied heavily on the clumsy system of Roman numerals which required enormous expenditure of time and labour. For instance, while the decimal system makes it easy to write such figure as 1848 in only four numerals and within a second, the Europeans used to write the same figure as follows: MDCCCXLVIII in Roman numerals.

     

    Essence of Zero

    The real essence of inventing zero (0) by the Muslim intellectuals was not just to advance the course of science and technology for academic purpose but also to boost human morality by facilitating transparency in economic transactions that could be devoid of manipulation and thereby prevent corruption.

    This further confirms that the end result of education in those days was not just to obtain certificate but to pave way for civility. But can there be any civility in the absence of good human conduct? This is where the question of ethics and morality comes in. It is through high level of discipline and sound ethics that exemplary leaders emerge.

     

    Qualities of Leadership

    University is so named because of the universality of certain human norms and mannerism that distinguish between man and animal. This does not however make it for anybody aspiring to leadership to pass through a university. The greatest leaders in history never passed through a university education even as the most educated human being that ever lived (Prophet Muhammad (SAW), was an illiterate. Yet from the fountain of his education many nonentities have become professors in various fields of learning while many more (literate or illiterate) people across nations and continents have become employees of Islam.

     

    Education and Literacy

    The difference between education and literacy is grossly misconceived in Nigeria. While the one is universally beneficial to all and sundry, the other is beneficial only to the so-called literate. Whereas education is about knowledge, cultural value, responsibility and legacy, literacy is about momentary material benefit that can never become a legacy or a heritage. The death of a literate person connotes the end of literacy in him while an educated person lives on even long after his demise. Prophet Muhammad is a typical example of the latter.

     

    Benefits of education

    Our ancestors who domesticated plants and turned them into edible foods did not attend any school and were therefore not literate. It was from their education that we came to inherit how to turn cassava into gari and eba and yam into yam flour (amala) and pounded yam (iyan) and maize into pap (Eko). It was from their knowledge also that we came to turn melon (egusi) as well as locust beans (Iru) into nutritious soup. It was also those ancestors who cultivated cotton and silk without learning textile technology in any classrooms, and turned them into fabrics with which they designed a variety of dresses for men and women of different generations.

    Thus, if we wear such dresses as Buba and Iro as well as Agbada, Danshiki, Oyala and the likes today it is due to the sound education of our illiterate ancestral fathers and mothers rather than the ingenuity of our literacy. As a matter of fact, the modern Professors have not added anything tangible to those foods and dresses despite their five star certificates in nutrition and textile technology. If anything, they have rather used their so-called literacy to bring various diseases and immorality into the world through malnutrition and nudism. Whereas education abhors corruption literacy encourages and upholds it.

     

    Pseudo-Education

    Today, what remains of most Nigerian universities is mere nomenclature attributable only to literacy rather than education. Even such literacy has so evidently dwindled to a stage of mockery that one sometimes wonders if university as an institution of learning in Nigeria still has anything tangible to contribute to education for the benefit of mankind. The quality of most Nigerian graduates today is so un-befitting to the status of the tertiary institution called university that the phrase ‘University Education’ has virtually a mockery. This is because the main objective of seeking admission into Nigerian universities these days is just to obtain certificate that can serve as meal ticket rather than education that can pave way for quality life.

    The heavily pregnant inscription quoted at the beginning of this speech, in respect of the University of Cordoba, is quite symbolic of the intellectual and humanitarian qualities of the initiators of university education. It enabled the Muslims of that time to pilot the world, with knowledge, into the realm of what is now termed ‘Modern Civilisation’. It constitutes the summary of good leadership theoretically and practically whether in the primordial or contemporary times.

    It connotes the necessary equanimity with which excellent leadership is managed and maintained in any sane society. That is what a well-focused university should be. That is what Crescent University is grooming its graduates to become. We pray Allah to enable the Crescent University also become as great in history as the notable universities that preceded it. Amin.

  • Crescent University’s 7th Convocation Lecture

    Monologue

    University is a city of perspiring dreams which some people turn into inheritable reality but which others keep as dreams in perpetuity. The knowledge that propels the world into greater hopes may sometimes be packaged in the University but its basis is surely outside the University. The most knowledgeable human beings in history never knew anything called University yet they ventilated the environment that brought University into being.

    Crescent University, Abeokuta, held its 7th convocation on Saturday, October 10, 2015. But its Convocation Lecture which yours sincerely delivered came up a day earlier: Friday, October 9, 2015. It was a lecture too lengthy to be published in a single edition of this column and ‘The Message’ doesn’t serialise articles. But an excerpt from it is brought here today. Please, read on:

     

    Preamble

    Any time one remembers an historic inscription once placed conspicuously at the main entrance of the University of Cordoba in Spain, the heart throbs. The inscription read as follows:

    “The World is sustained by four formidable Pillars: The Wisdom of the Learned; the Justice of the Great; the prayers of the Righteous and the Valour of the Brave”.

    It will be noticed that the key words in that inscription are four: Learning, Justice, Righteousness and Bravery. Those words are the real factors of ethics and morality embedded in the University curriculum from inception to accentuate the high level of discipline and the fear of Allah required to reflect in the life of an average University graduate.

    Those factors simply summarise the essence of temporal and spiritual life of man in all ramifications through the vehicle of education. Without them no life can be said to be worthy of living and no education can be rightly proclaimed.

     

    University of Cordoba

    For those who did not know, University of Cordoba was the very first formal and standardised University ever established in the world. It was established in the earlier part of the 10th century CE by Caliph Abdur-Rahman III of the second Umayyad dynasty who ruled in Spain from 912 to 961 CE. University of Cordoba preceded the three oldest Universities in the world today: Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt; Qarawiyyin University in Fez, Morocco and Zaytuniyyah University in Tunis, Tunisia. Each of these Universities is well over 1000 years old now.

    It was at the University of Cordoba that the Christian Europe first came in contact with the yoke of the knowledge that fetched it what is now called modern civilisation. Thus, at a time when the city of Cordoba under the Muslim rule, was styled ‘The Jewel of the World’ by the Europeans because of its beauty, serenity and grandeur, the University of Cordoba stood out as a second to none citadel of learning in the entire world.

     

    Attestation

    To attest to this fact, a French Historian of the 20th century and author of ‘The Civilisation of the Arabs’, Gustave Le Bon, had the following to say:

    “At an epoch when the rest of Europe was plunged in the darkest barbarism, Baghdad and Cordoba, the two great cities where Islam held sway, were centres of civilisation which illumined the whole world with the light of their brilliance”.

     

    Introduction of zero

    If some people in this generation are still in doubt over the above narration to which some well known historians have attested as quoted, then, we can shift our focus to a related but more familiar terrain that has no shadow and cannot be doubted.

    At least most of us can still remember that the numerals which we inherited from our colonial masters are called Arabic numerals. Those are the numerals with which we were taught mathematics in schools when we were young. They are the same numerals with which we now conduct our economic activities. It was through those numerals that Muslim intellectuals introduced the figure called zero (0) into the world thereby bringing decimal system into being. At least, everyone knows that without decimal system the achievement of any scientific advancement would have been impossible.

     

    Europe’s adoption of Arabic numerals

    Before the invention of zero, Europe had relied heavily on the clumsy system of Roman numerals which required enormous expenditure of time and labour. For instance, while the decimal system makes it easy to write such figure as 1848 in only four numerals and within a second, the Europeans used to write the same number with 11 numerals as follows: MDCCCXLVIII in Roman numerals.

     

    Essence of Zero

    The real essence of inventing zero (0) by the Muslim intellectuals was not just to advance the course of science and technology for academic purpose but also to boost human morality by facilitating transparency in economic transactions that could be devoid of manipulation and thereby prevent corruption.

    This further confirms that the end result of education in those days was not just to obtain certificate but to pave way for civility. But can there be any civility in the absence of good human conduct? This is where the question of ethics and morality comes in. It is through high level of discipline and sound ethics that exemplary leaders emerge.

     

    Qualities of Exemplary Leadership

    University is so named because of the universality of certain human norms and mannerism that distinguish between man and animal. This does not however pave way for a tradition in which leaders must have passed through any University before emerging as leaders. The greatest leaders in history never passed through University. Even as the most educated human being that ever lived (Prophet Muhammad (SAW), was an illiterate. Yet from the fountain of his education many nonentities have become professors in various fields of learning while many more, literate or illiterate, people across nations and continents have been employed so permanently that they can never be jobless again.

     

    Education and Literacy

    The difference between education and literacy is grossly misconceived in Nigeria. While the one is universally beneficial to all and sundry, the other is beneficial only to the so-called literate. Whereas education is about knowledge, cultural value, responsibility and legacy literacy is about momentary material benefit that can never become either a legacy or a heritage. The death of a literate person connotes the end of literacy in him while an educated person lives on even long after his demise. Prophet Muhammad is a typical example of the latter.

     

    Benefits of Education

    Our ancestors who domesticated plants and turned them into edible foods did not attend any school and were therefore not literate. It was from their education that we came to inherit how to turn cassava into gari and eba and yam into yam flour (amala) and pounded yam (iyan) and maize into pap (Eko). It was from their knowledge also that we came to turn melon (egusi) as well as locust beans (Iru) into nutritious soup. It was also those ancestors who cultivated cotton and silk without learning textile technology in any classrooms and turned them into fabrics with which they designed a variety of dresses for men and women of different generations.

    Thus, if we wear such dresses as Buba and Iro as well as Agbada, Danshiki, Oyala and the likes today it is due to the sound education of our illiterate ancestral fathers and mothers rather than the ingenuity of our literacy. As a matter of fact, the modern professors have not added anything tangible to those foods and dresses despite their five star certificates in nutrition and textile technology. If anything, they have rather used their so-called literacy to bring various diseases and immorality into the world through nutrition and nudism. Whereas education abhors corruption literacy encourages and upholds it.

     

    Pseudo-Education

    Today, what remains of most Nigerian Universities is mere nomenclature attributable only to literacy rather than education. Even such literacy has so evidently dwindled to a stage of mockery that one sometimes wonders if University as an institution of learning in Nigeria still has anything tangible to contribute to education for the benefit of mankind. The quality of most Nigerian graduates today is so unfitting to the status of the tertiary institution called University that the phrase ‘University Education’ has virtually become meaningless. And this is because the main objective of seeking admission into Nigerian Universities these days is just to obtain certificate that can serve as meal ticket rather than education that can pave way for quality life.

    The heavily pregnant inscription quoted at the beginning of this speech  in respect of the University of Cordoba is quite symbolic of the intellectual  and humanitarian qualities that enabled the Muslims of that time to pilot the world, with knowledge, into the realm of what is now termed ‘Modern Civilisation’. It constitutes the summary of good leadership theoretically and practically whether in the primordial or contemporary times. It connotes the necessary equanimity with which excellent leadership is managed and maintained in any sane society. That is what a well-meaning University should be. That is what Crescent University is grooming its graduates to become. We pray Allah to enable Crescent University also become great in history. Amin

  • Crescent University @ 10

    Do you not see how Allah projects a parable of a single valuable word like a gargantuan tree which roots are firmly planted in the belly of the earth while its foliages sprout magnificently into the firmament of the orbit? It yields fruits every season by the grace of Allah. Thus Allah sets forth parables for humans that they may be mindful (of their Creator’s grace)”. Q.14:24

     

    All roads will lead to Abeokuta tomorrow (June 13, 2015) where people of meaningful life will witness, in concrete terms, the similitude of the above quoted verse of the Qur’an. That similitude is the Crescent University a modern FIRST among equals in the realm of knowledge and civilisation. Tomorrow’s occasion is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of that young but vibrant University with gratitude to the Almighty Allah. And whatever supplications are made there will surely arouse the consciousness of the pious world into chorusing AMEN!

     

    History and Man

    History and man are like Siamese twins. The one cannot do without the other. History makes man just as man makes history but the latter is deemed greater than the earlier. This is because it takes little or no efforts at all to be made by history. But on the contrary, it takes man a lot of efforts, sometimes guts, to make history. A Nigerian of rare breed and unique personality is currently exhibiting this assertion. Through the royalty of his birth he became a product of history. And through the aristocracy of his intellect he turned round to be a maker of history.

    His Excellency, Prince Bola Jabbar Ajibola, SAN, KBE, LLD, D. LTT, CFR is that unique Nigerian who does not need to be introduced before recognition in any part of the world. By all standards, he stands out vertically in a global garden where most others of his peer are dwelling horizontally. As a product and a maker of history this man is qualified not only to be a proverbial confluence of knowledge and civilisation but also a manifest signpost in the world of intellectualism the like of whom the world seldom rears in centuries.

     

    Philosophy

    Looking closely at Prince Ajibola’s background and comparing it with his lifestyle, one may tend to believe that he shares his philosophy of life with that of another great Nigerian of blessed memory who became a model for thousands of others even long after his demise. That other great Nigerian is Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first President. While revealing that philosophy in his autobiography entitled ‘My Odyssey’, which he published in 1970, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe wrote thus:

    “Man comes into the world and while he lives, he embarks upon a series of activities absorbing experience which enables him to formulate a philosophy of life and to chart his causes of action. But then he dies, nevertheless, his biography remains a guide to those of the living who may need guidance either as a warning on the vanity of human wishes or as encouragement or both”.

    Prince Ajibola might not strictly be a contemporary of ‘Great Zik’ but he surely shares the qualitative life that granted the latter the qualitative history that put his footprint on the sands of time. Like the colossus of the 1940s, 50s and 60s called Zik, Prince Ajibola has personified intellect and integrity since   the 1970s through the 80s and the 90s for the world to behold with admiration. Like a summer rainbow giving a treasured delight to its beholders, Prince Ajibola’s mark of intellectual influence cuts across all spheres of humanity in an indelible manner.

     

    Like UNN like Crescent

    In Dr. Azikiwe’s philosophy intimately shared by Prince Ajibola, there is an angle that believes in giving more to the world than what has been taken from the world. That angle was what prompted the Great Zik to establish the first private University in Nigeria (University of Nigeria, Nsukka) in 1960 which he dedicated ‘to all those who continue to do good in spite of man’s inhumanity to man’. It is the same angle that prompted Prince Bola Ajibola to singularly establish Crescent University in a country where ignorance still thrives and at a time when the pessimistic word ‘impossibility’ was and is still in vogue on the lips of many.

    Today, there is a historic ‘Crescent University in Abeokuta established in 2005 as much as there is the ‘University of Nigeria in Nsukka, established in 1960’. While the two Universities coexist albeit in different parts of Nigeria the only difference so far remains between them is the age gap. And who says the young cannot grow? After all, UNN also started one day and has now outgrown the teething age.

     

    How it all began

    The dream of Crescent University began in 2002 when the Educational Board of Islamic Mission of Africa (IMA) recommended the establishment of a University to be named Crescent in Abeokuta. The academic committee set up for that purpose later submitted its recommendation to IMA. And the National University Commission (NUC) approved the establishment of that University in 2005 while the academic programmes commenced in earnest in December of the same year.

    According to a published media interview with the Proprietor of the University, Prince Ajibola, this institution is out to assist Nigerians in closing the widening gap between attainable potential student population and limited space in Nigerian education system. Thus, the University hopes to produce the kind of graduates that will fit into the current economic and social agenda. It hopes to gradually ensure total quality assurance of consciousness in terms of its staffing, its teaching and learning environment, its equipment support base and its infrastructure and super structural development.

    In addition, the university is designed to build a new generation of graduates imbued with industry and diligence as well as to inculcate spiritual reawakening and moral uprightness in the development of humanity. As a unique element, this University is designed to assist in the global quest for accelerating the education of the girl child towards the build-up of intellectual Womanhood.

     

    A University for All

    Towards this end, all students are welcome in the university irrespective of colour, race, tribe and creed. Along this line, the administration of the university shall be guided by Islamic tenets and practice. Meanwhile, in the said interview, Prince Ajibola as the proprietor of the University said: “I have pledged my life to developing this vision and I hereby use this medium to invite you all to join several others that are supporting this mission. May Allah guide us on the right path and grant us paradise”.

    Prince Ajibola’s mission is perfectly in tandem with Crescent University’s philosophy which includes the following:

    To provide access to education for the increasing population of eligible candidates

    To create a new breed of Nigerians imbued with loyalty to God, the nation and the fellow men.

    To motivate candidates to develop entrepreneurial skills for men in an ever changing society

    To equip and prepare an enabling environment in which teaching and learning shall be conducted in an atmosphere of harmony, peace and love.

    To imbued our graduates with character and make them learning, consciously about the fear of God in their daily lives.

     

    Objectives

    The real objectives of the University are as follows:

    1. To produce graduates empowered with knowledge for sustainable living in an ever changing world. This requires adequate and up to date physical facilities including lecture rooms, laboratories, studios, healthy officers and comprehensive use of information technology.

    2. To offer education guided by Islamic principles and tenets of spiritual and moral discipline. The intention here is to employ the teachings of Islam as a variable tool for ordering life with the consciousness of doing good and shunning evil deeds and for interacting with others in harmony, peace and love.

    3. To promote exemplary research and services piloted towards the achievement of human development.

    4. To encourage and promote higher education for women. The strategy here is to place emphasis on the enrollment of female students in the ratio of 60:40 (female: male) subsumed in the overall 60:40 (science: arts) ratio as prescribed by the National University Commission (NUC).

     

    Motto

    The motto of the university is knowledge and faith which emphasises the principles of pursuing academic excellence in a Godly way as envisioned in the mission statement and the Founder’s Day shall be celebrated or marked on the 22nd of March of every year.

     

    Great Reminder

    Crescent University has come to remind us of the world’s oldest University in existence today. That University is called Al-Azhar. It is one of the most important Centres of intellectualism and Islamic civilisation in the world. Al-Azhar University was established as a Mosque in Cairo, Egypt, in about 960 CE by one Jawhar, a liberated slave and an army General during the regime Caliph Muiz of the Fatimid Dynasty. It became a fully fledged University in about 977 through the influence of a Muslim convert, Ya’qub Bn Qillis, and it eventually developed as a major center for Islamic scholarship, providing education for students of all ages. But during the 12th century, a Muslim leader, Salahud-din Al-Ayubi converted the university into an agency of orthodoxy forming a part of his war-planning centers during the war of Crusades. And until about 1924, the university offered only courses based on Islamic theology, the Prophetic traditions (Hadith) and interpretations of the Qur’an (Tafsir).

    It, however, became liberalised in 1924 by certain reforms instituted under the auspices of the Egyptian government. Thus because of recommendations set forth by the reformers and adopted by the Egyptian government in 1962, the university began to include the study of foreign languages and engineering as well as agriculture, commerce, science, and medicine. These did not however change the use of the older curriculum which included Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), Prophetic Tradition (Hadith), Islamic Theology (Tawhid), the principles of Islamic Law (Saharia’h) as well as rudimentary arithmetic, and elementary geography.

     

    Evidence of Determination

    Out of determination to impact positively on the lives of others in life and to show gratitude to Allah, Prince Ajibola sold out all his properties for the purpose of using the proceeds there from to establish the Islamic Movement for Africa, IMA, which gave birth to projects like IMA Nursery and Primary School, IMA Colleges, the Crescent University and the newly established IMA Hospital, also in Abeokuta. This is a confirmation that real men think more of what they can give to the world than they can gain from the world. Perhaps it was to such men that Williams Webster referred in his famous axiomatic oration when he said:

    “If we work marble it will perish; if we work upon brass time will efface it; if we rear temples they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds and instill in them just principles we are then engraving that upon tablets which no time can efface but will brighten into all eternity”.

    Al-Azhar University celebrated its 1000 years of existence in 1977 and yours sincerely witnessed that celebration as a student then in Cairo. It is our wish and prayer that Crescent University too will one day celebrate a millennium of existence and more by the grace of Allah. Long live Crescent University, long live its proprietor.

     

     Watch Out

    While the month of Ramadan is fast approaching, the venerable readers of ‘The Message’ column are hereby advised to watch out for the usual daily column called ‘Ramadan Guide’ in ‘The Nation’ . Ramadan Guide is a small column specially designed and dedicated to the month of Ramadan for the purpose of educating the Muslim multitudes and guiding them in their daily lives throughout the sacred month. The column 3 x 6 column has been a daily Ramadan tonic for well-meaning Muslims and even non-Muslims in the month since the inception of ‘The Nation’  nine years ago.

    Ramadan Guide addresses social, ethical, economic and educational lives of Muslims as well as their health concerns. Through Ramadan Guide, many Muslims who may not be privileged to attend daily Tafsir in their localities or elsewhere may gain access to the needed knowledge in a summarised form. Watch out for the column from the 17th of June 2015 and you will not regret you do.

     

    Sponsorship

     

    The column is an opportunity for men and women who are dealing in commerce or professional products and want to advertise them in the month of Ramadan. For further inquiry, interested persons may reach out to this columnist through the telephone number or email address on top of this column. Please note all contacts by telephone should be by text messages.

  • Kwankwaso visits Crescent Varsity students

    Kwankwaso visits Crescent Varsity students

    Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has charged undegraduates who are beneficiaries of the Kano State scholarship at Crescent University, Abeokuta to be good ambassadors of the state. He , expressing satisfaction with the progress of the students in the institution.

    He gave the charge during his visit to the institution as part of his programme to develop education in Kano State. Speaking in Hausa, Kwankwaso praised the noble contributions of the Proprietor, Judge Bola Ajibola in both legal and education sectors, describing it as worthy of emulation.

    Speaking earlier, Ajibola said Nigeria needs more of Governor Kwankwaso, adding: “ This is the product of our effort to bring the North and South of Nigeria together.”

    Ajibola said that Cresent University has been able to propagate educational cohesion between the North and South of Nigeria.

    In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kehinde Okeleye expressed deep appreciation to Governor Kwankwso for his sponsorship of 200 students into various degree programmes, adding that reports  from the students’ academic performance to date was good.

    Okeleye said “It is praiseworthy to report that all Kano State students have laptops, courtesy of Kano State government’s redemption of its promise to students.”

    He added that it had impacted on students’ performance positively.