There was excitement in the ancient city of Oyo, Oyo State, recently, when magnificent buildings housing Al-Aadi Unique College were commissioned by the spiritual head of Shafudeen in Islam, Alhaji (Professor) Sabit Ariyo Olagoke.
The college, situated on a large expanse of land, boasts state-of-the-art sporting facilities, including a table tennis court, a volleyball court, a basketball court, and modern hostel facilities.
While speaking with journalists at the event, Professor Olagoke stated that there is a need for teachers, parents, and the college’s alumni association to maintain the multi-million naira structures put in place by a retired principal manager of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Alhaji Abdul-Aadi Olayiwola Yusuf.
Professor Olagoke identified underfunding, a lack of proper monitoring of the agencies’ activities, a low or no feedback mechanism, and a lack of a conducive environment for learning, among others, as the major reasons for the decline in the standard of education.
In his remarks, the proprietor of the school, Alhaji Yusuf, stated that the citadel of learning aims to give back to society and provide a good education to the less privileged and that the school is not exclusive to Muslim students.
“If it is for money, I should have built the school in an eyebrow area, but I have a passion to bring sound education to the grassroots because I know what I passed through before I got to this level, and I thank God for that.
“Therefore, I want to advise parents to cooperate with us so that together we can bring out the best in our students, and I’m assuring you that we’ll continue to build on the successes you are seeing here today,” he said.
The annual Olagoke Education Legacy started on the first day, while the second day began with the commissioning of Shafaudeen International zonal headquarters in the Jobele area of Oyo town.
During the mosque commissioning, Professor Olagoke charged religious leaders to ensure the sacredness of the houses of God and make them holy so that prayers could be promptly answered there by God.
The Islamic scholar then called on religious leaders to shun religious discrimination but to respect and maintain the sacredness of all houses of God, and to follow the path of righteousness.
According to him, “houses of God by the grand design of Almighty Allah must operate on the axis of Dar-us-Salam, the home of peace.
Remember that the goal of religion is to promote peace and produce virtuous men and women, as enshrined in the Holy Quran, chapter 33 vs 35
The two-day event ended with the usual monthly Thajud, a “vigil” of the group to pray for the members and the nation at large.
The two-day events had in attendance dignitaries from the educational sector as well as Islamic clerics.