THE Old Students Association of the School of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Afikpo (OSSAISA), Ebonyi State, last weekend held its 10th annual convention where it elected a new set to officers to run its affairs for the next five years.
The convention held at the conference hall of the National Mosque, Abuja, was graced by dignitaries from all walks of life.
With the theme ‘Unity in Purpose, Prosperity in Action: The OSSAISA Vision’, the convention emphasised the importance of unity, association and morals among the Muslim Ummah to uplift one another and become better adherents of the religion.
The guest speaker, Brigadier-General Aliyu Yusuf Emekoma, also an alumnus of the school, urged members of the association to embrace the spirit of tolerance and work together to achieve success.
General Emekoma, who is the Commandant, Nigerian Army School of Islamic Affairs, admonished Muslims to seek knowledge at all times and use their wisdom for the benefit of mankind.
“Let us put our efforts together. We have doctors, engineers among us. Let us remember where we are coming from. That we have been successful up to this time is Allah’s making.
“We have been taught to be good Muslims, irrespective of where we are coming from. We may have shortcomings as human beings but I always put my mind in whatever I’m doing professionally. We should see ourselves as professionals who are brought together by Islamic values.
“We should seek knowledge to benefit humanity. We should not think twice about this. We should also come up with innovations to address global challenges. We should be agents of change and make Nigeria a place everybody will be proud of,” Emekoma said.
The immediate past national amir (president) of OSSAISA, Sheikh Abdulrahman Isa Alufa, who doubles as the mudeer (principal) of the School of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Afikpo, said that the school had recorded landmark achievements since it was established 42 years ago.
He said the school is not just focused on inviting people into Islam but it also seeks to ensure that the people are on the right path, exhibiting good behaviour and correcting societal ills.
“The school has recorded a lot of successes. From 2010 to 2024, a span of 14 years, we have over 20 schools in Nigeria. And each of these schools doesn’t have less than 500 students.
“Alhamdulillah, there is a lot of progress, because what we want is to ensure that people have the right attitude to be who they are. Because if you studied medicine and you don’t have the right attitude, you become a liability of society.
“If you did civil engineering and you don’t have the right attitude, you build structures that collapse on people. So, our training is not only because we want you to come to prayer, we also want you to be that engineer that the society will trust, that pilot that society will trust. And Alhamdulillah, today, we are very proud that we have these,” Isa said.
A highlight of the event was the inauguration of the new officers that inclue Ibrahim Tayyib Umar (National Amir), Habeeb Ibrahim Mbe (First National Vice Amir), Tesleem Akosile (Second National Vice Amir), Haroun Eze (Secretary General), Abubakar Muhammad Musa (Assistant Secretary General) and Saleem AbdulSalam (Public Relations Officer).
Others are AbdulRazaq Jimoh (Financial Secretary), Isa Taofeeq Raji (Treasurer), Faruq Sulaiman Yekini (Welfare Officer) and Abdulrahman Isa Alufa (Ex-Officio).
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