ALMIGHTY Allah challenges us in the Holy Qur’an, Al-Imran, 3:102-105: “O ye who believe! Fear God as He should be feared and die not except in a state of Islam. And hold fast all together by the rope which God (stretches out for you) and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude God’s favor on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love so that by His grace ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of fire and He saved you from it. Thus doth God make his signs clear to you: that ye may be guided. Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong; they are the ones to attain felicity. Be not like those who are divided amongst themselves and fall into disputations after receiving clear signs; for them is a dreadful penalty.”
By the following session, the new school complex had been completed for September 2002/2003, with three new buses and wider publicity on the radio and television, in newspapers and through handbills and posters, and the school was in fact oversubscribed in all the classes to from nursery to Primary 3.
Meanwhile, my son, Ismail, was withdrawn from a private school to join the school in Primary 3 to convince others that we meant business with our determination and standards for the IMA Model School. It was so great for our preparations and recruitment of teachers and other members of staff.
Following the recommendations of the Professor Hussein Abdul-Kareem Education Committee for the setting up of IMA Model College, the IMA Research Centre was further expanded with the construction of the school complex and hostels and the College was started by September 2005/2006 session.
The applicants sat for the entrance examinations by August 2005 and we birthed the IMA Model College with 30 students the following month.
I remember vividly that myself and Justice Bola Ajibola, SAN, and a few others, including my friend that graduated from the University of Madinah, Dr Sirajudeen Bilaal Al-Asrau who facilitated the coming of our guest from the University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia, Dr Abdullah Abu Saef, went round the premises of the IMA Research Centre and the facilities at the centre, including the schools, the multipurpose hall, IMA Guest House, IMA Library and Audio-Visual Centre, IMA Primary School, and the Imam’s Lodge.
The Amirah of the women’s wing of IMA, Alhaja Memunat Arogundade, suddenly brought the result of the entrance examination for me to append my signature before the release of the results to the public.
His Excellency, Justice Ajibola, said “…Sulaiman, please check the names very well and see if your son passed the entrance examination before you signed it to save you embarrassment…” Immediately I checked, my son was number two on the list. Justice Ajibola shook my hand and said, my congratulations, “like father, like son…Please sign, for Alhaja Arogundade to go and release the result…”
However, for us to learn a lesson, Justice Ajibola said: “…As Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, the Law School director brought the list of graduands for him to sign before it was released to the students and published… It was after signing that he saw that someone very close to him failed the examination and eventually repeated…” The rest is history.
In October 2002 also, I met the director of Kamal Adham Centre for Television Journalism, American University in Cairo, Egypt, Sulayman A. Schleifer, German-American scholar who converted to Islam through scholarship and television reporting of hajj rites in Saudi Arabia.
It was great meeting him as a scholar of Mass Communication lecturing at the Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta; script writer and presenter of the weekly programme ‘Assalam Alaekum’ on OGBC 2 FM in Nigeria; weekly columnist of Muslim Sermon Column in the Nigerian Tribune; author of six books then: Graphic Arts and Designs in Mass Communications, Political Public Relations and National Stability, Advertising and Public Relations Laws, Public Relations Copy and Media and Public Relations Policy, Planning, and Strategy.
After listening to some of my recorded programmes on OGBC 2 FM, examining the press cuttings of my column writings in the Nigerian Tribune, checked my PhD candidate-ship identity card at the Cairo University in Mass Communications and examining all my books on Mass Communication on his table, the six-feet tall man stood, and I stood up with him, and shook my hand and said: “Welcome, great scholar!” He asked me to sit down and asked his secretary to serve us tea.
Firstly, he commended the six books I had written then in the field of Mass Communication; my media works and performances; scholarship and journal articles; and drafted a letter and asked his secretary to type the letter and gave me lifetime access to the library of the American University in Cairo with the letter to the librarian of the University for Gratis access and identity card anytime I am in Cairo.
Secondly, he asked me what I really wanted. I then brought out the brochures and pamphlets on IMA Research Centre. He examined them and commended the projects. And I gave him the resume of Justice Bola Ajibola as the president. He exclaimed.
Besides, Schleifer promised to deliver a lecture at the IMA Research Centre in Nigeria at a later date and I linked him with Justice Ajibola to meet him in London during the Christmas holiday of that year.
As a friend to the King of Jordan, King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and an awardee of the Hashemite Kingdom, Professor Schleifer introduced me to the king to attend the annual conference on Islam by the 41st generation direct descendants of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The king now introduced me to His Excellency, Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad and a professor of Philosophy.
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