Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has felicitated the Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria for sustaining the legacy of its founding fathers 100 years after the Islamic organization was founded in Lagos to propagate conventional education among Muslims during the colonial era.
The governor congratulated the Islamic society when he received its delegation, led by its national president, Dr. Rafiu Sanni, at the State House in Alausa, as part of the ongoing consultations by the missionary group to celebrate its centenary anniversary.
Sanwo-Olu stated that he was no stranger to the progressive ideals guiding the activities of the Islamic movement within communities where it had established its roots. He noted that his personal contact with the society came during his formative years in Surulere, where Ansar-ud-Deen ran a grammar school.
He said Ansar-ud-Deen gained prominence and stood tall among Islamic organizations, given the influence its reformist values had on young Muslims, training them to be upright and attain intellectual development.
“I have come in contact with the Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria right from when I was a toddler. Right behind the house I was born in Surulere is Ansar-ud-Deen Grammar School.
“I grew up with the idea that Ansar-ud-Deen was the only Islamic society until I started coming in contact with other religious movements. This goes to show the positive influence Ansar-ud-Deen had in my community and other communities where it has established its own identity.
“Ansar-ud-Deen gained prominence in our communities and is still standing tall today because of the incredible work to build an upright society through education and religious values that produced outstanding Nigerians who are well respected in our country today.
“The Society has stood the test of time in terms of discipline; 100 years on, Ansar-ud-Deen has remained focused on its guiding principles and ideals of its founding fathers,” the governor said.
Sanwo-Olu commended the missionary leadership for building on the foundation bequeathed to the society, urging members to work together and maintain the spirit of brotherhood rooted in the religious movement to sustain its cherished legacy.
The National President of the society, Dr. Sanni, observed that the story of the Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria would not be told without Lagos being mentioned in significant details, noting that the missionary group had its birth in the state when it was difficult for Muslims across the Yoruba-speaking parts of the country to get conventional education.
He disclosed that Ansar-ud-Deen had over 600,000 members in Lagos, noting that the society had been playing its part to promote the development of the state.
“Ansar-ud-Deen Society, over the last 100 years, has produced prominent personalities in the society, while we have continued our missionary work towards reforming young people in our effort to improve the society’s value system,” Dr. Sanni said.
. TheWitness
