Historically, the year 1914 is significant to Nigerians as it was in the
year the Northern and Southern Protectorates were amalgamated and
modern Nigeria came into being. To Muslims, it is also significant
because the year marked the beginning of formal Islamic organisations in
the country. The Ahmaddiyah Muslim Community of Nigeria was the first
properly organised Islamic institution to berth in Nigeria in 1914.
Before its advent, there were only small prayer groups with loose
memberships and lopsided administrative set-ups. The Sufis were also
known to hold prayer circles, yet, no formal organisation like the
Ahmaddiyah was in existence up to that time. In that same 1914, Jamah
party emerged in the Lagos Central Mosque in opposition to Chief Imam
Ibrahim who was seen as a stooge of the colonial rulers Ahmadiyya in
Nigeria. There was the establishment of the Muslim Juvenile Society in
1916 under Alhaji Jubril Martins. The same year, the Muslim Literary
Society was formed under Alhaji Imam Muhammad Lawal Basil Agusto who
played active roles in fusing the Society with the Ahmadiyyah, having
been impressed by the literature of the Ahmadis20.In 1924, Alhaji Lawal
Basil Agusto renounced his membership of the Ahmadiyyah due to the issue
of creed, and championed the establishment of the Jama’at-ulIslamiyya
Society of Nigeria, (JIN). Anwar-ul-Islam is another product of the
internal rift and schism within the group. The root of Ahmadiyyah family
had earlier split into Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jamat and Ahmadiyyah Movement
in Islam based on creed of acceptance or lack of acceptance of Gulam
Ahmad as a “follower – Prophetâ€. Before long, (Young) Ansarudeen Society
of Nigeria, Crescent Bearers, (Young)
Nawair-ud-deen Society of Nigeria and just before independence, the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) joined the list of the fledgling Islamic organisations in the country. It was clear that they all had similar or almost identical agenda. At that time, the education of Muslim children had become a major issue. Many of the schools at that time were being run by Christian missionaries and Muslims were being discriminated against. Admission of a Muslim pupil into good schools was rare and most of the schools almost made it compulsory for any Muslim child to convert to Christianity before being admitted.
This created a huge gap in the education of Muslim children. This challenge was chief among the reasons why most of these organisations sprang up. Muslims were often seen as second class citizens and it became the responsibility of the groups to advocate change and find effective solutions to the educational challenges confronting Muslims at the time. These groups established schools and awarded scholarships to help educate Muslim children at home and abroad. Of all the Islamic organisations established within this period, four stand out for their roles in public space particularly in the education sector of the economy. They are the Ahmadiyyah (with its three factions of the Jamaat, Movement and later Anwarul Islam)Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria and the Muslim Students' Society of Nigeria (MSS). The appropriateness and commitment to their set aims and objectives at that critical period was a major relief to the Muslims particularly in the South Western Nigeria. Muslim children were being denied education and anyone who had to enrol in the conventional schools which were being grant aided from public fund had to convert to Christianity
Oloyede (2012) classified their existence into six in relation to Muslim organizations, typology based on their contributions to advancement of islam in the past two years. These are the root, the umbrella, the professional, the personalised, the ideolog0ical and the independent non-aligned. Based on these classification each are explain below;
The Root
The root Islamic organisations are the historical bodies that have led to or influenced the establishment of other groups. In this category are Ahmadiya Muslim Community of Nigeria, Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI) and Muslim Students Society of Nigeria. These three organisations are pioneers which directly led to the establishments of other Islamic associations. The third is positive and planned while the other two are accidental products of either schism (as the Ahmadiyyah) or protestation of inactivity as was the case with JNI.
The Umbrella
The Umbrella Islamic organisations seek a coalition of other Muslim groups withinthem. In other words, they are organisations of Islamic organisations as various bodies come within their jurisdiction. Examples of what ought to be umbrella Islamic organisations are the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, (NSCIA),Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) and National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO).The three co ordinate the totality of Islamic affairs, female Muslims and Muslim Youth organisations in Nigeria respectively. It is however confusing to have claims of being the umbrella organisation for Muslims in Nigeria by other bodies such as Assembly of Muslims in Nigeria (AMIN) Jama’atuNasril Islam (JNI), Grand Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria (GCIAN), Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria (SCSN), National Joint Muslim Organisation (NAJOMO),which started as West Joint Muslim Organisation (WESTJOMO) to be the Western State counterpart of JNI,Nigerian Muslim Council (NMC),Muslim Council of Nigeria (MCN) Coalition of Muslim Organisations (CMO) Summit of Muslim Organisations, Organisation of Muslim Unity (OMU) Conference of Islamic Organizations, Council of Muslim Organizations, Federation of Muslim Organisations in Nigeria etc.
