'EXTREMISTS MOSQUES' in OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY?! The True Story...


We were elated with the announcement of Dr. (Mrs.) Akinola as the new acting DSA at the inception of the Prof. Elujoba-led administration. She comes across as a caring and wonderful mother figure, especially for female students, and her husband, the radical Prof. Akinola, is a great mind.

We would like to situate her reaction in the context of a caring African mother who was misinformed by some people, for whatever reason, that her daughter is a closet call girl. What do you think a typical African mother would do?

Nonetheless, and after the attendant hullaballoo, it becomes important to explain the reality of things so she and others do not fall into the vacuous ruse of these spin doctors and agents of misinformation.

Ma, the hall mosques are not brothels and your students, the reason why you occupy that exalted office today, are not prostitutes.

The hall mosques, Awolowo and Fajuyi, each comprises of two big halls separated by a wall. This is not uncommon, rather it is almost the default in mosque architecture. You may visit any mosque in your vicinity to confirm this; it’s either the females are on a separate floor, as seen in the new OAU Central Mosque, or the floor is demarcated by a barrier, as seen in the hall mosques and the old OAU Central Mosque.

The hall mosques have three doors that open to the exterior with another door joining both sides of the mosque. Two of these entrances lead to the male side of the mosque while the third is the female entrance to the female section. The DSA entered the mosque through the male entrance, then proceeded to the female side hoping to use the door within the mosque. Apparently, she was acting on information however flawed. What she didn’t know is that the door is rarely used since the females exit through their door to their hostels and males use the doors which connect to their halls, Awo and Faj as the case may be.

At this point, it is pertinent to note that the mosque is not a ‘male hostel’ mosque and it has never been. Even when many of the professors were still students, males and females used to worship together in the different places used as makeshift mosques before the present location. This is not limited to the Muslims; the same thing holds for the many clubs and fellowships with offices in both halls.

So it took some time for the sisters to open the door. This is absolutely normal in a sane environment devoid of prejudice. She did not knock the door, seemingly because she was not used to it, but charged on it. Will you ever rush to open a door if a stranger barged on your peace and tranquillity? The female students were not locked up in a room as erroneously claimed in some quarters; they were simply at their side of the mosque.

After the door was opened, she queried the girls on why they were there… Apparently, she missed the many girls who would be doing the same thing when she passed by Awo hall Café and the photocopy centre. Other than act as a place of worship, these mosques serve as tutorial centres with a small library and reading space. MSSNOAU tutorials have always been open to everyone irrespective of gender, religious affiliation or social status. That is why we are really disappointed in some of our non-Muslim colleagues, many who have visited the mosques for tutorials and even share in our food during Ramadan. They know what it looks like. Yes, religious prejudice reigns supreme in our society, but are we not old and educated enough to eschew some parochial views? That you hold views we don’t share means you should engage in blatant slur? Our religion says: “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin…” Q 4:135.