The National Council for Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) last Sunday marked its 30 years of existence  a ceremony where many of the founding members gathered to recount the challenges the group faces and look for a way forward to achieve a better organisation for the generations yet unborn.

NACOMYO, from inception, has been the arrowhead in the vanguard of Islamic propagation in Nigeria. It has embarked on non-violent but soul-saving struggles to uphold and defend Muslims and Islamic interests both at local and international levels. The youth body has fought against the marginalisation of Muslims in political appointments in Oyo State from 1980 till date; attempted conversation of Ogbomoso Central Mosque land to shops; massacre of Muslims every December 25 at Kisi; campaign for return of schools to their original owners, among other struggles.

The coordinator of NACOMYO in Oyo State, Alhaji Mas’ud Akintola, while speaking at the event, held at the Premier Hotel, Ibadan, stated that, “in the course of the struggle, the pioneer members of NACOMYO were subjected to several attacks, threats to their lives, intimidations and blackmail. Some even lost their jobs in the process, while some could not pursue their lifelong dreams, and when all these failed, they were offered gratification, yet it did not work because the leaders remain steadfast and undaunting because they believe in the course they are fighting for.”

Participants at the event discussed the challenges of the organisation in the past 30 years, which range from the political climate that is believed to be unfavourable to Muslims to the problem of poor participation of Muslims in the acquisition of knowledge. They frowned at the situation whereby Muslim children are still being used as touts and load carriers at parks, while noting that the issue of empowerment and inadequate health facilities were major challenges.

The Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola-Alao, who spoke extensively on many issues that have been affecting the growth of Islam, said Muslims needed re-orientation on a better way to propagate Islam as a religion, submitting that NACOMYO had gone a long way in propagating Islam in the last 30 years and required a lot of cooperation and commitment from other Muslims to achieve success.

In order to confront some of the challenges facing it, the organisation appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to contribute to the projects it embarked upon, for which it would soon organise a fund raising. Some of the projects include building of a mosque, administrative office, blocks of classroom for its secondary school, shopping mall, clinic and a multi-purpose hall for functions and ceremonies. Alhaji Arisekola-Alao, with some prominent people, promised to build an edifice that would house some of NACOMYO’s proposed buildings as soon as possible. Others at the event made cash donation.

Kano State governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, through one of his Special Advisers, Alhaji Ado donated the sum of N1 million and promised to do more as soon as possible.

The anniversary was also witnessed by Ekiti State deputy governor, Alhaji Sikiru Tae Lawal, the Chief of Staff of Oyo State, Alhaji Saka Balogun, past and current Muslim commissioners in the state, among others.