The out-going Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Rahamon Bello, has said the crisis of the institution’s Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, MSSN, was resolved through dialogue.
He said that all members of the society drafted a new constitution that resolved the conflicts within the society.
At a forum with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, Mr Bello said management also ensured that the society’s first allegiance was with the institution.
“The university authority didn’t get into there and say MSSN short down. No.
“Every student’s organisation in the university reports to the Dean of Students Affairs, DSA, because you are registered.
“Whether you are a religious group or you are a disciplined group or whatever, you must be registered and report through the DSA, to the management.
“In the case of the MSSN, they had a challenge and the problems were from within them; so, they became factionalised.
“At a point, they had up to four factions and each of the factions was now writing to tell of the problems they had within and planning to disturb the peace of the community.
“So, we watched them over a period. It has to do with leadership problem.
“If you are familiar with the MSSN constitution, they also have relationships with external bodies.
“The allegiance to the external bodies was far more than the internal body.
“They are students; they are supposed to be there for at least four years, so the allegiance should be more to the university. So, what we have done is to re-orient those situations,’’ he said.
The Vice Chancellor expressed happiness that the MSSN now has a new leadership that would sustain peace on the campus.
Explaining the new structure put in place, Bello said “there are Muslims in every faculty and each faculty has its own Muslim groups associations.
“So, the choice of the leadership was by what they call in Islam, The Shurah Committee”.
“So, what we have done is to use the Shurah committee, which is a combination of all the faculty representations, in bringing out a leader.
“So, they are all happy and the executive will be inaugurated as soon as they come back from holiday for the new academic session and then they move on.’’
NAN
