The newly elected president of University of Lagos, UNILAG Muslim Alumni, UMA, Prof. Khalid Adekoya has promised to work assiduously towards ensuring that the association’s activities are taken up from where the immediate past executive members stopped and surpass it.
Adekoya, a Professor of Cell Biology and Genetics, gave the assurance on Sunday at the association’s 33rd Annual General Meeting/Congress, where his emergence as the president was announced through Shurah (a consultation method of appointing leaders in Islam).
To hit the ground running, Prof. Adekoya said in his acceptance speech, “We will take UMA to the height it deserves through dint of hard work.”
The event was held at the Islamic Centre Hall, UNILAG, Akoka, Lagos, and attracted alumni of the school, who praised the excellent leadership qualities and many remarkable achievements of the immediate former President, Alhaji Shuaib Salisu.
See full list of the executive members that will paddle the affairs of the association in the next two administrative years HERE
The Shurah Chairman, Alhaji Sola Oladokun, a past President of UMA thanked the outgone executive members for their initiatives in taking the alumni to a progressive level and urged the newly elected ones to raise the bar from where the former stopped.
At the height of the moment of announcing the new exco, the Shurah chairman appealed to them to see the position as a trust from Allah and ensure they do their best in promoting the ethos of the association.
In his farewell speech, the immediate past president, Alhaji Salisu, who is now an ex-officio and adviser, gave an account of his stewardship of the years he served as president.
Shuaib said though much still needs to be done, his administration was able to deliver on key areas even in the face of many challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the prolonged ASUU strike which deprived it of many of its annual scholarship programmes.
Salisu, the immediate former Chief of Staff to the Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun and also Ogun Central Senatorial District candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the coming elections said his administration was able to invest in the Sukuk bond of the federal government and has also been able to secure bidding for hostels renovations from the school authority.
He said his administration was able to revamp the moribund website of the association and now make it functional.
The past president who revealed that a new constitution was made during his administration, presented the new constitution and a compendium of lectures held in the past was also presented to the public.
He thanked the members of the executive for their immense contributions to the success of the association urging the new executives to also show the president support and work with him for the success of the administration.
Founded in 1985, UMA is a faith-based Islamic organisation made up of Muslim graduates of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos. The association serves as a rallying point for all Muslim Alumni of the university.
It creates an avenue to practice Islam in the post-university life and impact positively on its alma mater as well as contribute to personal, religious and community developments among our members in particular and the general populace.
