ALMIGHTY Allah declares in the Holy Qur’an, Rum, 30:54-57 thus, “It is God Who Created you in a state Of (helpless) weakness, then Gave (you) strength after weakness, Then, after strength, gave (you) Weakness and a hoary head: He creates as He wills, And it is He Who has All knowledge and power. On the Day that The Hour (of reckoning) Will be established, The transgressors will swear That they tarried not But an hour: thus were They used to being deluded !But those endued with knowledge And faith will say: “Indeed ye did tarry, Within God’s Decree, To the Day of Resurrection, And this is the Day Of Resurrection : but ye— Ye were not aware !”So on that Day no excuse Of theirs will Avail the Transgressors, Nor will they be invited (then) To seek grace (by repentance)”.
After the formal opening of the Islamic Mission For Africa (IMA) Intellectual Summit in Abeokuta, Ogun State, the team of over one hundred Muslim professors from ten universities in the South West started deliberating on the position paper of Judge Bola Ajibola, SAN, the convener of the summit.
Despite the fact that the convener asked the summit not to name the university after him, suggestions were made on naming the university after him. Then Professor Amidu Sanni from the Lagos State University (LASU) suggested Crescent University and other names.
After extensive deliberations, Crescent University was adopted as the name of the university with the distinct simple logo of crescent, as a reflection of the divine indication of time and a characteristic universal symbol of Islam – overlooking an open book as a universal symbol of education for the university.
The motto of the university was agreed as “Knowledge and Faith” as a faith-based citadel of learning, which emphasises the principle of academic excellence in a godly way as envisioned in the mission statement.
The mission statement of Crescent University is to evolve a unique element for the delivery of university education infused with total quality assurance in ways that will develop personal discipline and integrity and promote positive societal values.
Besides, the philosophy of Crescent University are three viz: a. To provide access to education for the increasing population of eligible candidates; b. To turn out graduates imbued with character and learning, conscious of the fear of God in their daily life; serial and unique skills for survival in an ever-changing society; and c. To create a new breed of Nigerians imbued with loyalty to God, the country and their fellow men.
On the objectives of the Crescent University, the IMA Intellectual Summit agreed on the following four objectives viz: 1. To produce graduates empowered with knowledge for sustainable living in an ever-changing world – this requires adequate and up-to-date physical facilities, including lecture rooms, laboratories, studios, healthy hostels, and offices and the comprehensive use of Information Technology; 2. To offer education guided by the Islamic principles and tenets of spirituality and moral discipline – the intention here is to employ the teachings of Islam as a veritable tool for ordering life with the consciousness of “doing good and shunning evil deeds” and for interacting with others in harmony, peace, with love; 3. To promote exemplary research and services oriented towards the achievement of human development; and 4. To encourage and promote higher education for women – the strategy here is to place emphasis on the enrolment of female students in ratio 60:40 (female:male) subsumed in the overall 60:40 (Science:Arts) ratio as prescribed by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
In the residential policy of Crescent University, the Academic Summit makes it compulsory that all students are resident on campus without exemptions, especially for the inculcation of discipline, God’s knowledge, orientation, and the culture of Islam.
Meanwhile, Crescent University has five colleges. They the College of Environmental Sciences (COES), the College of Information and Communications Technology (CICOT), the College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CONAS), the College of Social and Management Sciences (COSMAS) and the College of Law (COL).
Each college was allowed to invite experts in each of the courses to improve on the content of the education of the new university for improvements.
But majorly, all the students of Crescent University will take Islamic Studies as part of the general courses to improve their moral education as they pass through the training at the university.
This is in order to ensure that the training at the university produces articulate and professionally competent social scientists, artists, scientists, managers and technologists with the right attitude to work and God in their daily lives.
Besides, the Islamic knowledge content in every semester of the training at the university in all the colleges at the university is to promote, advance and disseminate knowledge in the fields of social sciences, sciences, digital technology, law and other fields of study to explore the use of such knowledge to address contemporary Nigerian problems, challenges, aspirations and prospects.
May Almighty Allah accept our acts of da’wah as a form of worship, Amen
and then