Professor Siyan Oyeweso, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile ife, has publicly presented hislatest publication, NASFAT: The First Twenty Five Years, commissioned by the Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society (NASFAT).
The book published by the University of Lagos Press, was unfolded August 13, 2025 at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Conference Centre, Abuja.
The event was chaired by Prof. Yusuf Olaolu Ali, SAN, ably represented by Alhaji Adebayo Olasupo. The Chief Launcher was Alhaji Abdulrazak Abubakar Toyin, the Founder of Abdulrazak Abubakar Toyin University, Ganmo, Kwara State.
The epoch-making event was well attended by dignitaries from all works of life, including His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and Alhaji Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service.
At the event, the vision, foresight, commitment, and leadership of the founding President of the Society, Alhaji Wale Olasupo, were highly commended and appreciated, alongside the contributions of other persons who sat with him in his living room to conceive the birth of NASFAT. From that living room in Lagos, the society has grown to over 360 branches across Nigeria, Africa and the globe.
The idea to put together the NASFAT history project was informed by the need to document the achievements of this renowned society in the last 25 years of its existence. Since its founding in March 1995, NASFAT has grown to become a household name and a vanguard for Islamic propagation in Nigeria. The society, through its weekly gatherings and various other Da’wah activities, has helped several Muslims become steadfast in the faith, while also attracting non-Muslims many of who later turned to Islam themselves. The society has contributed significantly to the advancement of Islamic education, moral and high ethical standards and Islamic monotheism through its establishment of primary and secondary schools in many parts of Nigeria. The society is also the proprietor of Fountain University, Osogbo, a leading private faith-based university in Nigeria.
Despite its monumental achievements, NASFAT does not have a single comprehensive book that documents the history of its formation, its early years, growth and expansion and achievements across all strata. Conversely, NASFAT has been misrepresented in literature by scholars from diverse academic fields where several erroneous narratives have been peddled against it. It is against this background that this project was conceived to put the history of NASFAT in the right perspective, vis-à-vis its historical origin, achievements, trials, travails and triumphs at various periods of its history.
The book discusses NASFAT history in phases. The first section examines the history of the early years from a congregation of about ten families at the Dopemu house of Alhaji Abdul-Lateef Adewale Olasupo on March 5, 1995, to the Akodo Retreat of 2000 where the Strategic Plan for the future growth and expansion of NASFAT was adopted. The retreat signalled a departure from an old order and entry into a new one, a bygone to the era of Mukadam and entry into the era of Chief Missioner. It also details the administrative structure, organs and agencies of the society and the changes they have witnessed over time.
The next phase discusses the expansion of NASFAT from a seed to a global organisation, giving a graphical and geographical analysis of branch establishment, beginning with the Offa branch in 1998. The book discusses other prominent branches and zones within and outside Nigeria, as well as the historical background of their founding. The third phase examines NASFAT’s contributions to the development of education in Nigeria, through its establishment of primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions across different parts of Nigeria. It also details NASFAT’s contributions to national development through business ventures and economic empowerment of members, its charity to the poor and needy over the years. The book also deals with NASFAT’s contribution to inter-faith relationship, religious harmony and engagements with international partners and organisations. The book closes with the society’s challenges, travails and triumph and its contributions to Islam, religious tolerance, religious accommodation and nation building. No doubt, NASFAT in the last 25 years has etched its name in gold as a pace-setting and foremost Islamic organisation in Nigeria and the wider world.