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Interview: "The Names of First-Class Students on the DoS Board Inspired My First-Class Goal"— Mallam Sodiq Musa, Former MSSNUI Ameer

In this exclusive interview, Mallam Sodiq Musa, a recent graduate of Civil Engineering and former Ameer of the Muslim Students' Society of Nigeria, University of Ibadan (MSSNUI), reflects on his journey through academia, leadership, and personal growth. From overcoming academic challenges to leading his peers with sincerity and dedication, Sodiq shares the lessons he learnt along the way, the impact of faith on his leadership, and his aspirations for the future.

Tell us about your academic achievements and some of the leadership positions you held during your time at the University of Ibadan.

I am recent graduate of the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ibadan. Alhamdulillah, I graduated with a first-class degree, maintaining a first-class standing since my 100-level days, all thanks to Allah, then my parents, family, and MSSNUI. As for leadership positions, I served as a CPMSS principal officer, MTSG tutorial coordinator, Kuti Hall imam, Director of Studies (DoS) at MSSNUI, Ameer of MSSNUI, and as the group leader for Pyramid (one of the five groups in my class) from 300-level until graduation.

Tell us the hacks that helped you achieve top academic performance throughout your time in university. Did it start by chance, or were you always intentional about top grades from the start?

Well, I really can't say it’s by chance; it was actually by the mercy of Allah and then dedicated efforts too. As I once said in one of my posts, in my first Jum'ah after resumption, I saw the names of students pasted on the DoS board and made a decision to also have my name on that list the following session. I wasn’t so serious in my first semester—that’s actually because I had already read almost the entire syllabus, so I just had to enjoy myself and read a little bit. I was able to get a 3.72/4.0 in that first semester. The second semester, however, was another story. I thought it would be as easy as the first, but I had 20s in the results of some tests, including Prof. Wood's course, CHE 126. I eventually got myself together and turned the reading room into my second home. I would study from after Fajr until midnight, just taking breaks for Salah and food. Alhamdulillah, I eventually had 80s in those courses where I had previously gotten 20s. In fact, in that semester, I had 100/100 in PHY104 and other 90s. I finished 100-level with 3.78/4.0. In 200-level, I was in my final semester in Mahdul Arobyy. It was a little tough as I first had to focus on finishing my exams in Mahadul Arobyy, where I graduated with a Mumtaaz (Distinction). Once I was done with Mahadul Arobyy, I had to rush back to my academics, and I was still able to finish with 3.76/4.0.

From 300-level, I became a bit less serious with my academics since I now had a lot of tasks and also needed to make money to survive, so I wouldn’t die of hunger. But even with that, it wasn’t bad that level. It was in 400-level, when I was the MSSNUI DoS, that I lost my academic seriousness, which made the 400-level results the worst of all. Alhamdulillah, in 500-level, when I was the Ameer, I was able to balance my academics with my ameership very well. A testament to this is how, despite being on the borderline, I was still able to finish with a first-class while also achieving a reasonable achievement in my ameership. I learnt my lesson from the experience during my DoSship.

If there’s any hack, it would be prayers—I believe in prayer so much. Another thing is reading with and teaching my level mates and course mates. This helped a lot in my journey. Finally, orientation is crucial. UI isn’t all about just reading; orientation is very important. Till I graduated, I would always meet seniors who had just finished the level I was going into, and they would give me orientation on what to expect for the next level before the session began.

Looking at your leadership track, we can see that you led in both Da'wah and mainstream life. What would you say led you to or trained you for leadership?

Hmmm... Alhamdulillah for His mercy on me. I’ve already had one or two leadership trainings from home as the firstborn, but MSSNUI brought out the skill in me. Right from my days in Extramural until I got to UI. Extramural trained us to give back to society, so it was easy to get along with the society when we resumed. Our imams would do a roster for post-Fajr talks, which trained in communication. Then I became Imam, coordinator of MTSG tutorial, and other tasks followed. The main thing is to rely on Allah in every task and be sincere—that’s how Allah has eased everything till now. I think that’s all...

We hope your 'hustle' as an independent university student was fruitful. Based on your experience, what advice would you give to university students on earning for themselves without affecting their grades, and how did you manage your time and mental health?

Well, I won’t say it didn’t work out. It was fruitful until I had to drop it during my ameership because things were going haywire. My academics were at stake, so I had to stop focusing on making money to prioritize both my academics and the ameership. But before that, I earned enough to take care of myself and save some money, which actually helped me during my ameership.

Combining academics and hustling isn't easy. Some people lose track of their academics, while others manage both. I think it all comes down to mindset, readiness, organisation, and proper time management... You have to know when to pause, how to not lose the academics completely while you’re also looking for money. Then, I would make sure I attend all my classes, but after class, I’m back to making money. At some point, I was doing tutorials online and physically, tutoring in about 4 places. I was able to schedule all the tutorials on days I didn’t have much to do on campus. So it’s all about Allah’s Grace, then management, readiness, organisation, and most importantly, time management.

As for mental health, challenges give birth to men. When you know you have a lot to do, the push comes naturally. So far you’re not far from Allah, your mental health should be intact... As for health, I’m the type that doesn’t get sick that much, sha. Alhamdulillah for the health. We were already used to the stress before coming to UI, lol.

We assume the bride must be on the way by now. Nevertheless, what foresight do you have for the upcoming episodes of your life? Career, knowledge, spirituality, and family life as a whole?

Well, kind of. May Allah do the best for us. May Allah guide my steps moving forward and grant me success in all my endeavours.

Yes, I plan to practice Civil Engineering, and may Allah give me the best of opportunities. As for academics, I also plan to continue advancing in what I've learnt, and may Allah grant me good scholarships, as I desire. Spiritually, I plan to improve my hifdh and deepen my knowledge of Islam. And yes, I plan to marry as soon as Allah makes it possible.

All in all, may Allah guide my steps and grant me success.

As someone who served as the Ameer of the society, how would you describe your encounter with your subjects and subordinates? How cooperative were they during your leadership role?

Alhamdulillah, from the hadith reported by Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, "When Allah wants goodness for a leader, He gives him pious and sincere ministers. If he forgets, they remind him; if he remembers, they support him..." Allah blessed me with the best of people as my excos. They gave their support 100 percent, and this is obvious in the success of the administration. As for the Muslim students in general, their support was also immense. Alhamdulillah, we had a tough situation with the school management, but the Mercy of Allah, then the support of the Muslim students, granted us victory during those trying times. Alhamdulillah. I'm really happy to have led the excos and the Muslim students in general...

At the start of your tenure, you must have had some laid-down plans or projects in mind. Were you able to accomplish them?

Alhamdulillah... At the beginning of the administration, we had plans for four things aside from the expected responsibilities, which included spiritual upliftment, academic uprightness, and the welfare of the Muslim students. These included a bus for the society, the Muslim students' hub (a building), and getting the data of Muslim students and alumni. Alhamdulillah, we accomplished the first and third goals, and we were able to gather a substantial amount to begin the construction of the building. May Allah grant the current administration success in the project...

They say you can judge shows well only when you're not part of it. Now that you're out of office, what do you think you could have done better as the leader? Has your experience as the Ameer changed your perspective, or has it changed your personality in any way?

Well, I just pray to Allah to accept the little I was able to do and forgive my shortcomings. Definitely, the ameership changed some of my features. I'm now more composed than before, and my organisational and administrative skills have improved greatly. Alhamdulillah for His Mercy on us.

During your tenure of leadership, you must have encountered negative reactions and criticisms. How did you manage them?

Criticism, I think about it. If I need to change something, I'll change it. If it's a situation where I need to explain why I decided on something, I would explain. When people badmouth, I would act like I didn't hear them and just turn to Allah to guide me through. Sincerity is the main thing. When you know for sure that you're dealing with Allah, hearsay from people becomes less important...

What made you choose Civil Engineering? We learnt that you had earlier studied Electrical Engineering at the polytechnic.

Well, after secondary school, I just wanted to study any engineering course. During my time in Extramural, I later concluded that I would study Civil Engineering, but Electrical Engineering was still on my mind because of my love for electronics at the time. So, I picked Civil Engineering in UI and Electrical Engineering in Poly Ibadan. I was admitted to Poly Ibadan, so I went on with Electrical Engineering. However, during my time at Poly Ibadan, I lost interest in the course, which made me apply for another UTME and pick Civil Engineering due to my love for buildings. I thought then that there were more opportunities in Civil Engineering in Nigeria, sha.

Lastly, do you have a final message for students as you say farewell to undergraduate?

Hmm… Dear UnderG, you do not have all the time on campus, so make the best use of it. Connect with the right people, learn as much as you can, do your best to make your own impact, and pray and hold on to the thread of Allah... May Allah grant us success in all our endeavours.

Jaza'kumullahu khayran. We pray that you have the best place prepared for you out there by Allah.