The College was initially known as Saka Tinubu Memorial Ahmadiyya High School, Olushi, Lagos. Our college is the first Secondary School solely founded by Muslims in Nigeria and even along the Coast of West Africa. Eighty-nine years before 1948, the Church Missionary Society had established a Grammar School for secondary school age students along what is today known as Broad Street, Lagos.

It was the first Secondary School in Nigeria solely founded by Christians, albeit mainly White missionaries from the Church of England. Between then and 1948, six colleges ( all for boys) were founded. They are ;Igbobi College, King’s College, Baptist Academy, St. Gregory’s College, Methodist Boys’ High School and Eko Boys’ High School. These schools were owned by the Christian Missionaries who,in fairness to them, used their money to run them.

The admission policies of some of the colleges were based not only on the candidate’s academic merit but also, to some extent, on religious background. As a result, muslim students were denied admission into the secondary schools. The muslim elders who knew the value of modern Education coupled with Islamic precepts felt the need for such a secondary school for their own Muslim children.

By early 1948, the school building at Olushi Street had been completed and all specifications as well as requirements of Education Secretary had been met. The brains behind the project included; Late Alhaji Jubril Martins, the then President of the Movement, the late Alhaji B. D. Oshodi, the late Alhaji N. B. Kenku and the late Alhaji Issa Williams, among others, who devoted their energy, time and financial resources to the development and progress of the school.

The combined three pieces of land at 4, 6 and 8, Olushi Street, Lagos were accepted as being adequate, and they secured approval for the establishment of the College on the three sites. Houses 4 and 6 belonged to late Alhaji Jubril Martins and late Alhaji Nurudeen Bakre Kenku respectively, but were donated to the Movement.

House 8 was owned by the Movement. The College was built through self-help and direct labour. On Monday, 5th April, 1948, another Olympic year ( the London Olympics) the doors of Saka Tinubu Memorial Ahmadiyya High School at Olushi Street, Lagos were thrown open to students, especially young Nigerians of Muslim parentage and background.

It is pertinent to mention that some non-muslims were also admitted even as pioneer students. Therefore, the proprietor did not discriminate against religion and ethnic group in the admission policy. The educational activities of the Mission had been confined mainly to the provision of primary schools both in and outside Lagos before 1948.

The founding fathers of our great college were ; Late Alhaji Jubril Martins, Late Alhaji B. D. Oshodi, Late Alhaji N. B. Kenku, Late Alhaji K. D. Oshodi, Late Alhaji B. A. Fanimokun, Late Alhaji A. S. E. Agbabiaka, Late Chief Imam Ashafa Tijani, Late Imam Ismail (Epetedo) ,Late Alhaji R. A. Allison among others.

May the Almighty Allah grant them Al-Janat Firdaos and forgive them of all their shortcomings, Aameen.

The late S. A. Ahmed, founder of Ahmed Memorial Primary School, Agege having known how Christians acquired large acres of land at Agege contacted late Alhaji Jubril Martins and told him of how to go about acquiring land for the Movement. The Movement went to Agege and discussed with late Chief Jinadu Ogunji, the then OLU OF AGEGE. A total of One hundred(100) acres of land was acquired from the family of Chief Jinadu Ogunji. The college is presently on very minor part of the acquired land as majority of the land has been lost to land speculators.

Late Mr. J. J. Thompson-Hagan, a Ghanaian was appointed as the first Principal with the late Alhaji Jubril Martins, the life President of Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam as the Manager. Others appointed to work with him were the following young men at that time; Late Alhaji J. A. Gbadamosi OON, Late Alhaji R. A. Folami, Late Alhaji R. A. Balogun,Late M. A. Bamgbose and Late Justice Kayode Eso, a former Judge of the Supreme Court.

The late F. O. Duncan Sotubo took over from 1950 – February 1955. He groomed the students so well that within six years of our College’s establishment it gained Government’s recognition to write Cambridge School Certificate Examinations.

The first set of students to do the Senior Cambridge Examination came out in flying colours. A feat that took some early established Missionary schools several decades of good connection to attain. In 1950 at Olushi, when the College was just two years old, an European Education Officer visited the College and was so impressed with the immaculate white uniform of both boys and girls that he tagged our College as the “Neatest School” in Lagos.

With Allah’s benevolence and mercy, the College succeeded and made progress in both academic and sporting events, which made the young school to rub shoulders with established schools like King’s College, St. Gregory’s College, Igbobi College and CMS Grammar School.

The College made enviable marks in soccer and table tennis competitions.

The College won both the Zard Football and Table- Tennis Cups respectively in 1957 and thus became the first to win both Cups for the first time.

This feat ( winning of both Zard Football and Table- Tennis competition Cups was repeated in 1965).

In addition, the College produced the best student in the whole of the Western region in 1958 amidst great schools like Christ High School, Ado-Ekiti, Government College, Ibadan, St. Annes College, Ibadan, St. Theresa’s School, Ibadan, Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan and a host of others.

He won the Earl Dempster award for a trip to United Kingdom for two weeks because of his sterling performance.

It is also note- worthy that the same student, Mr. Moshood Ayinla Shabiolegbe, an Accountant/Industrialist was the best overall student at the final ACCA examination in the whole of Commonwealth Countries in 1964.

In January, 1956, there was a change of name from Saka Tinubu Memorial High School to Ahmadiyya College, as well as movement of the College to the present site in Agege which had been acquired since 1942.

All students at the Olushi site with the new intakes became pioneer students of Ahmadiyya College, Agege under the Principalship of late Alhaji R. A. Folami from 1956 – 1958.

The late Mr. J. F. Olagbemi spent a year in the College as Principal from 1958 – 1959. Then came the Golden age of the College under our father and guardian fondly called “OGA” by his numerous students, Alhaji Jimoh Adisa Gbadamosi, OON from 1960 – 1976.

Under his administration, the College witnessed the educational, spiritual and sports development successes that remained remarkable till today.

In 1976, the Proprietors of the College changed the name of the school to Anwar – ul Islam College, Agege. It was on record that during late Alhaji J. A. Gbadamosi’s tenure, the Lagos State Sports Center at Rowe Park , Yaba, always obtained any sport equipment they did not have from our College and the School excelled in almost all sporting competitions with other schools. Sporting equipments were provided for Football, Lawn tennis, Table tennis, Cricket, Volley ball, Athletics to mention just a few.

The performance of the College Football Team in 1965 Principal’s cup, Table – tennis and Athletics was great.

Our students were sought after by even other regional Ministries of Education to play in their Junior Academical squad.

The College Football team forwards formed the forwards of the Nation ‘s Junior Academicals that defeated their Ghanaian counterparts, a turning of the apple cart since our Junior squads were always before then defeated.

It is also on record that from 1977 – 1980 the college beat all the colleges in Lagos state in Cricket competition.

Furthermore, the school’s Cricket team represented the State at the All Nigerian Schools Sports Festival in 1980 and won the Gold medal in Cricket.

Hence, some Christians have admirations for the College as we did well in both academic and sporting activities. In the field of academics, our students were not found wanting.

The college once or twice was runner – up in the then Western Region Radio Quiz and Debate competitions. The College also took part in the annual J. F. Kennedy Memorial Essay competition and won laurels.

The Higher School Certificate ( HSC ) started in 1966, and the College continued to produce the best result in Lagos state until it was scrapped.

In fact, the college produced the best Higher School Certificate Student, Mr. Tunde Mabinuori throughout Nigeria in 1972.

One interesting feature about the College HSC in those days was that the HSC was the toast of students from all the South West and the South East Students respectively.

Students from these regions attended the School HSC and came out with very good results.

The college is proud to be the first and only secondary school to present candidates for Agricultural Science in the Higher School Certificate Examinations ( HSC ) in 1973.

In like manner, the college was also proud to present for the first time candidates for both Agricultural Science and Islamic Religious Studies at Higher School Certificate Examination in 1973.

In 2001, the then Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu now the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria returned 50 schools in the State back to the Missionaries and private owners including our College.

The college, in its right path after the take over of schools, continued to acquire laurels in the K. O. Tinubu Mathematics competition, Cowbell Mathematics competition, Science Teachers Association of Nigeria/Chevron competitions, and the National Essay Writing competition organized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Yusuf Adebakin emerged overall winner in Mathematics competition with a total score of 97%.

He later represented Lagos state at the National level and came third. Similarly, the school came first in a quiz competition organized by the HUMAN ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT Agenda at Radio Lagos, Ikeja, where it was represented by Quam Ogunlaja and Ahmed Kamaldeen.

The college won the Lagos State First Generation Heritage Colleges Association competition back to back in 2010.

In conclusion, one of the eminent alumnus of this great institution and former President of the Alumni, Honourable Justice I. A. Olorunnimbe OON ( Rtd) opined that “Never in the history of any secondary school in Nigeria has any school produced so many eminent personalities from all disciplines within fifty years.”

This statement is still incontrovertible till today.

Long Live Anwar – ul Islam College, Agege!
Long Live Anwar – ul Islam Movement of Nigeria!!
Long Live our Great Country Nigeria !!!.