One fine and blessed Sunday morning in December 1942 somewhere at Koseh Street, Olowogbowo area of Lagos, a group of young Muslim schoolboys met to discuss their present and future role within the context of the Islamic community in Lagos. The boys were in forms 4, 5 & 6 in Christian secondary schools: CMS Grammar School, Lagos; Methodist Boys High School; lgbobi College; Kings College; St. Gregory's; Baptist Academy, Eko Boys High School; Akilapa Grammar School, etc.

The group bemoaned the fact that Muslim boys and girls were in the minority in Christian Secondary Schools. There were just a handful of Muslim primary schools in Lagos compared to hundreds of Christian primary schools. They lamented the fact that most well-to-do Muslim fathers did not give priority to the (Western) education of their children. What was more, in the whole of Nigeria in 1942 there were only two Muslim lawyers:- Alhaji Chief Imam L.B. Agusto B. L. QC and Mr. Jubril Martin B.L; and two Muslim doctors:­Dr. A.H.S. Tinubu and Dr. lbiyinka Olorun-Nimbe.

The boys decided to form a Muslim youth group called "The Shooting Star". Our objective is to practice our religion and support each other in being true to our faith and resist any attempts to convert us to Christianity. Having survived conversion attempts, our long-term goal was to go abroad for h,Jrther studies. To boost our morale we invited Mr. T.O. Elias (later Chief Justice of the Federation) and other eminent Muslims to serve as our patrons. Mr. Elias was only a second class clerk at the Nigerian Railways at that time, but he had passed his inter B.Sc. in Economics and inter L.L.B. London, Other patrons were Barristers Jubril Martin, L.B. Agusto Dr. A.H.S. Tinubu, Dr. lbiyinka Olorun-Nimbe, Mr. Tejan Cole, Mr. H. A. Subair (the first African Bank Manager) Mr. B. Gbajabimaila, Mr. M. K. Ekemode, Mr. M.O. Oseni and Mrs. H. M. Ekemode. We combined religion with social activities. We sponsored lectures and readings from the Holy Quran, engaged in academic and religious debates with other clubs, Muslims and Christians and held tea parties from time to time. We all resolved not to stop at the Senior Cambridge Certificate level but to go on for further studies to show every one that we Muslims could also be lawyers, doctors, and engineers! We were determined to swim the Atlantic Ocean in search of the gold en fleece if our parents or relatives could not sponsor us. The aim was laudable but the struggle was tough. Quite a number of Muslim Youths in those days eager to further their education, took the easy way out by becoming Christians during their school career or sometimes at the request of Christian girlfriends and their parents. The first chairman was Tolani Asuni who was later succeeded by Babs Fafunwa when the former left for further studies in the United Kingdom, Among other members were Kolade Joseph, R.A. Balogun, retired school principal and businessman; Wahab Goodluck, Number two labour leader, Alhaji I. B. Jose later Chairman and Managing Director of Daily Times Groups of Newspapers; A.O. Gaji, retired Magistrate; Adisa Jinadu, retired medical doctor and permanent secretary; Razak Oshodi, retired medical officer, Y.S. Alafia, chartered accountant; Fatai Durosinmi-Etti, retired permanent secretary, Lagos State; A.R.O. Dawodu, retired and former Chairman of Lagos State Pilgrim's Board; Abdul-. Razak, Senior Advocate of Nigeria ( SAN.) Justice Waheed Oshodi of Lagos High Court; Mr. Alade Akesode, a Lagos legal practitioner; and others, including Justice 1.0. Agoro, S.G. Saba, Y. Fashinro, N.A. Lawal, A.O. Lawal, B. Animashaun, J. 0. Elias and W. Daniju.

While the Shooting Star was one of the most popular Muslim Youth Organizations at that time, there were other Muslim youth groups around Lagos, such as the Muslim Reading Circle, MULISO and the Crescent Bearers as well as the youth wings of the then Ahmadiyya Movement, the Ansarudeen Society, the Juamaat-ul-lslamiyya (then known as the Islamic Society of Nigerian) and many others.