Aiyedatiwa backs MUSWEN assembly, considers Ondo NIREC chapter

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has promised to support the Muslim Ummah of South-West Nigeria (MUSWEN) as it prepares to hold its 11th General Assembly.

The governor made the pledge when a MUSWEN delegation led by its president, Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, visited him in Akure. The assembly is scheduled for November 15 at the University of Ibadan Central Mosque Hall.

According to Tribune, Aiyedatiwa said he would work with his deputy and other state representatives to communicate the government's full backing for the gathering.

Request for an interfaith council

Oladejo, who is also Deputy President-General (South) of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), asked the governor to help set up a Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) chapter in Ondo State.

He said the proposed chapter would have 14 members, seven Muslims and seven Christians, and would give religious leaders a platform to settle misunderstandings and prevent conflict at the grassroots.

NIREC at national level has 60 members drawn equally from the Muslim and Christian communities. It is co-chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto, who heads the NSCIA, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

Oladejo said the council's new Executive Secretary, Professor Muibi Opeloye, wants chapters in states across the country. He asked Aiyedatiwa to provide an enabling environment for the Ondo chapter.

In response, the governor said his administration would favourably consider the request. He also commended the state's Muslim community for living peacefully with people of other faiths, and restated his commitment to equal rights for all residents regardless of religion.

Jobs, education and the Ikare-Akoko dispute

The MUSWEN president called for closer work between the state and Muslim leaders on education, youth empowerment, healthcare, poverty reduction and economic inclusion.

He said investing in education, vocational training and skills acquisition is key to preparing young people for productive lives, and that government, religious groups and private businesses could team up to create more opportunities.

Oladejo also thanked the governor for stepping into the dispute that shut the central mosque of the Ikare-Akoko Muslim community for more than three years.

He said MUSWEN's Mediation and Reconciliation Committee had visited Ikare before the state government's intervention ended the crisis, with help from the Commissioner for Local Government and the Chairman of the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.

He described the resolution as proof that government and religious institutions can work together to settle communal disputes.

What happens next

MUSWEN holds its General Assembly in Ibadan on November 15, with the Ondo government expected to back the event. The state has not given a date for a decision on the NIREC chapter.