Ogun Imams reject plan to return Public schools to missionary
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The League of Imams and Alfas in Ogun State has rejected Governor Dapo Abiodun’s proposal to return public schools in the state to their original missionary owners, describing the move as ill-advised, provocative, and unjustifiable.
Governor Abiodun had recently announced that his administration plans to hand back missionary schools to the religious bodies that originally established them, as part of efforts to strengthen collaboration and improve the education sector.
He made the statement while receiving the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, during a courtesy visit at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. The delegation included the Catholic Bishop of Ijebu-Ode, Francis Obafemi Adesina, the Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta, Peter Odetoyinbo, and other church officials.The governor maintained that the state was open to partnerships with private and religious institutions, stressing that such collaboration would help expand educational development.
“We will return all missionary schools to their owners. It is not our policy to do it alone. We need to join hands with private individuals, and we encourage further partnership with the Church to expand development,” he said.
However, in a statement issued on Monday by its Secretary General, Imam Tajudeen Mustafa Adewunmi, the League of Imams and Alfas in Ogun State strongly opposed the policy, describing it as a misreading of history and a threat to equity in a plural society.
The group argued that public schools were nationalised to prevent sectarian control, warning that reversing the decision could deepen division and weaken social harmony in the state.“This policy is not only a gross misreading of history but a dangerous affront to the principles of equity, justice, and religious balance in a plural society,” the statement read.
The body further insisted that the move was discriminatory in effect and unfair to all citizens, adding that it places the interests of a particular religious group above others.
It also warned that the Muslim community in the state would not remain silent if its rights and contributions were ignored, stressing that public institutions were built and maintained using collective resources.
The League called for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the policy, stating that failure to do so would be seen as a disregard for fairness and inclusive governance.
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