President Bola Tinubu, the Sultan of Sokoto and governors across the South West are expected to join a broad coalition of national figures at a major gathering of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), an event organisers say will focus heavily on economic survival and leadership responsibility.
Details released by MUSWEN show that the event will hold at the Bola Babalakin Hall in Gbongan, Osun State, with President Tinubu serving as Father of the Day and Governor Ademola Adeleke joining his counterparts from Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Oyo to co-host the assembly.
It was also confirmed that the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, will attend as Special Guest of Honour, while Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule will deliver the keynote lecture, a role MUSWEN officials say aligns with his public commentary on economic reform and national cohesion.
According to MUSWEN President and Deputy President-General (South) of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Rasaki Oladejo, on Friday, preparations for the assembly are centred on strengthening unity among Muslim communities and addressing concerns about Nigeria’s deteriorating economic climate, especially its impact on ordinary citizens across the country.
Oladejo explained the theme for this 10th year edition, “Nigeria’s Economy: Any Hope for the Masses?” was chosen in response to rising hardship, and he noted that the keynote speaker would offer perspectives intended to guide government responses to widespread public frustration over economic stagnation and insecurity.
Speaking on Nigeria’s recent designation as a Country of Particular Concern by former U.S. President Donald Trump, Oladejo described the categorisation as “misplaced and unfortunate”, insisting that it was inconsistent with the complex realities surrounding insecurity in various parts of the country.
He said the redesignation was “a manifestation of the well-known double standard of the United States in international diplomacy,” arguing that Trump’s comments were “laced with ulterior economic and political motives” rather than grounded in a fair assessment of Nigeria’s religious landscape.
Addressing claims of genocide against Christians, Oladejo said, “There is nothing like genocide against a particular faith in Nigeria. If there is anything, both major religious groups, Christianity and Islam, suffer equally from the unfortunate onslaughts of the bandits and insurgents.”
He added, “We can even say, with all sense of responsibility, that due to the fact that most of the places affected by insurgency are largely populated by Muslims, members of the Islamic faith are the largest victims of insurgency and banditry. We refer to Niger, Kaduna, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and even Kwara states.”
