The Ogun State Muslim Council (OMC) has expressed deep concern over the declining state of Arabic and Islamic Studies in public schools across the state, warning that the subjects face possible extinction unless urgent action is taken by the government.
The Council, in a communiqué issued at the end of its general meeting held on Sunday, November 9, 2025, at the Crescent Muslim Professionals Hall, Leme, Abeokuta, lamented that many qualified teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies were being redeployed to institutions where their expertise is underutilized.
The communiqué, signed by the Council’s Secretary-General, Asiwaju Kamal’deen Akintunde (Esq.), described the trend as a “serious threat to Islamic literacy and moral education among young learners.”
OMC urged the Ogun State Government to urgently recruit qualified teachers in the disciplines and halt the indiscriminate transfer of existing ones.
It further encouraged Muslim professionals to pursue specializations in the fields and make themselves available for public service to bridge the widening gap.
The Council resolved to partner with the Union of Arabic Teachers to hold a high-level meeting with relevant authorities to address the problem.
The meeting, which brought together traditional rulers, scholars, and Muslim leaders from the four divisions of the state — Egba, Ijebu, Yewa, and Remo — also witnessed the formal appointment of the Olowu of Owu, His Royal Majesty Oba Saka Adelola Matemilola, as the new President-General of the Council.
Oba Matemilola succeeds the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, CFR. In his acceptance speech, the monarch called for unity and brotherhood among Muslims in Ogun State, urging the Ummah to rise above ethnic divisions and work together for collective progress.
He pledged to strengthen Islamic institutions and support initiatives that promote education, empowerment, and social welfare.
On infrastructure, the OMC welcomed the government’s intervention in halting the planned demolition of the Ibara Housing Estate Central Mosque. It directed the mosque management to regularize its title documents to secure permanent approval.
The Council also announced its intention to collaborate with the Ogun Standing Committee on Musabaqah (OSCOM) to bid for hosting rights of the 42nd National Qur’anic Recitation Competition in 2027.
In the area of welfare, OMC said it would work with the Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria (IMAN) to organize free medical outreach programmes across the state, focusing on early disease detection and prevention.
The Council ratified the nomination of two Ogun indigenes — Adegboye Rahmat Adedayo of Olabisi Onabanjo University and Egunsola Hafsah Omolola of Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja — as beneficiaries of the Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar Female Medical Scholarship coordinated by the Muslim Ummah of South-West Nigeria (MUSWEN).
OMC reaffirmed its commitment to continued representation at the MUSWEN Central Working Committee and General Purpose Committee through its Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General, respectively.
On national issues, the Council cautioned against the propagation of divisive narratives regarding security challenges in Nigeria, insisting that “all Nigerians, regardless of faith or ethnicity, have equal rights to life and dignity.”
It commended the Ogun State Government for infrastructural projects such as the Gateway International (Cargo) Airport in Remo but urged equitable distribution of development projects across all zones of the state.
The Council reaffirmed its dedication to fostering unity among Muslims, safeguarding Islamic education, and promoting inclusive development in Ogun State.
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