By Sadiq Abdulfatah

The Ogun State Muslim Council (OMC) has expressed strong reservations regarding the planned return of mission-founded schools—previously acquired by the government—to their original missionary owners. The Council described the move as a troubling “politicization of religion” and an unnecessary “religionalization of politics” that serves no clear public interest.

In a statement released by the Secretariat of the Council and signed by the Secretary-General, Asiwaju Kamal’deen Akintunde, the OMC argued that the school-ownership matter had been effectively settled by previous administrations. The established consensus encouraged missionary bodies to establish new, private schools to operate alongside the existing public school system—a model that has functioned successfully until now.

The Council premised its opposition on four critical pillars:

1. Public Investment & Compensation: The OMC reminds the State Government that the original owners were duly compensated at the point of takeover. Furthermore, these institutions have been maintained, upgraded, and expanded for decades using taxpayers’ funds. Handing over public assets into private hands, therefore, constitutes a subversion of the public trust.

2. Increase out of school children: It is an incontrovertable fact that government public primary school is the largest in-take of primary and secondary students in Ogun State. If the move by the State government is implemented, it will further increase the out of school children in the state. This is because many parents and guardians who enrolled their children and/or wards in public primary and secondary schools could not afford to send them to private schools.

3. Threats to Inter-faith Harmony: The Council noted with concern that this policy change, coming during the twilight of His Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun’s administration, carries grave implications for the religious peace currently enjoyed in the state. “Inter-faith harmony is a democratic norm,” the OMC stated, “and any policy that threatens this delicate balance is ill-conceived or advised.”

4. Infringement on Religious Freedom: The Council raised an alarm regarding the fate of Muslim students in such schools. The return to missionary control would inevitably lead to the imposition of religious practices contrary to the faith of Muslim pupils, thereby violating their constitutional right to freedom of worship within a public-standard educational framework.

A Call for Retraction
The OMC questioned the timing and motivation behind this announcement, which followed a recent visit by a delegation of Catholic Priests to the Governor. The Council wondered if this policy is a response to specific clerical demands or a strategic electioneering tool. While acknowledging the Governor’s pretext that “government can not do it alone,” the OMC maintains that partnership with missions should not involve the surrendering of public heritage.

The Ogun State Muslim Council hereby enjoins the State Government to have a rethink, prioritize the overall public interest, and reverse this planned policy to prevent a breakdown of the social contract and the harmonious coexistence of the “Gateway” people.