Muslim Clerics Kick Against Government Plan To Return Missionary Schools To Original Owners

The group cautioned that the policy, if implemented, could threaten unity and religious harmony in the state.

Governor Abiodun had earlier announced that his administration intended to revert missionary schools to their original owners as part of efforts to deepen collaboration in the education sector.

He made the statement on Friday while hosting the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, during a courtesy visit at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. The delegation also included Catholic Bishops Francis Obafemi Adesina of Ijebu-Ode and Peter Odetoyinbo of Abeokuta, along with other church leaders.

According to the governor, “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.”

In a response issued on Monday, the Secretary-General of the League of Imams and Alfas, Tajudeen Mustafa Adewunmi, said the decision was a misjudgment that could undermine fairness in a multi-religious society.

He argued that public schools in Ogun State were originally taken over by the government to remove sectarian control and ensure equal access.

Adewunmi warned that reversing this arrangement could disrupt long-standing peace and coexistence in the state.

He stated, “To reverse this progress is to deliberately court division, deepen distrust, and destabilise the fragile harmony that has defined our state for decades.”

He further described the policy as discriminatory in effect, insisting it gives undue advantage to a particular religious group at the expense of others.

The Muslim group insisted that the decision must be withdrawn immediately, stressing that public institutions belong to all citizens regardless of religion.

It added that the community would not accept any policy that transfers publicly funded schools back to sectarian control, and demanded the “immediate and unconditional abandonment” of the plan.

The League also warned that failure to engage stakeholders adequately could lead to coordinated and lawful resistance, urging the government to prioritise unity over division in governance.