Osun govt faults MURIC’s allegation of Muslim marginalisation

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Osun State Government has faulted allegations by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) that Governor Ademola Adeleke has marginalised Muslims in his administration, accusing the group’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, of acting on misinformation.

In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the government urged Akintola to be guided by the Qur’an and the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad in his engagements with the state government.

Alimi maintained that Governor Adeleke is a devout believer who relates well with people of all faiths and has appointed qualified Muslims to key positions in his administration.

He said, “For the record, Governor Adeleke appointed Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye as Secretary to the State Government and Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, a student of Sheikh Kamaludeen Al-Adabiyy in Ilorin, as Chief of Staff. His spokesperson is a known Mallam of Tijaniyya extraction. The commissioner for information is also a devout Muslim of Al-Adabiyy extraction. Several other Muslims are serving as commissioners and heads of agencies, alongside qualified appointees of other faiths”.

The commissioner also cited the ongoing construction of the Osun Hajj Camp, saying the project would end Osun’s status as the only South-West state without such a facility. He added that the governor had approved the construction of a mosque within the Government House for Muslim staff.

The statement urged Akintola to verify facts before making public comments, citing Qur’an 49:6, and advised him to assess the administration’s performance using verifiable data on budget execution, debt management and healthcare.

Alimi said that rather than disguising political attacks with religious coloration, Akintola should openly declare his partisan interest in the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and stop using religion to engage in what he described as hatchet-job politics.

“We expect MURIC to judge this administration by its record of service to all citizens, Muslim and non-Muslim alike. Rather than disguise his political attack with religious coloration, Professor Akintola should be courageous enough to declare his partisan interest in the opposition APC and stop using religion to engage in hatchet-job politics,” he said.