Ogun Muslims urged to strengthen unity and inclusive leadership as Salako Oyedele and Amosun call for synergy and sustainable development

The Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Engr Noimot Salako Oyedele, and a former governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, have called on Ogun Muslims to embrace stronger unity, inclusive leadership and strategic collaboration as pathways to sustainable development and lasting community impact.

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They spoke separately on Tuesday in Abeokuta at the Ogun State Muslim Assembly organised by the League of Imams and Alfas.

The programme was held under the theme Synergy Leadership and Development in the Ummah of Ogun State.

Salako Oyedele said religious knowledge alone, no matter how deep, could not translate into development without active followership, structure and collective ownership.

She described Islamic scholars as custodians of faith, moral guides and a vital bridge between the Muslim Ummah and government, stressing that this role must be strengthened for meaningful engagement and effective policy outcomes.

According to the deputy governor, even the most compelling ideas fail without followers, noting that religious leadership without grassroots participation would struggle to mobilise resources, influence policy or deliver long term growth.

She commended some Muslim organisations for balancing religious authority with inclusive leadership, a powerful approach she said had enabled them to establish schools, universities, pilgrimage systems, zakat frameworks and impactful dawah programmes that promote shared responsibility.

She warned that distant or exclusive leadership structures often weaken trust, limit participation and ultimately undermine development efforts within the Ummah.

Salako Oyedele stressed that genuine synergy among Muslim leaders would help shift the Ummah from gatekeeping to bridge building and from individual influence to collective strength.

She encouraged the League of Imams and Alfas to remain a rallying platform for unity, development and prosperity within Ogun State and beyond.

Speaking as Father of the Day, Amosun described the assembly as timely, saying internal divisions among Muslims had weakened collective influence and distorted public perception of the Ummah.

He noted that differences among Islamic organisations and variations in Qur’anic interpretation had sometimes fostered disunity and conflicting teachings, portraying Muslims as fragmented rather than united.

Amosun urged Muslims to place faith above affiliations and to anchor their actions in shared Qur’anic wisdom.

He said that when Ogun Muslims work in synergy and collective purpose, they are better positioned to raise leaders who uphold Islamic values and promote peaceful coexistence, social harmony and socio economic development.

On the theme of the programme, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, represented by Prof Abdulafeez Oladosu, decried persistent disunity among Imams in the state.

He warned that internal fragmentation had weakened the collective impact of Ogun Muslims and expressed hope that the assembly would mark a new era of cohesion and greatness.

Earlier, the Secretary General of the League of Imams and Alfas in Ogun State, Sheikh Imam Tajudeen Adewunmi, said the gathering was convened to address pressing challenges facing Muslims, including education, healthcare, economic empowerment, social justice and socio political inclusion.

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Other speakers at the event, including a former Nigerian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafadeen Tunji Ishola, and Emeritus Professor Kamaldeen Balogun, the Chief Imam of Gbagura land and Mufti of Egba land, also called for a united and purposeful Muslim front across the country.