The League of Imams and Alfas in Ogun State, on Monday, rejected Governor Dapo Abiodun’s plan to return public schools to missionary bodies, describing the step as “ill-advised, provocative, and unjustifiable.”

Daily Trust reports that Abiodun had last week disclosed his administration’s plan to return missionary schools in the state to their original owners as part of efforts to strengthen partnerships in the education sector.

The governor disclosed this on Friday while receiving the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, during a courtesy visit at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The envoy was accompanied by the Catholic Bishop of Ijebu-Ode, Francis Obafemi Adesina, the Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta, Peter Odetoyinbo, and other church officials.

“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,” the governor said.

In a statement issued on Monday, Imam Tajudeen Mustafa Adewunmi, the Secretary General, League of Imams and Alfas, Ogun State, the body rejected the plan, describing it as affront to the principles of equity.

“This policy is not only a gross misreading of history but a dangerous affront to the principles of equity, justice, and religious balance in a plural society,” the body said.

According to the Imams, public schools in Ogun State were nationalised “to eliminate precisely the kind of sectarian control the government now seeks to reintroduce.”

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

He said, “Let it be stated without ambiguity: This move is discriminatory in effect and unacceptable in its entirety. It signals a troubling willingness by the government to prioritise the interests of a particular religious bloc over the collective rights of all citizens. Such a path is not only unjust but also politically reckless.

“The Muslim community, which constitutes a substantial and historically rooted segment of Ogun State, will not stand idly by while its rights, sensitivities, and contributions are disregarded. We categorically reject any policy that seeks to cede public institutions that were built, upgraded, and managed with the resources of all to sectarian control under any guise.”

The body demanded the “immediate and unconditional abandonment” of the policy.

“Anything short of this will be interpreted as a calculated disregard for fairness and a direct challenge to the principles of inclusive governance,”

The Imams further declared that

any attempt to proceed with “this agenda without comprehensive consultation and equitable safeguards will attract firm, coordinated, and lawful resistance from the Muslim community and all well-meaning stakeholders committed to justice.”

The body emphasised that government exists to unite, not to divide people.

“Ogun State must not be dragged backwards into an era of exclusion and sectarian dominance under the watch of those entrusted with leadership.

“History will not be kind to policies that trade unity for appeasement and justice for expediency.” (Daily Trust)