GENERAL ASSEMBLY: 12 female South West medical students benefit from Sultan Abubakar scholarship scheme as MUSWEN event holds
*As Sultan addresses prevailing issues affecting religion in Nigeria
*Says nowhere any Christian is stopped from practicing his religion – Sultan
*Adds, ‘We won’t force Islam on anyone, no one should force on us what our religion is not’
*Joining voices to make government tackle criminal killings collective responsibility for Muslims and Christians, he says
*As Oyetola reels out Tinubu’s achievements: Minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, others
By BASHIR ADEFAKA
“And some people said we keep quiet. No, we do not keep quiet. We have not been keeping quiet, we have been making comments, calling on security agencies to do whatever it takes to clear all these bandits and terrorists away. But we did not ask them to clear any Christian away, we say ‘terrorists’, clear them. That is what we have been saying but they don’t want to hear that we have said that. But we are saying it and saying it again: Clear all bandits and terrorists wherever they are and Nigeria will be happy with itself.”
No fewer than 12 female medical students of South West extractions benefited from this year’s edition of the Sultan Abubakar Female Medical Students Scholarship Scheme as part of the highlights of 10th General Assembly tagged ‘Osun 2025’, themed, “Nigeria’s Economy: Any hope for the masses?”, and held in Bola Babalakin Auditorium in Gbongan, Osun State, South West Nigeria, on Sunday November 16, 2025.
Details of the beneficiaries selection were made available in the text of a address of Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, President of MUSWEN and Deputy President- General (South) of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), wherein he said, “At this occasion, under the Sultan Abubakar Female Medical Student Scholarship Scheme, twelve (12) medical students two from each of the six states of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo will receive cheques for their Scholarships.
“In addition, the Special Guest of Honor today, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Dr Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, will be giving each recipient a laptop computer to aid their studies,” said Oladejo, who added that, “In 2026, MUSWEN plans to give 120 Bursary Awards to deserving students from the region” and that the Education Committee of the body would conduct aptitude tests to select the recipients with the organisational goal being to increase the figure to 600 annually.
Cheques for this year’s scholarship awards and the laptops were distributed via a distributed led by the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, who was Special Guest of Honour at the event and who was assisted by Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola, Chairman Board of Trustees of MUSWEN, Dr. Abdul-Rauf ‘Wale Babalakin, and Deputy President I of MUSWEN, Alhaji Rafiu Adisa Ebiti, FCA.
Speaking at the occasion, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, who has persistently been unassumingly contributory to the making of female medical doctors for many years now, spend the little time he had to speak addressing some of the prevailing national and international issues directly affecting Islam, Muslims and issue with the diversity of Nigerians.
Describing as uncalled for attempt by a section of the Nigerian populace working in cahoots with some international collaborator in ascribing to Islam, the Muslim religion, what it is not, the Sultan expressed dismay that, despite the many enlightenments and evidences from speeches and all books of the faith including the Holy Qur’an and Hadeeth that the religion is no more than a complete way of life that is founded on the threshold of peace, unity and kindness, there are some non-Muslim flocks in Nigeria, who are either enthusiastic or are simply deriving joy in tagging Islam as a killer-religion but, he said, that will never be allowed to continue to happen.
Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar started his remarks by giving confidence to doers of good work especially for Islamic development and goodness of humanity how not to despair even in the face of challenges.
He said, “In the affairs of men, fair God, fear Allah sub’anahuwatahala. In the affairs of Allah sub’anahuwatahala, do not fear anybody. My message for my brothers and sisters in this country is that, while working for Islam, don’t fear anybody. Once we know that we are on the right path, we don’t fear anybody. We should not allow anybody to tell us what Islam is, we are the ones who know what Islam is and we should be the ones to tell people what Islam is and who a Muslim should be.
“Now we have everybody talking, saying Islam is killing people, Islam is whatever derogatory name you can think of. We refuse to accept that name for Islam because we know that 90 percent of us, true Muslims, do not agree with whatever the criminals are doing. We have said this several times but, still, they choose not to agree with what we are saying. What else should we now tell them to accept?
“We have told enough of what Islam says you must do and what you must not do. But people go out everyday spewing very negative things about Islam. I think there is need for us to look at what others are saying as regards Islam.
“Alhamdulillahi we have passed so many comments in the last couple of weeks about this so-called genocide, and I have said it many times – and other people are saying it – I want somebody to come out and tell me where Christians are not allowed to practice their religion anywhere in the world. Because, right from where I started to spend my life in Sokoto as a young boy up to a young man during the miliary and Almighty Allah brought me here, I have never heard or seen a Christian denied his right to worship. I have not seen it.
“So, issues like killings in Benue, killings in wherever, as long as you are majority in a particular place, I said it so many years ago that some people claim they are doing our bidding and I asked: How? Some people will keep on giving you a bad name like this issue of bandits or not bandits. They would not want to be happy with unity of the Ummah and they attach a threat to everybody. Once we are united, nobody can separate us, and this activity of MUSWEN clearly shows how united we are as Ummah and we will not allow anybody to come and break us.
“I said somethings yesterday at Iwo where I visited the Oluwo (on his 10th coronation anniversary) and I made a five-minute speech and so many things I said yesterday (Saturday November 15, 2025 have been brought up here by MUSWEN president at this MUSWEN General Assembly and we didn’t discuss it with him. I think it is important for us, brothers and sisters in Islam, to let us fear Almighty Allah and say the truth even if it is against us, our parents or friends. I think it is important for us to find out how can we really rally around to help ourselves? Whatever it is we think we can do, let’s do it for the sake of Almighty Allah who is going to judge us. We cannot judge anybody. So, let’s try to be the best we can be; good Muslims doing good to everybody.
“There is no compulsion in religion. We cannot force anybody to accept Islam but nobody should also force us to accept what Islam is not. That is the point I am trying to make. Those who are saying negative things about Islam, anybody is free, you are free to say whatever you want to say, but you should not start raising dust where there is no dust. We made comments hundreds of time, and there was a forum for Christians and Muslims to deliberate and bring up whatever issue was affecting us.
“I am surprised that we don’t know anything about that but we hear it in the public domain that ‘Christians are being killed’. But Muslims are being killed too. We cannot be talking about the killing of Muslims because the taking of life is wrong, it’s completely wrong. So, we need to look at some of these issues. Taking life unjustly is like taking the life of all humanity. So, let’s not aggravate taking lives. We have condemned it many times at joint sessions of Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and we have reeled out condemnations and appeal to deal with the problem since this terrorism started 15 years ago.
“And some people said we keep quiet. No, we do not keep quiet. We have not been keeping quiet, we have been making comments, calling on security agencies to do whatever it takes to clear all these bandits and terrorists away. But we did not ask them to clear any Christian away, we say ‘terrorists’, clear them. That is what we have been saying but they don’t want to hear that we have said that. But we are saying it and saying it again: Clear all bandits and terrorists wherever they are and Nigeria will be happy with itself,” the Nigerian Muslim Leader said.
Concluding his remarks he said, “So, let’s come closer because the closer we are the more difficult it is for them to divide us and bring problem into us, Christians and Muslims, anywhere we are in the world. Nigeria is great country that nobody can destabilise, except we, Christians and Muslims, decide to be disunited. That is a fact. If our Christian brothers feel there is something wrong somewhere, they should approach us, we discuss, or show us where somebody’s right is encroached upon,” he said.
Representing President Bola Tinubu at the event, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, assured that his administration would not renege on its commitment to initiatives to support Nigerians as part of its broader economic recovery agenda.
President Tinubu listed several measures, including financial support schemes, job creation programmes, palliatives, and policies introduced by his administration to encourage innovation and creativity.
He also emphasised the need for economic diversification, particularly through improved access to quality and functional education that aligns with the modern, technology-driven global economy.
According to the president, with discipline and focus, Nigeria can chart a new course toward prosperity.
Encouraging Nigerians to rise above current frustrations and leverage the “vast oasis of opportunities” available within the economy, the president said Nigerians must become agents of transformational change rather than succumb to despair.
“We have introduced the National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), N-Power reforms and skill acquisition, NANO grants, Conditional Cash Transfer ranging from N50,000 to N1,000,000, the upward review of NYSC monthly allowance from N30,000 to N70,000, minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, food security measures, and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG),” he said.
The president commended MUSWEN for creating a platform to discuss how Muslims can navigate and benefit from the administration’s reforms.
“There is the need to open economic frontiers; we have decided to prioritize functional and qualitative education,” he said.
The keynote speaker and Nasarawa State Governor, Engr Abdullahi Sule, said the theme of the event, “Nigeria’s Economy: Any Hope for the Masses?”, aligns with the federal and state governments’ commitment to build a better country.
“President Bola Tinubu is bold and courageous to formulate sound economic policies, fiscal ingenuity, bold reforms implementation, strategic long-term plan, private sector partnership,” Sule said.
Listing the many innovative projects of his administration, including in developing a thriving economy around the state’s mining assets, Sule urged other state governments to build on their comparative advantages to deliver infrastructure, complete major projects and improve living standards. He said the increased revenue allocation to states makes it mandatory for state executives to improve the well being of their citizens.
“You can see the positive aspects of the renewed hope economic reforms from the prices of food items and inflation. Inflation went over 30 per cent but today, inflation is getting down to about 20 per cent and the target is to go through a one digit inflation figure.
“This is the direction that we are going. You will see the stabilisation of the FX and the price of petroleum products right now. All these are positive indicators that the reforms are working
“I want to urge the Muslim Ummah to continue to work together, care for eachother and do everything possible to support this government,” Sule said.
The MUSWEN General Assembly was attended dignitaries including the Governor of Nasarawa State, His Excellency Engr. Abdullahi Audu Sule, who was keynote address speaker at the event, with representatives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke, who announced that all religious marriages conducted in his state have now been given the back of the law, Sarki Fulani of Lagos, His Royal Highness Alhaji (Dr.) Mohammed Abubakar Bambado II, Sai Kilgori and Senior Counsellor Sultanate Council Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Jabi Kilgori, PhD, among several others including traditional and religious leaders.
