Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, the Sultan of Sokoto and President of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, as well as the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, have commended the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for its contributions to education in Nigeria and globally.
They gave the commendation at the inauguration and commencement of the academic session of the first Muslim private university of the Islamic organisation, Minaret University in Ikirun, Osun State, South West Nigeria.
Minaret University is a faith-based private tertiary institution owned by the global Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
The Islamic organisation was the first to establish an Islamic primary school in Lagos in 1922 and has since built over one hundred schools across various levels of education in Nigeria. It has also established hospitals, clinics and vocational centres to support human development.
Minaret University is among the new private universities granted licences by the Federal Government on April 31, 2025, with nine academic departments approved to commence operations.
In his address, Governor Adeleke expressed optimism about the successful take-off of the university, noting that it would further enhance educational development in Osun State.
Adeleke congratulated the founders of the university and pledged the support of his administration to its growth, saying, “Minaret will surely contribute its quota to the educational development of Osun State and Nigeria.
“The message for today’s event is that Osun people are intellectually advanced and cannot be subjugated, constrained, or humiliated from enjoying their constitutional rights as one of the most literate states in the country. The devotion of our people to education counts towards the Southwest being the most literate section of the federation.
“As a governor, I hold tenaciously to spreading educational opportunities; hence, we got the University of Ilesa on a sound footing. I expanded the legacies of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the Osun State University, I strengthened the management of our polytechnics and colleges of education and deepened my partnership with private universities in the state.”
Laudable Achievement
Speaking at the occasion, the Ooni of Ife, who was represented by Dr. Kemade Elugbaju praised the efforts of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat of Nigeria for achieving the laudable feat.
He expressed his unwavering commitment to supporting the growth of the institution in every capacity, and offered a heartfelt prayer for its excellence, wishing it a distinguished place among esteemed institutions of learning.
The pioneer Vice Chancellor, Prof Abdur-Rahman Oladele Abdullah also appreciated the founding members for the feat spoke about the mission of the institution.
“Minaret University is a beacon of hope for academic excellence, academic freedom, autonomy, probity, tolerance and equal opportunities. It offers respect for cultural diversity and innovation. Our mission is to become a world class tertiary institution for the intellectual and manpower development of human resource for sustainable socio-economic development regionally, nationally and internationally.”
Abdur-Rahman used the medium to urge the support of well-meaning Nigerians for sponsorship of intellectual programmes and provision of scholarships to the students of the university.