The president delivered the message at the 10th General Assembly of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) held at the Bola Babalakin Auditorium in Gbongan, Osun State.

President Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, 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 ₦50,000 to ₦1,000,000, the upward review of NYSC monthly allowance from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000, minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000, 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.

Tinubu also urged Nigerians to view security as a shared responsibility, noting that improved safety is essential for attracting foreign investment and delivering good governance

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, urged Nigerians to be united and not allow themselves to be divided by external forces.

The Sultan who condemned the killings by terrorists and bandits across the country, called on security agencies to deal decisively with criminals irrespective of their religion or tribe.

The Sultan said: “There have been a lot of talks about Genocide, but I’ve said it and I keep saying it, I’ve ever seen it or heard of a Christian denied his right to worship.

“We are living in harmony and we are not going to allow anybody to come and break us. We should not judge anyone. What we can do is to try to be the best we can be.

“Those killing people are not Muslims but criminals and I want to urge the security operatives to apprehend and deal decisively with criminals irrespective of their religion or tribe.”

The Sultan, who urged Nigerians to pray for President Tinubu and other leaders to successfully discharge thier responsibilities, also congratulated MUSWEN on the occasion and for being an umbrella body promoting unity and dialogue among muslims in the southwest and urged other zones to emulate them.

The Keynote speaker and Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer 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 each other and do everything possible to support this government,” Sule said.

Governor of Osun State and host of the programme, Senator Ademola Adeleke, represented by the Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Kolapo Alimi, encouraged Nigerians to promote peace and religious harmony.

He appealed to clerics to avoid preaching violence or extremism and instead pray for political leaders to succeed. He also called on sincerity agencies to be proactive, saying activities of terrorists in Kwara State was a source of worry to this government.

Alimi also announced that all religious marriages conducted in Osun state have now been given the back of the law.

Chairman of the MUSWEN Board of Trustees, Dr. Bolanle Olawale Babalakin, urged Muslims to uphold integrity and invest in education. According to Babalakin, the government would need to invest about 50 per cent of its annual budget in education over the next 20 years for it to raise youth able to meet 21st-century job market needs.

The President of MUSWEN, Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, said President Tinubu’s administration should be commended for its efforts at poverty reduction and improvement in primary healthcare delivery.

He, however, urged the federal government to spend more on roads, railways and housing.

He said, “Tinubu Administration has stabilized the Nigerian economy with the implementation of his bold but painful economic reforms which have attracted global investors. These include the removal of fuel subsidies, merging of the multiple exchange rates windows intoa single market rate and implementation of new measures by the Monetary Authorities to strengthen corporate governance and stabilze the Naira.

“On a good note the Federal Government should be commended for its efforts at poverty reduction and improvement in primary healthcare delivery. Pensions for direct benefitrecipients have been increased while the number on the National Health Insurance Program has increased dramatically to 60 million people. However, government still needs to spend more on roads, railways and housing.”

Oladejo also named Professor Wole Abass as the new Executive Secretary of MUSWEN, following the completion of Professor Muslih Yahya’s six-year tenure.

“The 11th General Assembly will be organized by MUSWEN headquarters and held in Ibadan next year,”Oladejo said.

During the event, 12 medical students across the six Southwest states were awarded scholarships under the Sultan Abubakar Female Medical Students Scholarship Scheme.

The MUSWEN president said the organisation plans to increase the Bursary Awards to 120 deserving students from the region in 2016, adding that the goal is to increase the figure to 600 annually.

Cheques for this year’s scholarship awards and the laptops were distributed by the Sultan, who was Special Guest of Honour at the event. He was assisted by 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.

Roll call

Among those dignitaries that were present at the evernt were, Imam Abdurrahman Ahmad, chief Missioner of Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Imam Sulaiman Adamgba, Barrister Mubashir Ojelade, Former President of Anwar-ul-Islam Movement of Nigeria, Prof Abdullahi Yagboyaju, President, Muslim Association of Nigeria, MAN; Sulaimon Biyi Oladapo; Imam University of Ibadan, Prof Oloyede Abdurrahman; Alhaji Ishaq Kunle Sani, Chairman Muslim Community of Oyo State; Alhaji Tajudeen Ishola Dario; HRH Olofa of Ede, Oba Nurudeen Adesola Lawal; Imam Kamorudden Bitinlaye; Prof Latifah Durosinmi; Alhaji Kamaldeen Akintunde, Secretary, Ogun State Muslim Council, Prof Mujahid Adenakan; Sheikh AbdulMaroof Onike; Bunamin Alalaye Banire; Sheikh Barr Zikrullah Hassan, Former Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria; Prof Olayinkan Raji; Alhaji Bashir Aweda; Prof Ishaq Akintola. Dr MA Akinreti; Dr Shakirudeen Olowoyo; Dr Abdul Rafiu; Prof Adebayo, Provost, Fed College of Education, Iwo, AbdulFatai Kolawole; Alhaji Abdurrahman Balogun, President MMPN, Dr Abdul Kabir Alabi Garba, Editor Weekend Guardian and Chairman, MMPNLagos among other Muslim leaders across the six states of the south west.