By Mikail Mumuni
Since His assumption of office as President of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) in November 2020, Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo has been a pivotal figure in promoting inclusivity and tolerance within and beyond the Muslim community in Nigeria.
A development economist and Head of Research and Information Technology at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) from 1989 until his retirement as Deputy Director-General in 2003, Oladejo is also the Deputy President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).
His leadership emphasizes unity, education, and peaceful coexistence, aligning with MUSWEN’s mission as the umbrella body for Muslims in Nigeria’s South-West states of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo.
The MUSWEN President has championed initiatives that foster inclusivity across diverse groups. Under his leadership, the organisation has awarded bursaries to many beneficiaries, prioritizing education as a tool to combat poverty and enhance opportunities for Muslim youth, particularly women. He is of the firm conviction that “Education is the master key to overcoming poverty,” highlighting its role in fostering inclusivity through skill development and job placement programs.
MUSWEN, under Oladejo, has equally embraced all Islamic organizations, NGOs, traditional leaders, intellectuals, professionals, women, and youth in the South West , ensuring broad representation. This approach strengthens the organization’s ability to serve diverse community needs and fosters unity across ethnic and sub-sectional lines.
As Deputy President of the NSCIA, Oladejo operates within a framework that engages with national interfaith issues, as the NSCIA often collaborates with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other religious bodies under the auspices of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) to address societal challenges.
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He encourages active participation in politics by Muslims to ensure that
their voices are heard in governance. In doing that, Oladejo emphasises competence as well as fairness and justice to all, irrespective of obvious and not so obvious differences.
All these resonated during the last electioneering period in Nigeria when he and other MUSWEN leaders endorsed
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who was then running for the Presidency.
Although MUSWEN is of the view that President Tinubu has not adequately reciprocated the support he got from Muslims in the South West by neglecting to give them commensurate government appointments compared to their Christian counterparts within the geo-political zone , Oladejo and his lieutenants in the organization have avoided deploying inflammatory sectarian rhetoric, thus setting a good example that places national unity over other considerations.
Oladejo’s tenure has been marked by efforts to promote peace and mutual understanding. In response to divisive tendencies along political or ethnic lines, MUSWEN, under Oladejo, has maintained that the unity and stability of the Nigerian nation is “sacrosanct and not negotiable.”
This stance was evident in his statements following Nigeria’s #Endsars protests, during which he urged peaceful dialogue and patience with government reforms. In 2024 also, Oladejo further called on Nigerians to exercise patience amid economic challenges, framing it as a divine injunction and encouraged affluent citizens to support the less privileged. These appeals promoted social cohesion and mutual support across socio- economic divides.
In his 2020 acceptance speech, he expressed gratitude to predecessors like Professor Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa and Justice Tijani Bolarinwa Babalakin, projecting a legacy of principled leadership.
Oladejo outlined a vision for MUSWEN as a unifying force, leveraging his experience as a former President of the Nawair-Ud-Deen Society, NSCIA Finance Committee Chairman and former top functionary of the NSE to drive administrative and intellectual rigor.
As Alhaji Oladejo continues to steer the ship as President of MUSWEN and Deputy President General South of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), one cannot but commend his sterling qualities in the service of God, humanity and the nation.
*Mumuni, a Journalist and Historian wrote from Lagos