By Jamiu Ganiyu
Adeleke University has described the accusation by the Nigeria-based organization, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), alleging that the institution serially violates the fundamental human rights of Muslims students as baseless and unfounded.
The University which spoke through Prof. Bukola Oyawoye, the school’s dean of faculty of Sciences, while reacting to the press statement issued by the organisation, said rather than condemning the Adeleke University, MURIC and all lovers of peace in Nigeria should be commending the school for their respect and highest tolerant level for all religion without any discrimination whatsoever.
Prof. Oyawoye said, Adeleke University is a faith-based University like Redeemers, Covenant, Ajayi Crowder, and all others who fall in that category but yet, Adeleke University respects and give all the needed support for their students to practice their religion without any intimidation whatsoever.
The University Don gave insight into how Muslims students of the University are being treated, before, during and after Ramadan, Muslim students observes their prayer at the right time and during Ramadan, the University gives Sahr between 4 am and 5 am, provide fruits and also dinner for them to break their fast, we provide Bus to take them to Mosque during Jumat prayers on Fridays”.
“As part of the University rules, once you are here, all students including the staff are to attend the chapel, the chapel does not change your religion, if the school want to change their religion, the University convey muslim students to Jumat service every Friday.”
“MURIC knows right from the beginning that Muslims can seek knowledge anywhere and they know when they say something is faith-based”
“The daughter of the late Islamic leader, who was the leader of the league of Imams for the South West which also includes Edo and Delta states, Sheihk Ajisafe, Kabirat Ajisafe, graduated from our Department of Microbiology. When the Chief Imam died and there was no support for her daughter to continue, the child enjoyed scholarship of the founder, Deji Adeleke, for three years after the school wrote to him on sympathetic ground, MURIC can speak with her, she was very grateful to Adeleke University and that does not change her religion”
“The founder, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, has put a lot of Muslims students on scholarship and still allows them to go to Mosque, MURIC can probably advise those who do not want to be part of the chapel session not to come to Adeleke University”
“The President of the graduating class, Ridwan Rotinwa, an accounting student, is the President of all of our graduating students, if we discriminate against Muslims, we would not make him the President of the graduating Class”
For further clarification, osun.life correspondent visited the website of the University, https://adelekeuniversity.edu.ng, the first sentence of the website reads “Adeleke University is a private faith-based learning institution located in a serene and nature friendly atmosphere of 520 acres of land in the historic town of Ede, Osun State, South-Western part of Nigeria”.
MURIC, a human rights organization which promotes, protects and projects the rights of Muslims, had in their press statement issued on Monday 17th June accused Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, of persecuting Muslim students in the institution.
According to the group, the private tertiary institution is serially violating the fundamental human rights of Muslim students in the institution and called on National Universities Commission (NUC) to take a look at the students’ handbook of this institution, especially pages 7, 49, 50, 56 and 60. These pages, was said to contain rules that infringe on the religious freedom of Muslim students.
And that as a regulating body, the group said NUC has a duty to intervene in the matter as part of its oversight function on Nigeria’s universities.
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