MUSWEN targets N2 billion to empower Muslims, boost education, healthcare —Siyanbade, 10th General Assembly planning committee chair

Alhaji Murisiku Abidemi Siyanbade is the chairman of the central planning committee for the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) General Assembly 2025. In this interview by SAHEED SALAWU, he speaks on the activities of the apex regional faith organisation, the significance of its forthcoming General Assembly, among other issues.

Tell us about MUSWEN and what the organisation stands for.

The Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria, MUSWEN, comprises Muslim communities and Muslim councils in the six states of the South West geopolitical zone: Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo. ‘Ummah’ is an Arabic word for community. In addition to the states’ Muslim councils and communities, all Muslim organisations domiciled in the South West are also co-owners. They are corporate members of MUSWEN.

I’m talking about the likes of Ansar-Ud-Deen, NASFAT, Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO), Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Al-Fatih-ul-Quareeb, Anwar-ul-Islam and over a hundred other organisations. MUSWEN is the umbrella body for all these organisations, communities and Muslims in general in the South West. It takes care of the interests of Islam and Muslims in the geopolitical zone.

Our current president is Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo. He also serves as the Deputy President General (South) of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. The organisation’s activities revolve around what benefits humanity; whatever it does for Muslims eventually cascades to others.

What kinds of social interventions has the organisation carried out?

When we started in 2008, the first thing we launched was scholarships for female clinical medical students. We discovered a dearth of Muslim female doctors to take care of our teeming women, so we needed to encourage our young women.

We owe great gratitude to His Eminence, Dr Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. He was the guest of honour at MUSWEN’s inauguration in 2008. There and then, he promised to sponsor three female clinical medical students every year, and he has kept that promise. MUSWEN leaders complemented his effort by sponsoring three additional students, making six all together, one from each of the six South West states.

After that, we introduced bursary awards. But we want to go further; we want our impact to be more deeply felt. For example, at the next General Assembly, which will be hosted by the chairman of our Board of Trustees, Dr Wale Babalakin, SAN, at the Bola Babalakin Conference Hall in Gbongan, Osun State, we intend to seek financial assistance from good-hearted Nigerian Muslims. The guest of honour at the event will be His Eminence, Dr Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar.

Our intention is to seek support for our 2026 N2 billion project. First, we want to empower Muslims. We plan to spend N50 million per state for economic empowerment; N300 million across the six states. This will benefit all the Muslim communities, councils and organisations I mentioned earlier. And the impact won’t stop with the direct beneficiaries; it will extend to their spouses, children and extended families. Muslims make up over 60 per cent of the population in the South West. By doing this, we are helping the national economy.

Second, we want to lay more emphasis on zakat. Almighty Allah has prescribed zakat as a means of redistributing wealth between the haves and the have-nots. We are reinvigorating our zakat committee to develop more robust policies that will help Nigerians, especially in the South West, live better lives. Some people have N10 million; others don’t even have N5,000. Allah has guided us on how to address such disparities.

MUSWEN also needs a better image. The organisation does not own a single vehicle. If we want to visit a governor, for instance, we have to hire vehicles. This does not confer the honour due to us. So, this year, insha Allah, we intend to purchase a brand-new Hiace bus and a Toyota Granvia. The president and other leaders will travel in the Granvia; others will be in the bus. We also plan to purchase a brand-new Prado for our Executive Secretary. It does not reflect well on an apex Muslim organisation in the South West if our Executive Secretary arrives at events in a dilapidated vehicle. These are part of what we intend to present to the public.

In education, apart from scholarships and bursaries, we aim to train our children in each state in Artificial Intelligence, robotics, data informatics and information science, skills that make them marketable globally. We want to raise quality Muslim children who can compete anywhere in the world. Our education committee is working seriously on this.

In health, we have plans to establish healthcare facilities in each of the six states, equipped with world-class diagnostic and state-of-the-art equipment that can attract people from far and near. These facilities will serve the dual purpose of improving public health and generating revenue for MUSWEN, so we don’t always have to seek donations.

We have many standing committees developing great ideas. If we are able to achieve all of this, we will grow; Islam will grow; Muslims will grow; and humanity will benefit. This is our way of supporting the government’s economic development efforts.

Additionally, on Sunday, insha Allah, we will commission a shopping mall at Agbeni in Ibadan, donated by one of our BoT members, Professor Yusuf Olaolu Ali, SAN. It is named after his mother, Alhaja Aishat Ali. It will generate modest revenue.

We also have a parcel of land at Agodi GRA, allocated to us by the administration of the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi. We intend to build our secretariat there and move from our Iwo Road office, which we’ll convert into a commercial complex for income generation. Dr Abdur-Rauf Wale Babalakin donated a bungalow to us in Federal Housing Authority, Lugbe, Abuja. We plan to develop that property as well.

We are appealing to well-meaning Nigerian Muslims to support us because we truly want to make a difference this time. MUSWEN is known, but not as well as it should be. Our activities will increase awareness. Once we take these steps, we can attract international funding and more people will benefit.

The General Assembly is scheduled, insha Allah, for Sunday, 16th November 2025, at Bola Babalakin Conference Hall, Gbongan. The programme will run from 10am to 2pm, insha Allah. We appeal to the public to see MUSWEN as their collective project, one that must grow. We’re aiming to raise N2 billion at the event, and with public support, we can exceed that goal. People are willing to trade with Allah. They know that whatever they spend in His cause will be repaid abundantly, both here and in the Hereafter.

Apart from the fundraiser, what other aspects of the General Assembly should participants look forward to?

The General Assembly is essentially a delegates’ conference. We allocate delegates to each state and organisation. It’s held in two parts: the general conference (opening session) and the business session.

Previously, we began with a formal opening at 11 am, followed by the business session. However, the formal opening often ran long, leaving little time for critical business. Yet the formal opening is important; it’s when dignitaries, including His Eminence, governors and philanthropists, are present. It’s also the primary fundraising window.

So, this year, we’re restructuring. The programme will start at 10am with the business session. Let’s first attend to MUSWEN’s internal matters: committee reports, the secretariat’s report, the president’s address and ratifications. Once that’s done, we can welcome our guests. The plan is for the business session to run from 10am to 12pm, followed by the formal opening. We believe this new format will help us achieve more, insha Allah.

The General Assembly is MUSWEN’s highest organ. It ratifies all decisions approved or recommended by subordinate bodies such as the Central Working Committee and General Purpose Committee.

Is there a strategy behind choosing Gbongan, Osun State, as the venue this year?

Yes. The General Assembly is an annual event. For years, it was always held in Ibadan. Three years ago, we decided to allow other states to host. Lagos was the first. Two years ago, it hosted. Last year, MUSWEN headquarters in Ibadan hosted. This year, Osun is hosting.

The idea is: if a state hosts in a given year, MUSWEN headquarters will host the following year and then another state the year after that. After this year’s event, we will decide which state will host next. Each host state is given two years to plan. When MUSWEN is the host, the event is in Ibadan. When Oyo State hosts, it could be in Oyo town or Ogbomoso.

As the chairman of the central planning committee, how do you combine your day-to-day activities with the committee’s work?

They say if you have a very important job, give it to a busy person. He already knows how to multitask. It’s an ad hoc committee for the General Assembly. I am also the chairman of a standing committee in MUSWEN, namely the Property Development Committee. So, it’s people who are willing to work that end up working. It’s all about time management, and with the support of Almighty Allah, we’ll succeed.

What message do you have for the participants ahead of the General Assembly?

There are some people who are blessed in this country and who are willing to support the cause of Allah. They know themselves. We may not be able to identify them; money does not make noise. These people are willing to trade with God.

My first message is that the headquarters of MUSWEN is at Number 46, Iwo Road, Ibadan. It is located beside First Bank. After Abdul-Azeez Arisekola Mosque, there is First Bank, and the next building is MUSWEN. People should come to us willingly, identify with us and let us know that they want to support the cause of Islam.

I also want to appeal to those we shall be reaching out to: they should not look at us as just MUSWEN; they should see us as servants of Allah who have come to encourage them to support His cause. And we all know that when you trade with Allah, He blesses you many times over.

They should even go a step further by mobilising others who can help us, so that every household will know that MUSWEN exists. People should please support us; support Islam, support the work of Allah.

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