Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State will on Thursday, February 5, 2026, join two of Nigeria’s most revered traditional and religious leaders, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III, and His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, to officially inaugurate the Minaret University, Ikirun, a newly licensed faith-based institution of higher learning in Osun State.
The ceremony, according to a statement obtained in Osogbo on Wednesday from Dr. Kazeem Akinreti, the media lead for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat of Nigeria, will not only mark the investiture of the university’s pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abdul Rahman Abdullah, but also signal the commencement of the institution’s academic session.
In the statement, Akinreti confirmed that the event, set to take place at the temporary site of Minaret University in Ikirun, will see Governor Adeleke, the Sultan and the Ooni jointly preside over the festivities.
He said, “The official inauguration ceremony of Minaret University, Ikirun, and the Investiture of the Pioneer Vice-Chancellor is slated for the 5th of February…The Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, the Sultan of Sokoto … and the Ooni of Ife…are scheduled to inaugurate the commencement of academic session and investiture of the pioneer Vice Chancellor for The Minaret University Ikirun, Osun state South West Nigeria.”
Akinreti added that Barrister Alatoye Azeez Folorunso, the Amir of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat of Nigeria and Chancellor of Minaret University, will formally introduce Professor Abdullah to the academic and host communities in Ikirun.
Minaret University is among several private universities granted licences by the Federal Government in 2025, underscoring the expansion of tertiary education options in Osun and across Nigeria. Its establishment contributes to the growing number of faith-based and privately run institutions in the Southwest region, offering new opportunities for students seeking alternatives to conventional public universities.
The university also plans to launch its first major academic publication at the event, a book titled The Super Powers – Geopolitics of World War and The Pathway to Peace, authored by Hafiz Yunus Omotayo, a missionary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat of Nigeria and a journalist. The publication, according to organisers, reflects the institution’s scholarly ambitions and commitment to contributing to global discourse on peace and development.
Officials and stakeholders believe the inauguration of Minaret University will bolster educational infrastructure and community development in Ikirun and its environs, while reinforcing the role of private initiatives, especially those grounded in religious and ethical values, in Nigeria’s broader academic landscape.
Governor Adeleke’s participation, alongside the Sultan and the Ooni, has been widely interpreted as a symbol of interfaith cooperation and unity, bringing together Islamic and traditional leadership in support of educational progress.
As the countdown to Thursday’s event continues, community leaders, faith groups and families in Osun are expected to converge in Ikirun to witness a milestone in the state’s educational history, one they hope will usher in both academic excellence and social harmony for generations to come.
