The Oodua People Congress (OPC) has put forth a suggestion to the Federal Government regarding the Kwara State capital, Ilorin. The OPC proposes that if Muslims are unwilling to embrace people of other faiths, the state capital should be relocated to a neutral area far removed from its current location. This proposition comes amidst tensions between Isese adherents and Muslim clerics in Ilorin.
Comrade Bayo Fabiyi, the state coordinator of OPC’s New Era in Kwara State, conveyed this recommendation in a statement on Sunday. He highlighted that numerous regions within the state, including Kwara South, North, and some parts of the northern areas, accommodate the practice of Isese traditional religion alongside other faiths, including Islam, without conflict.
“There are Muslims in other places cohabiting with their Isese and other religious brothers without crises or disturbances.
“Therefore, if Ilorin is the only place where Isese becomes a challenge, the status of Ilorin as a state capital should be changed while the ancient town can be allowed to remain purely an Islamic place because of all the towns in Kwara, only Ilorin is where Islamic extremism thrives.”
Fabiyi emphasized that he encourages the Isese community not to engage in any confrontation with Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the Emir of Ilorin, recognizing his role as a unifying figure. However, he also called on Muslim clerics to adhere to the Islamic principle of “deenukum waliya deen,” allowing the Isese practitioners to peacefully exercise their religion without interference.
He criticized certain Muslim fundamentalists for targeting the Isese groups while overlooking more significant issues such as cultism and overall insecurity, highlighting their selective focus on those practicing their faith harmoniously.
Fabiyi reiterated that the insecurity in Kwara is aggravated by the acceptance of displaced Fulani individuals from Igangan in Oyo State into Ilorin. He expressed regret that his prior warnings about the potential dangers of allowing this influx to occur went unheeded.
The OPC coordinator stressed that addressing insecurity in Kwara requires proactive measures, including expelling intruding herdsmen allegedly involved in kidnappings from the state, in order to safeguard peace and stability.
