09/15/2026
PRESS RELEASE
Grand Chief Imam Advocates Vibrant Media Team for Rabitoh 1964, Calls for Clear and Unified Public Communication
Oyo, Monday, 14 September 2026
The Grand Chief Imam of Oyo Land, Sheikh Al-Imam Bilal Husayn Akinola Akeugberu, has recommended the establishment and strengthening of a vibrant, professional and well-coordinated media team for the Rabitoh 1964, headed by a seasoned and experienced media executive with demonstrable expertise in print, electronic and social media.
The recommendation is borne out of the need for the Rabitoh to have a strong and reliable communication structure capable of adequately projecting its vision, mission, principles and public positions while also preserving the blueprint and ideals intended by the founding fathers of the organisation.
According to the Grand Chief Imam, a professionally constituted media team would tremendously ease the burden on the principal coordinators of the Rabitoh, particularly the indefatigable Mudeer Markaz, whose views and official positions of the Rabitoh should be properly articulated, contextualised and communicated to the Ummah and the general public. Such a structure would ensure that statements emanating from the Rabitoh are not misunderstood, distorted or interpreted outside their intended context.
The Grand Chief Imam further stressed that the Rabitoh must be particularly careful to avoid being perceived as an organisation identified with a particular ideological sect, jurisprudential school or distinctive group within the Muslim Ummah. The Rabitoh, as a broad Islamic platform, should remain a unifying institution whose positions are guided by the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, while recognising legitimate differences of opinion in matters of Islamic jurisprudence.
This becomes especially important in matters such as the commencement and termination of Ramadan, sighting of the crescent moon, and the determination of whether to complete Sha‘ban with thirty days. These are matters of fiqh and affairs of the Ummah which require knowledge, wisdom, consultation and careful communication. Differences in such jurisprudential matters should not be allowed to create the impression that the Rabitoh belongs exclusively to one sect, creed, group or ideological tendency.
The Grand Chief Imam emphasised that Rabitoh 1964 is not a conclave association. Islam is an open religion, and institutions established to serve the Muslim Ummah should operate with openness, transparency, consultation and a clear sense of collective responsibility. Where the Rabitoh is expected to take a position on matters affecting the Ummah, adequate consultation should precede such decisions, and once a position is reached, it should be clearly communicated as the agreed standpoint of the organisation.
A vibrant media structure would therefore serve not merely as a publicity mechanism but as an essential institutional arm of the Rabitoh. It should be capable of engaging newspapers, radio, television, online platforms and social media, while also monitoring public narratives concerning the organisation and promptly correcting misinformation, misrepresentation or inaccurate attribution of positions to the Rabitoh.
The Grand Chief Imam believes that such a media team would strengthen the relationship between the Rabitoh and the wider Muslim Ummah in Yorubaland, promote greater understanding of its objectives and help preserve the unity and dignity of the Muslim community.
He therefore recommends that the leadership of the Rabitoh 1964 give serious consideration to the immediate constitution of a competent, vibrant and professionally led media team, headed by a seasoned media executive who understands the dynamics of contemporary communication across print, electronic and digital platforms and who can faithfully translate the decisions and positions of the organisation into clear, responsible and authoritative public communication.
The ultimate objective, according to the Grand Chief Imam, should be to ensure that the Rabitoh speaks with one clear, responsible and authoritative voice, without compromising the legitimate diversity of jurisprudential opinions within the Muslim Ummah.
The recommendation was released to the newsmen by the Director of Media and Publicity to the Grand Chief Imam of Oyo Land, Mallam Ibrahim Agunbiade, on behalf of the Grand Chief Imam.
Signed:
Mallam Ibrahim Agunbiade
Director of Media and Publicity
Office of the Grand Chief Imam of Oyo Land
Monday, 14 September 2026
