The Grand Chief Imam of Oyo Land, Sheikh (Barrister) Bilal Husayn Akinola Akeugberu, has reaffirmed the commitment of Muslims in Oyoland to follow the leadership of the Sultan of Sokoto on all Islamic-related matters.
His position was necessary in view of the splinter group’s recent pronouncement that Ramadan will commence in Yorubaland on February 18, this year.
He stated this as Muslims in Yoruba Land have remained resilient in the face of attempts by what they described as divisive elements seeking, for political reasons, to incite them against the leadership of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah.
He said:“The Ummah in Oyo Land will, by the will of Allah, follow the leadership of the Sultan in all Islamic-related matters.”
He added that this position is in line with Islamic teachings, stressing that it conforms with the Sunnah as contained in the Glorious Qur’an and the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Earlier, the Grand Chief Imam, who is also a legal practitioner and former Secretary General of the Amalgamated Muslim Rights Concern (AMURIC), announced that the commencement of Ramadan fasting in Oyoland would not be declared independently.
In the statement personally signed by him, Sheikh Akeugberu said Muslims in Oyo land would await the official declaration of moon sighting by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, before the start of the Ramadan fast.
“The general public is hereby notified to await the official announcement from His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, regarding the commencement of the Ramadan fasting,” the statement read.
Islamic leaders and scholars under the umbrella of the League of Imams and Alfas in Yorubaland had last week announced Wednesday, 18 February 2026, as the commencement date for this year’s Ramadan fast.
The declaration was made in a communique read to journalists by the Grand Mufti of Yorubaland, Sheikh AbdulRasaq AbdulAzeez Ishola, at the end of the league’s meeting held on Thursday in the Bodija area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
In the communique, the league stated that the decision to commence Ramadan on Wednesday, 18 February, is based on established astronomical calculations and authoritative Islamic jurisprudential resolutions.
It explained that the announcement aligns with the resolutions of the first session of the Unified Hijri Calendar Committee held in Istanbul, Turkiye, between November 27 and 30, 1978.
The league noted that this position was subsequently confirmed by the International Figh Council in its Resolution No. 18 during its third conference in 1986, as well as the outcomes of a scientific symposium on the Hijri calendar held in Paris in February 2012.
It cited resolutions of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy and outcomes of international conferences on lunar month determination and the unification of the Hijri calendar, attended by scholars of Sharia, jurists and Muslim astronomers from across the world.
According to the communique, precise astronomical calculations confirm that the conjunction (astronomical new moon) of Ramadan 1447 AH will occur at 1:01 p.m. Nigerian local time on Tuesday, 17 February 2026.
“On the same evening, the moon shall set after the sun throughout Nigeria, remaining above the horizon for about 12 minutes. With these conditions fulfilled, the crescent shall be visible, confirming Wednesday, 18 February 2026, as the first day of Ramadan, In shaʾ Allah,” the league declared.
It also clarified that “Wednesday, 18 March 2026, shall mark the 29th day of Ramadan,” with “no possibility of crescent sighting that evening.”
It added that as “the conjunction for Shawwāl will occur on Thursday, 19 March 2026, Ramadan this year shall be completed as 30 days.”
The league reaffirmed that astronomical calculations, alongside visual sighting and the completion of 30 days, remain valid Islamic methods for determining the beginning of Islamic months.
It emphasised that this methodology, adopted for nearly five decades, has fostered unity and religious harmony among Muslims in Southwestern Nigeria.
The league prayed for acceptance of fasting and worship, and for peace, unity and spiritual elevation for the Muslim Ummah throughout the blessed month.
