The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has unveiled the newly appointed five additional resident and visiting Imams for National Mosque in Abuja.
The new Imams are Prof Ilyasu Tochukwu Usman (visiting Imam, from Enugu State); Prof. Luqman Zakariyah (Resident Imam, from Osun State); Sheikh Abdulkadir Salman PhD (Visiting Imam, from Kwara State); Barr. Haroun Muhammed Eze (Resident Imam, from Enugu State) and Prof. Khalid Aliyu Abubakar (Visiting Imam, from Plateau State).
Unveiling the Imams at a media briefing at the boardroom of the Abuja National Mosque on Tuesday, Secretary-General of NSCIA, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said the appointment of the five new Imams for the National Mosque was part of the measures to strengthen the religious affairs unit of the Mosque and to further harness its vast potential as a center of worship, training, learning and scholarship.
He said NSCIA, under the leadership of its President General, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alh. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, since the establishment of the National Mosque in 1984, has been appointing, in succession, qualified Muslims who are worthy in character and scholarship to oversee the spiritual activities of the faithful and the five new additional Imams were eminently qualified to be Imams of the National Mosque having been endorsed and cleared by the National Fatwa Committee.
“It is incontrovertible that this auspicious occasion is a milestone not only in the annals of the Abuja National Mosque but also in the life of the entire Muslim Ummah of Nigeria, on whose behalf the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) holds the Mosque in trust.
“You will recall that during a similar press conference held on Thursday, 16th November 2017, where the changes in the administrative and management of the Abuja National Mosque with the appointment of Prof Shehu Ahmad Sa’id Galadanci as the Murshid was announced, I informed you of the intention of the Council to appoint more Imams, particularly from the South-South/South-East geopolitical zone. Today’s press conference, therefore, is a further fulfilment of that promise.
“The NSCIA, since the establishment of the National Mosque in 1984, has been appointing, in succession, qualified Muslims who are worthy in character and scholarship to oversee the spiritual activities of the faithful. The establishment of the Abuja National Mosque Management Board (ANMMB) is a further step to create a structure for the management of the National Mosque on behalf of the NSCIA.
“As part of the measures to strengthen the religious affairs unit of the National Mosque and to further harness its vast potential as a center of worship, training, learning and scholarship, the Council has completed the process of appointing five additional residents and visiting Imams for the Mosque.
“The five volunteers have been considered by the General Purpose Committee (GPC) of the NSCIA and subsequently recommended for the endorsement of the Expanded General Purpose Committee (EGPC). The EGPC, at its meeting held on Sunday, 1st December 2024 endorsed, on behalf of the General Assembly, their appointments, subject to the endorsement of the National Fatwa Committee which has also cleared the five Imams as qualified to be Imams of the National Mosque,” Prof. Oloyede said.
Though, Prof. Oloyede insisted that more additional Imams will be appointed to oversee the spiritual activities of the National Mosque, the unveiling of the five new additional residents and visiting Imams make the total number of Imams at the National Mosque eight.
LEADERSHIP reports that the three Imams prior to the appointment of the five new ones are Prof. Ibrahim Makari (visiting Imam); Prof. Muhammad Kabir (visiting Imam) and Sheikh Ahmad Onilewura.