THE Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has unveiled five new imams for the National Mosque, Abuja.
The new imams are Professor Ilyasu Tochukwu Usman (visiting Imam, Enugu State), Professor Luqman Zakariyah (resident Imam, Osun State), Sheikh Abdulkadir Salman (visiting Imam, Kwara State), Mr Haroun Muhammed Eze (resident Imam, Enugu State), and Professor Khalid Aliyu Abubakar (visiting Imam, Plateau State).
Speaking at the unveiling of the imams at the boardroom of the National Mosque in Abuja on Tuesday, the Secretary General of the NSCIA, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, said the appointment of the imams was part of measures to strengthen the mosque and further harness its potential as a centre of worship, training, learning and scholarship.
Professor Oloyede said 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.
He added that the appointees were qualified to be imams of the national mosque, having been endorsed and cleared by the National Fatwa Committee.
Oloyede said: “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 Professor Shehu Ahmad Sa’id Galadanci as the Murshid were announced, I informed you of the intention of the council to appoint more imams, particularly from the South-South and South-East geopolitical zones. Today’s press conference, therefore, is a further fulfillment 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, 1 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.”
He revealed that more imams would be appointed to oversee the activities of the National Mosque.
The new appointments bring the total number of imams at the National Mosque to eight.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, one of the imams, Professor Luqman Zakariyah, said the appointees had a duty to guide Muslims in particular and Nigerians in general to the right path as stated by the Holy Qur’an.
Prior to the new appointments, Professor Ibrahim Makari (visiting Imam), Professor Muhammad Kabir (visiting Imam) and Sheikh Ahmad Onilewura had been the imams of the National Mosque.
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