By Mariyah Adamu, Abuja
Management of Abuja National Mosque, as part of measures to strengthen its Religious Affairs Unit and to further harness vast potential as a centre for worship, training, learning and scholarship, yesterday unveiled five additional resident and visiting Imams for the mosque.
Secretary-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made this known at a news conference in Abuja.
Oloyede, said, “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, Dec. 1, endorsed, on behalf of the General Assembly, their appointments, subject to the endorsement of the National Fatwa Committee which has also cleared the five imam as qualified to be Imams of the mosque”.
According to him, the newly appointed Imams are: Prof. Ilyasu Usman ,visiting, Prof. Luqman Zakariyah ,resident, Sheikh Abdulkadir Salman ,visiting, Malam Haroun Eze ,resident, and Prof. Khalid Abubakar ,visiting.
Appointment of the five he pointed out is as a milestone not only in the annals of the mosque but equally in the life of the entire Muslims in Nigeria.
The Secretary-General said “You would recall that during a similar news conference held on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, where the changes in the administrative and management of the Mosque was done with the appointment of Prof. Shehu Galadanci, as the Murshid”.
“I informed you of the intention of the NSCIA to appoint more imams, particularly from the South-South and South East Geopolitical zones”.
Therefore, “Today’s news conference, is a further fulfilment of that promise”, he noted
Oloyede, recalled that NSCIA, since the establishment of the National Mosque in 1984, has been appointing, in succession, qualified Muslims worthy in character and scholarship to oversee the spiritual activities of the faithful.
Establishment of the Abuja National Mosque Management Board, ANMMB, was a further step to create a structure for the management of the mosque on behalf of the NSCIA.
Besides, Oloyede, commended the President-General of NSCIA and the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III as well as members of the muslim community who have played active roles in supporting roles.
In this vein, “I pray that the Almighty Allah will continue to imbue our Imams with wisdom, knowledge and forthrightness to lead our teeming worshippers aright.
“May He continue to guide and guard the Ummah ,Muslim community, to the path of progress”, Oloyede prayed.
AljazirahNigeria reports that management of Abuja National Mosque recently appointed Professor Iliyasu Usman, as its first imam from Igboland.
Usman, who is the first Professor of Arabic in Igboland, as at the time of his appointment joined the ranks three existing Imams of the Mosque.
