From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has announced the appointment and confirmation of five Imams for the National Mosque, Abuja.
The are; Prof. Ilyasu Usman, Prof. Luqman Zakariyah, Sheikh Abdulkadir Salman, PhD, Barr Haroun Muhammad Eze, and Prof. Khalid Aliyu Abubakar.
Two of the newly appointed Imams, Prof. Ilyasu Usman and Barr Haroun Muhammad Eze, are Igbo Muslims who, according to the NSCIA, were found worthy of the responsibility, hence the appointment and confirmation by the Council.
At the public presentation of the new Imams in Abuja, on Tuesday, the Secretary-General of the NSCIA, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, explained that the new Imams would assist the existing ones in strengthening the religious affairs unit of the National Mosque.
“In addition to that, they would further harness the vast potential of the National Mosque as a centre for worship, training, learning and scholarship,” he added.
Prof. Oloyede said the Council has completed the process of appointing the five additional Imams, and two of them, Prof. Luqman Zakariyah and Barr Haroun Muhammad Eze, would serve as resident Imams, while others would serve as visiting Imams.
He confirmed that the newly appointed Imams 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).
He added: “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.”
He appreciates the President-General of the Council, His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, the GPC, the EGPC, the ANMMB, the National Fatwa Committee and all members of the Muslim Ummah who have played active roles in supporting our smooth sail to the shore of today’s success.
He prayed that the Almighty Allah continue to imbue the newly appointed Imams with wisdom, knowledge and forthrightness to lead the teeming worshippers aright, and may He continue to guide and guard the Ummah to the path of progress.
Speaking on behalf of the newly appointed Imams, Prof. Khalid Aliyu Abubakar, appreciated the confidence and trust bestowed on them to lead the Muslim Ummah in that capacity, assuring that they would put in their best to better the physical and spiritual welfare of the Muslim community in Abuja and beyond.