The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has announced the appointment of five new imams for the National Mosque in Abuja, marking a significant milestone in the institutionโs efforts to strengthen inclusivity and expand its religious affairs.
The appointments, unveiled on Tuesday by NSCIA Secretary-General, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, include both resident and visiting imams from diverse geopolitical zones across Nigeria.
The newly appointed imams are:
Ilyasu Usman (visiting, Enugu State)
Luqman Zakariyah (resident, Osun State)
Khalid Abubakar (visiting, Plateau State)
Haroun Muhammad Eze (resident, Enugu State)
Abdulkadir Salman (visiting, Kwara State)
Oloyede emphasized the significance of these appointments, particularly the inclusion of two Igbo Muslims, Haroun Muhammad Eze and Ilyasu Usman, from the South-East region.
This development is seen as a deliberate effort by the council to foster greater representation and unity across Nigeriaโs diverse Muslim community.
โThis appointment is a milestone as it fulfills our commitment to inclusivity, particularly bringing representation from the South-East and South-West geopolitical zones,โ Oloyede said.
The selection process was rigorous, involving the General Purpose Committee (GPC) and the Expanded General Purpose Committee (EGPC) of the NSCIA.
The appointments were finalized after the National Fatwa Committee endorsed the candidates as qualified imams for the National Mosque.
This announcement follows a similar reorganization of the mosqueโs administration in 2017, when Professor Shehu Galadanci was appointed as the Murshid (administrator and chief imam) of the mosque.
โThe National Mosque continues to serve as a center for worship, learning, and scholarship.
These appointments aim to further harness its vast potential and strengthen its role as a unifying religious institution,โ Oloyede added.
The inclusion of imams from southern Nigeria, particularly Igbo Muslims, has been hailed as a positive step toward bridging regional and ethnic divides within the countryโs Muslim community.