The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) under the leadership of its President-General, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad III, has confirmed the appointment of 5 additional resident and visiting Imams for the National Mosque, Abuja, the nation’s capital.
At a press conference held on Tuesday, December 10, at the NSCIA Boardroom, National Mosque Complex, Abuja, the Secretary-General of NSCIA, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, said the appointment is part of the measures to strengthen the Religious Affairs Unit of the National Mosque and to further harness its vast potential as a center for worship, training, learning and scholarship.
Muslim News had reported the appointment of these new Imams who were drawn from different geo-political zones of the country as an effort to promote inclusion and unity among the Muslim Ummah.
The newly unveiled Imams are Prof. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu (visiting Imam, Plateau State); Sheikh Abdulkadir Salman Sholagberu, PhD (visiting Imam, Kwara State); Prof. Luqman Zakariyah (resident Imam, Osun State), Ustadh Haroun Muhammad Eze Esq. (resident Imam, Enugu State) and Prof. Ilyasu Usman (visiting Imam, Enugu State).
Prof. Ilyas, a renowned Muslim scholar, made history as the first Igbo to be appointed as the Imam of the National Mosque from the region. He was billed to deliver his inaugural khutbah on Friday, 18th October 2024, before it was shifted due to some administrative issues.
They will be joining the ranks of the existing three (3) Imams, including the Murshid, Prof. Shehu Ahmad Sai’d Galadanci, CON, who is the overall head, spiritual guide, and general administrator of the National Mosque.
The existing Imams are Prof. Ibrahim Makari (visiting Imam, Northwest); Prof. Muhammad Kabir (visiting Imam, Northeast); while the last, in this category, Sheikh Ahmad Onilewura (resident Imam) from southwest Nigeria is on a sick leave and has not been leading prayers for a while.
The unveiling, a milestone in life of entire Ummah: Prof Oloyede
During the unveiling of the new imams to the Nigerian media, NSCIA Secretary-General described the occasion as “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.”

Prof. Oloyede recalled that at a press conference in 2017, he revealed the intention of the Council to appoint more Imams, particularly from South-south and South-east geo-political zones, following the appointment of Prof. Shehu Ahmad Sa’id Galadanci as the Murshid.
“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,” he said.
The Secretary-General explained that the five new Imams got the backing of all necessary committees and authorities of the Council.
“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 also said that additional Imams may soon be appointed, including from the South-South part of the country, which is yet to have an appointee.

“Definitely, there will be at least one Imam that will come from the South-South. We will continue to have more Imams then, but I cannot give you the specific number of Imams we have now,” he added.
He, however, said the appointments were not based on geo-political consideration alone, but on merit and competency, and the ‘resident’ are those living in Abuja, while the ‘visiting’ are those who would be coming to observe their roles from outside Abuja.
The Secretary-General appreciated the President-General of the Council and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the GPC, the EGPC, the ANMMB, the National Fatwa Committee and all members of the Muslim Ummah who have played active roles in achieving the new development.
“I pray that the Almighty Allah 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 to the path of progress,” he said.
… To introduce simultaneous interpretation of Friday Khutbah
Oloyede also hinted that the national mosque would soon start using simultaneous interpretation during Friday Khutbah (Sermons) presentation, saying that people can come to the mosque with their headsets or earpieces to tune to their preferred languages while the khutbah is delivered in Arabic, thus eliminating the allocation of different periods to translations.

Muslim News gathered that the mosque currently delivers the same sermon in different languages, one language after another, adding that the method takes a lot of time and reduces the time for an effective sermon.
“…We translate (the sermon) into four languages (English, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo). We are moving to a level where we will stop doing the translation,” he said. “The whole period for the Khutba (Sermon) would then be longer.”
He explained that the new method would mean that all worshipers would come to the mosque with their headphones to tune into the channel with their preferred language to listen to the sermon. This is where we are moving to by God’s grace,” he said.
Prof Oloyede said the management of the mosque would introduce sensitisation before this initiative is deployed. He, however, didn’t say when the initiative would be deployed.
He explained that it is an offence in Islam for people to make noise while the sermon is ongoing. “Not even to tell someone not to talk,” he said.

“So it is that aspect that we want to appeal to you, that before we introduce that, we want you to help us sensitise people that it is almost mandatory to come with an earpiece so that you can use it with your phone. But definitely not making noise for others.”
It’s an amanah that must be discharged with humility: Prof Zakariyah
In his reaction, Prof Luqman Zakariyah, one of the newly appointed Imams, described the appointment as an amanah (trust) that must be discharged with humility and dedication.
Prof. Zakariyah, who represents the Southwest region as resident Imam at the National Mosque, thanked the leadership of the NSCIA, specifically the Sultan of Sokoto and Secretary-General Prof. Oloyede.
“I feel honoured to have been selected to serve the Ummah of this nation (Nigeria) at this capacity. I see the appointment as an amanah that must be discharged with all sense of humility, dedication and passion,” he said.
“I sincerely thank our leaders, especially His Eminence the Sultan and President-General of NSCIA and the Secretary-General of NSCIA Prof. Oloyede for giving me this opportunity.”
Prof. Zakariyah pledged to utilise his experience in contributing to the development of the National Mosque.

He said, “With my international experiences in management of Mosques and my research and publications on management of mosques from maqasid Al-Sharī‘ah, I believe that my contributions to the development of our National Mosques would not be restricted to imamship but rather extended to spiritual leadership.”
Imams profiles ...
ZAKARIYAH
Prof. Luqman Zakariyah is an academic staff of the University of Abuja, Nigeria. He holds a PhD in Islamic Legal Studies from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. His L.L.B (Shariah) was obtained from the Islamic University Madinah, Saudi Arabia; and his Masters (Islamic Studies) from Lagos State University, Nigeria.
His work experience spans decades across different academic institutions in several countries of the world. Prof. Zakariyah was a teaching fellow and lecturer at the University of Aberdeen and Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education, Dundee, United Kingdom between 2009 and 2013. He also taught at the Department of Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh, IIUM from 2013 to 2019.
Back in Nigeria, he was a lecturer at the Federal University of Kashere around 2020, where he was appointed Head of Department of Religious Studies and Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence. He currently teaches at the Department of Islamic Studies, University of Abuja, where he remains a Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence.

Professor Zakariyah is a product of prominent Islamic and Arabic School in Lagos, Daru Dawah Isolo, where he obtained his Idadi (Junior Secondary Certificate) and Thanawiy (Senior Secondary Certificate) with excellent grades.
The award-winning scholar sits on the board of reputable international organizations, including the World Academy of Islamic Management (WAIM), International Society for Islamic Legal Studies, Nigeria Association of Teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies (NATAIS), among others.
Professor Luqman Zakariyah has authored several publications, and attended different conferences across the continents, including in Turkey, USA, Thailand, Malaysia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Morocco, Germany, Spain, Nigeria, and so on.
SHOLAGBERU
Dr. Sholagberu, a native of Ilorin, Kwara State, is the Mudeer (Proprietor) of prominent Arabic and Islamic school, Daaru l Kitab Wa Sunnah. He obtained his first and second degrees from Pakistan. He holds a doctorate in Arabic Language from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He is the Ubandoma of Ilorin Emirate and was recently appointed as a member of an international Islamic body, the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS).

EZE
Barrister Muhammad Eze is a lawyer by profession. He has been serving the NSCIA as a translator for over 20 years. Eze is a member of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC). He obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Abuja in 2007.

ABUBAKAR
Imam Khalid Abubakar is a Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh) at the Kaduna State University. He hails from Plateau State and has been Secretary-General of Jamaat Nasri -l- Islam for many years.

ILYAS
Sheikh Usman Ilyas is a Professor of Arabic at Nasarawa State University, Keffi. He hails from Enugu State and speaks Arabic, English, Hausa, and Igbo.

Brief About National Mosque
A national monument, the building of the National Mosque started in 1981. It was completed around 1984 and officially opened in 1991, same week the seat of power was moved from Lagos to Abuja.
The mosque has a capacity to accommodate 15,000 congregants at a go, while its expansive precinct can take additional 10,000 worshippers.