Two Igbo Muslims among five imams appointed by NSCIA for national mosque
Pqconnect 
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has announced the appointment of five new imams for the National Mosque in Abuja.
Ishaq Oloyede, secretary-general of the council, unveiled the names of the appointees on Tuesday, December 10.
The newly appointed imams include Ilyasu Usman (visiting, Enugu State), Luqman Zakariyah (resident, Osun State), Khalid Abubakar (visiting, Plateau State), Haroun Muhammad Eze (resident, Enugu State), and Abdulkadir Salman (visiting, Kwara State).
“As part of the measures to strengthen the religious affairs unit of the national mosque and to further harness its vast potential as a centre for worship, training, learning, and scholarship, the council has completed the process of appointing five additional residents and visiting imams for the mosque,” Oloyede said.
He added that the appointments had been vetted by the General Purpose Committee (GPC) of the NSCIA and endorsed by the expanded General Purpose Committee (EGPC) and the National Fatwa Committee.
“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 imams as qualified to be imams of the mosque,” he said.
Oloyede described the appointments as a significant milestone, highlighting the inclusion of individuals from the South-West and South-East geopolitical zones. “You will recall that during a similar news conference held on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, where the changes in the administration and management of the mosque were done with the appointment of Prof. Shehu Galadanci as the Murshid,” he said.
“I informed you of the intention of the NSCIA to appoint more imams, particularly from the South-South and South-East geopolitical zones. Today’s news conference, therefore, is a further fulfilment of that promise,” he concluded.
