NSCIA makes changes to National Mosque administration
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has announced new changes to the administrative and management of the Abuja National Mosque with the renowned Prof Shehu Ahmad Said Galadanci confirmed as the Murshid (General Administrator or Grand Instructor) to oversee the affairs of the complex.
The Secretary-General of the NSCIA Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, told newsmen yesterday in Abuja that the council has also appointed Alhaji Sakariyau Babalola as Deputy PresidentGeneral (South), Prof. Salisu Shehu, Deputy SecretaryGeneral (North) and Haroun Muhammad Eze, a Lawyer as Deputy National Legal Adviser.
The appointment of Babalola brings the number of Deputy President-Generals to two after the Shehu of Borno Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garbai El-Kanemi (North).
“Since the demise of the late Chief Imam, Sheikh Musa Muhammad, on the 2nd May, 2015, the council undertook a number of restructuring. In line with the best practices in National Mosques all over the world, the Abuja National Mosque would now have a Murshid rather than a Chief Imam. “Similarly, the three Deputy Chief Imams of the Mosque had recently been elevated to the position of Imams of the Mosque and one other vacancy had been declared (to be occupied by a qualified person from either the South-South or SouthEast Geo-political zone of Nigeria), thereby, bringing the total number of Imams to four,” Oloyede said. He said the Murshid would be supported by the three Imams of the mosque and a Director of Finance and Administration. Oloyede added rather than the three Khutbah (The special Friday sermon) in different local languages, the mosque will to introduce a technology where only the Arabic khutbah would be delivered and worshipers can come with their mobile phones and tune to a frequency to listen to the interpretation of the sermon in Nigerians major languages. The late Sheikh Musa Muhammad held the dual positions of Chief Imam and National Murshid. The new Murshid was among others a National Security Adviser (NSA) to President Shehu Shagari and was the Nigeria Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for nine years at the time he was to be appointment as the Chief Imam of the Abuja National Mosque.