I acknowledge with great esteem the wonderful piece in response to my  personal opinion on the need to appoint a Chief Imam from amongst the  three deputy Imams presiding over the Friday prayers in rotation at the  national Mosque Abuja. I must assert that I wrote from my own view  point, not representing any sect, group or individual interest. I have  no personal relationship with any of the three Imams and should not have  been drafted by any of them to write on his behalf.
I had written with the thought that, even if I am no body to influence  any decision by the Apex Islamic organization, the Nigerian Supreme  Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), I could add a voice to finding a  lasting solution to the lingering national issue. The trio: Dr. Ahmad  Onilewura, Dr. Muhammad Adam and Dr. Ibrahim Maqari are all lovely,  amiable and able_. I have said it that each of them is qualified to be  the Chief Imam. _
Frankly, the renowned writer, Sheikh Abubakar Siddeeq Muhammad did very  well in his response which he wrote in two parts, having additional  information as a member of the circle in the management of the Mosque.  He is the translator of the Friday sermons into English and Hausa  languages. In both write-ups, he was able to provide far deeper insights  into why the three deputy Imams should remain so. He was able to smartly  corroborate my stand that the issue has been somehow politicized by some  Islamic leaders. He sought for a balance in appointing an Imam from the  Igbo extraction.
Notwithstanding, I am worried that my point was somewhat misconstrued. I  am not talking of having Imams for the national Mosque; I mean a Chief  Imam. Three deputy Imams cannot be Chief Imams, even if they are called  deputy chief Imams? Under whatever guise we may want to subject the  matter, the Mosque needs one Chief Imam. The Sultan, the  Secretary-General of NSCIA, the Secretary-General of Jama’atu  Nasril-Islam (JNI), President of the Muslim Ummah of South West of  Nigeria (MUSWEN) with few other prominent Muslim leaders should consider  the way out of this.
As a member of the Ummah, I have utmost trust in and loyalty to the  leader of Muslims in Nigeria, the Sultan of Sokoto and the President  General of NSCIA and JNI, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III. His  confidence in me had made the JNI invite me to several media parleys  chaired by the Sultan himself. I have had several occasions to meet and  talk with him. My high esteem for him made me wrote: _The simplicity in  a Sultan_. I abhor praise-singing and self gratification. But as a  Muslim, the spirit of acceptance of reality is there.
I am also confident in the leaderships of our erudite secretary generals  of NSCIA, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, of JNI, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu and  of MUSWEN President, Alh. (Dr.) S.O Babalola. All of them also have  confidence in my ability to defend Islam and Muslims as well humanity in  my capacity as a journalist and a strong advocate of humanity, rule of  law and good governance. That is why they appointed me as a member of  NSCIA and JNI media teams. I pray for the Sultan and the leaderships of  NSCIA, JNI and MUSWEN and wish them Allah’s guidance and protection at  all times. I equally pray for the unity and progress of the Ummah. There  is one leadership and there is no 99 percent loyalty. Nothing can be  more appalling than attempting to hide the truth that we are humans with  diverse ways of thinking and inclinations to choice. So I am sure that  there in the hearts of our leaders and every created human, someone  special occupies a specious space.     Why not? Allah Who created everything in existence had preferences in  all He created: angels, prophets, months, days and times. The  preferences were for specific reason(s) known to Him. It is therefore a  height of deception that three persons can be considered equal in all  ramifications. The trinity conundrum in Christianity remains a  contentious quagmire – that three existences are equal. Hypocrisy is a  deadly threat. And unfortunately, with the hard truth always veiled and  accepted in guise that peace may reign, many things go wrong while  treating critical matters with attempt to please every member of the  Ummah.
As humans, leadership is enticing. Three people cannot be made to lead a  place without latent rivalry. It is a hard truth. It is a human  characteristic that can hardly be subdued by a human. Except for  pretenders, there cannot be two chairmen or presidents. And there, deep  inside each of the heart of our able three deputy Imams, there is the  urge to be, one day, the Chief Imam. If this remains a concern, then it  is incumbent on the leadership of the Ummah to relieve them of the  burden by confirming one of them. No one can imagine the type of heart  worries manifested in prayers, supplications and sacrifices each of them  is offering on this. Let the reality be faced squarely and let the case  be rested as soon as possible for the Muslims of Nigeria.     Who is afraid of having a Chief Imam for our national Mosque? Who can  defeat what Allah has destined for any of the three or for any Muslim?  We all believe in destiny, so we should not shy away from it. The  episode of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and Ibn Abbas on the overpowering  hands of destiny is stark. Destiny can only be delayed but it cannot be  denied.
Additional information gathered revealed that there had been a chosen  from amongst the three deputy Imams by the leadership. But it is clear  that something is wrong somewhere. The refusal to announce the chosen  created more complications to the matter. There would have been  reactions, assuredly, but I am sure it would have been gradually  contained. By this, any attempt to unilaterally choose from the trio may  generate more controversies than before. But the leadership of the Ummah  must not act to please everybody. There are hard decisions that are good  directly or in disguise. A clear case is the present government that is  implementing hard policies for the overall betterment of the nation.
More so, leadership as we Muslims strongly believe, is from Allah (SWT)  and one toils in vain who Allah has not destined to be a leader. So the  Sultan, NSCIA and JNI should take the best decisions that will be in the  interest of the entire Ummah and not for any few individuals or groups.  No single individual or group can hold the nation to ransom. President  Muhammadu Buhari has made that solemn promise to Nigerians who are happy  with him for demystifying the security of our dear nation.
Yet, I still believe that there is a way out. For every difficult  situation, Allah has made a solution. It is left for the leadership to  explore the Qur’an and the lives of our guided _salaf. _However,_ _I  would like to suggest that a full month be set aside for the  re-screening of the three Imams to select one. A day from each week of  the selected month should be used for specific area of tests to be  conducted by a team of _ulama_ from home and abroad. The team should  constitute a powerful _shura_ to ease this quagmire.
The first week could be used to interview them on all aspects of family  and social life: the concept of marriage, child upbringing and peer  pressure management. The second week could dwell on leadership charisma  and wisdom about life. The third could be used to screen them on  Nigerian and world politics as well as the (mis)conception on terrorism  and gang-ups against Islam. Sects in Islam should also be questioned.  Finally, the fourth week could be used to test on Holy Qur’an  recitation, memorization, Arabic and local languages, Hadith, Islamic  knowledge and jurisprudence. One hour for each of the four weeks could  be dedicated for each of the three so that there will be no rush or  intimidation.
By the end of these four week intensive screening, if three of them  remain equal by scoring equal marks, then destiny would be imposed by  using balloting (Qur’a). Three papers with different inscriptions  could be placed before them to choose one each. One should read: The  Chief Imam. The second should read: The First Deputy Chief Imam. And the  third should read: The Second Deputy Chief Imam. When this option is to  be used, for the sake of Allah and Islam, transparency must be observed.  By this, no one or group except trouble makers will blame the leadership  of the Ummah or anybody of bias or injustice against any preferred  candidate. May Allah be our Guide always. Ameen.
Written by Muhammad Ajah an advocate of humanity, peace and good governance.
