HIstory will be made in Ekiti State tomorrow when Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere Bello will be installed as the President-General of League of Imams and Alfas in the Southwest, Edo and Delta states.

Sheikh Kewulere, as he is fondly called, is the Chief Imam of Ado-Ekiti and Grand Imam of Ekiti State. This is the first time an Ekiti indigene will occupy the pinnacle of Islamic clergy in the eight states.

The President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar is expected to preside over the installation billed to begin by 10am at Ekiti Parapo Pavillion in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

The event is a milestone and significant in the sense that Muslims are in the minority in Ekiti State and for an Ekiti Muslim to be found so worthy is worth celebrating.

Governors expected include the host, Ayo Fayose, Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Akinwumi Ambode (Lagos), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto).

Sheikh Kewulere was born to Mallam Bello Olawale Egunjobi and Madam Rabiat Bello of the Asa Family, Odo Ado, Ado-Ekiti on January 2, 1952 and he was named Muhammadu Jamiu.

At the age of six, he was enrolled at Ansar-Ud-Deen Primary School, Ado-Ekiti.

His parents also enrolled the little Jamiu at an Arabic/Islamic Institute, Zumuratul Diyyah Solihina, established by the renowned Islamic scholar and teacher, Sheikh Yusuf Akorede otherwise known as “Baba Akorede” (of blessed memory) in 1962.

Observing some sterling qualities possessed by Muhammadu Jamiu, Baba Akorede developed a special interest in him and this young disciple became the confidant of his master.

Being a man of God, Baba Akorede had the premonition of what the little Jamiu would become in future and prophesied that when his community would be in search of a good leader, Jamiu would be the person to be sought after.

Another great scholar from whom Jamiu drank from his fountain of Islamic knowledge was Sheikh Badrudeen Ami of Ami Arabic Training Centre, Iwo, Osun State, who also corroborated the prophecy when he told Jamiu that: “you are a child with great sign (of Allah)”.

After Baba Akorede passed on in 1976, Sheikh Kewulere was also under the tutelage of Sheikh Agbarigidoma in Ilorin, Kwara State and later at Imam Training Centre, Alakoro, Idumota, Lagos in 1983 among several others.

Imam Kewulere Bello had his first marriage in 1974 when he was under Sheikh Akorede and this marriage and subsequent ones were blessed with wonderful children.

The President General-designate had a stint in transportation business between 1978 and 1979 and in 1979, he was approached to become the Chief Imam of Ado-Ekiti, an offer he promptly rejected.

However, against his wish but in fulfillment of Allah’s wish, he gave in 1981.

On January 1, 1983, he proceeded to Lagos on a three-month course at the Ansar-Ud-Deen Imam Training Centre, Alakoro, Idumota, Lagos, where he obtained a certificate and thereafter returned to Ado Ekiti.

Sheikh Kewulere was turbaned and installed as the 6th Chief Imam of Ado-Ekiti on August 3, 1985.

The ceremony was performed by Imam Yusuf Olatunji Ogunlayi, the Chief Imam of Ikole-Ekiti,.

Upon creation of Ekiti State in 1996, Muslims in Ekiti land unanimously appointed Sheikh Kewulere as the Grand Imam of Ekiti State, thus assuming the exalted and enviable headship of Imams in Ekiti State.

Baba Imam, as he is also addressed, has since performed excellently well to the admiration of all and sundry until recently when another big feather was added to his cap.

Sheikh Kewulere engages in such hobbies as reading and listening to good recitation of the Holy Qur’an. He is widely travelled and had performed the holy pilgrimage to Makkah and Medinah several times.

ArodeTsolaye:
So muslim yorrobers have to do the bidding of the sultan in order to be accepted as real muslims. I see emirs coming to the whole of yorroberland in some years time.

Stolen:
Abeg remove Delta State from that last. Delta is 100% a Christian State.

Igbo, Urhobo Ijaw Itshekiri are Christian groups.

fagbalex:


Mariam Babangida is from which state?
Bros you better wake up!
I have considerable number of Deltans that are Muslims from all the tribes in Delta state.
May Allah bless the post for the Imam.

RevDesmondJuju:
Why is Delta part of your lame jihad?

aljharem:


because we have muslims in Delta

RevDesmondJuju:


Indigenous people or migrants?

Stop confusing Delta with Edo.

The few muslims in Delta are from Edo, Kogi(Ebiras) and the north.

RevDesmondJuju:


Shut up your dirty mouth.

She was married off and converted to islam

Was she born into a muslim family?

As for your last statement you must be confusing Edo with Delta.

seunmsg:



Even Asari Dokubo in far away Rivers state is a Muslim. We have indigenous Muslims in every states of Nigeria so, stop talking trash.

Stolen:
Abeg remove Delta State from that last. Delta is 100% a Christian State.

Igbo, Urhobo Ijaw Itshekiri are Christian groups.

aljharem:


indigenous

there are some Ilaje, Urhobo and Ijaws that are Muslims in DELTA STATE

Warri to be precise

RevDesmondJuju:


I just love the way Fayose received the Satan of Sokoto

Polo and jeans

ademega:
no first degree self and plenty govs dey come like this. hmmmm

Yujin:
Gradually internal colonialism is growing down south. I read the new Sheikh was born to MALLAM Bello Keruwele. Do yorubas in Ekiti bear the title 'mallam'?
I won't be surprised to see the governors of Edo and Delta gracing the occasion.
I can still remember watching the burial ceremony of the late Ninzon King in the Kagoro chiefdom of Southern Kaduna. Even though he was a first class king and was the chairman of all traditional rulers of southern kaduna not even one emir from northern kaduna honoured the invitation. They only sent one representative whose speech during the internment was one with serious apathy. You can tell they have no regard for them. Here they are now calling on our own governors to honour the installation of a Sheikh.

Yujin:
Gradually internal colonialism is growing down south. I read the new Sheikh was born to MALLAM Bello Keruwele. Do yorubas in Ekiti bear the title 'mallam'?
I won't be surprised to see the governors of Edo and Delta gracing the occasion.
I can still remember watching the burial ceremony of the late Ninzon King in the Kagoro chiefdom of Southern Kaduna. Even though he was a first class king and was the chairman of all traditional rulers of southern kaduna not even one emir from northern kaduna honoured the invitation. They only sent one representative whose speech during the internment was one with serious apathy. You can tell they have no regard for them. Here they are now calling on our own governors to honour the installation of a Sheikh.

RevDesmondJuju:


Shut up your dirty mouth.

She was married off and converted to islam

Was she born into a muslim family?

As for your last statement you must be confusing Edo with Delta.

deebsman1:
I can authoritatively tell u that the knowledge the immam has stands side by side with that of a PHD holder

Ajibolatao:

Knowledge of the seen is better than PHD