Thursday, December 24, 2020, has gone down in history as the day a shining Northern Star was eclipsed with the passage of Sheikh Ahmed Lemu. His death, even at a ripe age of 91, has left many Nigerians in shock. He lived for so long that one would think he had assumed immortality.
Born on December 21, 1929 at Lemu Village near Bida in the present-day Niger state, the notable Islamic scholar, educationist and jurist was the first grand khadi and chief justice of Niger state as well as the founder of Islamic Educational Trust (IET) together with his late British wife, Aisha Lemu, and a friend, Ashafa Sani Suleiman.
The late Lemu had his early education at the Quranic School, Bida in 1932 before receiving his elementary education in 1939. He then proceeded to the Government College, Lemu, in 1948 and obtained his Level Two Teachers’ Certificate in Arabic, Sharia Jurisdiction, General Education and Islamic Studies. He also attended School of Sharia Law/School of Arabic Studies, Lemu, in 1952.
Two years later, he proceeded to the School of African and Oriental Studies at the University of London, where he obtained a Certificate of General Education for advance level in Arabic, History, Hausa and Persian Languages. Between 1961 and 1964, he studied for his Bachelor’s Degree in African and Oriental Studies at the same institution.
Upon returning to Nigeria, Sheikh Lemu started his career in the Bida Native Authority as a teacher of Arabic, Islamic Studies and English Language. For close to 50 years, he immersed himself in teaching and holding different responsibilities.
He taught at the Government Secondary School, Bida, from 1953 to 1960 and was moved to Kano in 1960 as a senior teacher in Arabic Language, Islamic Studies and Education. He was also a supervisor and principal in the School of Arabic Studies, Kano. Lemu also served as the director of the Government Secondary Education from 1965 to 1966.
In 1966, he was moved to Sokoto as the Principal of the Arabic Teachers College, Sokoto, and Senior Inspector of Education in 1970. He rose to become the Chief Inspector of Education for the state, and held the position from 1971 to 1973. A year later, he was appointed to head the Educational Planning Unit in the state and served till 1976 before retiring to veer into the Judiciary Commission.
He served in the Niger and Sokoto States’ judiciary system, thus putting teaching and education career behind him. He became the first Sharia judge at the Court of Appeals of Sokoto from 1976 to 1977 and Chief Sharia Judge at the Niger State Court of Appeals between 1976 and 1991. He also served as a consultant in the Fountain University, Osogbo, in 2009.
The late jurist Lemu was a renowned religious scholar, respected throughout West African sub-region in particular and the world at large. He was also a strong supporter of women’s rights and fought to advance Islamic education at all levels.
Sheikh Lemu was a member of many international Islamic organisations within and outside the country. He also published and edited several books and journals used as reference materials, aimed at promoting and reinforcing the proper understanding and expansion of Islamic knowledge. He was also involved in Islamic humanitarian activities, devoting his whole life to attending conferences and workshops including delivering of lectures in various countries.
The intellectual avatar also made significant contributions towards finding solutions to the security challenges bedeviling Northern Nigeria in particular, through reconciliation and dialogue during security challenges in that part of the country. He also headed the Presidential Committee for National Security appointed by the Jonathan administration as well as various other national committees.
His immense contributions earned him numerous prizes and accolades among which were Merit Prize by Niger State Government in 1991; Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR) bestowed on him by the military administration of Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar in 1999 and Order of the Officer of the Niger (OON) by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 2001. He also received the King Faisal International Prize in 2014 for his meritorious service to Islam, becoming the second winner of the prize after the late Sheikh Abubakar Gumi. He was also a recipient of an honorary doctorate degree from the Uthman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto in 1996 as well as another from the Fountain University, Osogbo, in 2011. He also bagged another honorary degree from Al-Hilal University, Mogadishu, Somalia, in 2013.
The late Lemu was also a member of the Nigerian Council of Religious Affairs. He also served as President in the Council for Youth Development of Nigeria and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Islamic Relief Commission Office. Lemu was the chairman of the Niger State Advisory Council of Ulama.
He was also famous for the annual conduct of tafsir session during the Ramadan which he usually preached on radio and television. He also preached every Friday during the Friday prayers in Hausa and Nupe languages in the Minna Central Mosque.
A reservoir of immense knowledge and a man of honour and integrity, the avalanche of tributes pouring in from far and near is a testament to the legacy he has left behind, which will be difficult to match let alone surpass.
Blueprint joins millions of Nigerians in mourning his passage. May almighty Allah grant his soul Aljanah Firdaus and his family the fortitude to bear the profound loss.
