28 Facts About Ahmed Lemu

Ahmed Lemu, OON, OFR, was a Nigerian Islamic scholar, educationist and jurist, who was the first grand khadi and chief justice of Niger State.

Ahmed Lemu was the founder of Islamic Educational Trust together with his wife Aisha Lemu and a friend Ashafa Sani Suleiman.

Ahmed Lemu was a member of the Vision 2010 Committee constituted by Sani Abacha, and in 2011 he was appointed as the Chairman of Presidential Committee on Post Election Violence by Goodluck Jonathan to probe the violence which followed the announcement of the 2011 presidential Election results in Northern Nigeria.

Ahmed Lemu was born at Lemu Village near Bida, Gbako Local Government of Niger State on 21 November 1929.

Ahmed Lemu had his early education from the Quranic School Bida in 1932 before receiving his elementary education in 1939, he went for his intermediate school in Government College Lemu in 1948.

Ahmed Lemu obtained his level two teachers certificate for Arabic, Sharia Jurisdiction and the General Education and Islamic Studies in a School of Sharia Law: School of Arabic Studies Lemu in 1952.

Ahmed Lemu went on for School of African and Oriental Studies in 1954 from the London University in United Kingdom.

Ahmed Lemu had his certificate of General Education for advance level in Arabic, history, Hausa and Persian languages in 1961 and went on to obtain his bachelor's degree Hons in African and Oriental Studies in 1964.

Ahmed Lemu taught in the Government Secondary School Bida from 1953 to 1960 and was moved to Kano in 1960, where he became senior teacher of Arabic Language, Islamic Studies and Education.

Ahmed Lemu was supervisor and principal in the School of Arabic Studies Kano and was the director of the Government Secondary Education between 1965 and 1966.

Ahmed Lemu rose to become the Chief Inspector: Education for Sokoto State, a position he held from 1971 to 1973 and later head the Educational Planning of Sokoto State between 1974 and 1976 before retiring to join the Judiciary commission.

Ahmed Lemu served a consultant in the Fountain University Osogbo in 2009.

Ahmed Lemu was a member of many international Islamic organizations in and out of Nigeria.

Ahmed Lemu was involved in Islamic humanitarian activities including delivering of lectures in various countries.

Ahmed Lemu made significant contributions towards official efforts pertaining to security, reconciliation and dialogue during security challenges in Northern Nigeria, the Presidential Experts Committee for National Security and various other national committees and councils.

Ahmed Lemu served in the Niger State and Sokoto State judiciary body after retiring from the Educational board; he was 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.

Ahmed Lemu was a member of the Nigerian Council of Religions, and served as president in the Council for Youth Development of Nigeria and as chairman of the Councils of Trustee at the Islamic Relief Commission Office.

Ahmed Lemu was the chairman of the Niger State advisory council of Ulama and Chairman Niger State preaching Board.

Ahmed Lemu annually conducted tafsir session during Ramadan, when he preached on radio and television.

Ahmed Lemu preached every Friday during the Friday prayer in Hausa and Nupe language in the Minna Central Mosque.

Ahmed Lemu's books specialized is the salat, fasting, zakkat and hajj, he clarified and based on IRP Cairo classification, and independent Islamic intellectual.

Ahmed Lemu was awarded the Merit Prize by Niger State Government in 1991, Nigerian National Order by the Military head of Nigeria Abdulsalami Abubakar; in 1999, Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and by Olusegun Obasanjo for Order of the Niger in 2001.

Ahmed Lemu received the King Faisal Prize in 2014 for his service in Islam and was among two winners of the King Faisal International Prize in Nigeria.

Ahmed Lemu received an honorary degree from the Uthman Danfodiyo University in 1996, PhD from Oshogbo University in 2011 and the one of Al-Hilal University in 2013 for PhD.

Ahmed Lemu was president, Alhaji Sani Ashafa Suleiman secretary general and Aisha Ahmed Lemu finance secretary.

The first headquarters of IET was in Sokoto when Ahmed Lemu was serving as the Sharia Judge of the Sokoto Court of Appeal in 1975, moving its headquarters to Minna in 1976 when he was transferred to serve as the first grand khadi Shari'ah Court of Appeal at the newly created Niger State.

Ahmed Lemu founded the Dawah Coordination Council Of Nigeria and was its first President.

Amongst the notable students Ahmed Lemu taught were the former head of state of Nigeria Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, Sani Bello a military administrator of North-Eastern State, Gado Nasko, Mamman Vatsa and Mohammed Sami all passed through him in school.