Writing by ALI MUHAMMAD RABIU; Editing by BASIRAT MEMUDU
Kwara state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari and the former Senate president, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki have expressed sadness over the death of the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Muhammad Bashir Imam Solihu.
In a condolence message personally signed by the governor, AbdulRazaq said
Sheikh Muhammad Bashir represented the finest breed of Muslim scholars in the history of Ilorin, and that his passing was shocking, depressing, and saddening.
The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, in a condolence message by his Press Secretary, Dr. Abdulazeez Arowona, described the demise of the cleric as a colossal loss to Ilorin Emirate, the entire Muslim Ummah and humanity in general.
He said Late Imam Solihu was full of wisdom and notable for unifying the entire Muslim clerics as well as promotion of inter-religious harmony in the state.
For his part, former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, in a statement by his Press Officer on Local Matters, Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir, described the late Chief Imam as an institution whose life was defined by scholarship, devotion to Allah, and selfless service to the Ummah.
He noted that late Sheikh Muhammad Bashir Salihu’s over four decades of continuous leadership transformed him into a spiritual authority whose influence transcended the Ilorin Emirate and Kwara State.
The Chief Imam Sheikh Muhammad Bashir Salihu died on Monday morning in an Abuja hospital, he was 75 years old.
