A former Senate President, Abubakar Saraki, has expressed deep sorrow over the death of the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Muhammad Salihu, describing him as a towering spiritual leader devoted to faith, scholarship and service to humanity.
Sheikh Salihu died early on Monday at the age of 75.
His death was announced after he passed away at a hospital in Abuja, where he had been receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment.
In a statement signed by his Press Officer on Local Matters, Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir, Saraki said he received the news with profound sadness and a deep sense of personal loss.
He described the late cleric as an institution whose influence transcended the Ilorin Emirate and Kwara State.
According to Saraki, the late Chief Imam’s more than four decades of leadership on the mimbar made him a moral compass and spiritual authority for generations of Muslims.
He added that Sheikh Salihu’s scholarship and moral uprightness strengthened Ilorin’s historic reputation as a centre of Islamic learning, jurisprudence and moderation.
“Ilorin, Kwara State and the entire Nigerian Muslim Ummah have lost a rare gem, an accomplished scholar and a symbol of faith, moderation and service,” Saraki said.
“The late Chief Imam served diligently as the spiritual head of Ilorin and as Chairman of the Kwara State Council of Ulama, Alfas and Imams,” he added.
“Through his sermons and teachings, he consistently preached peace, discipline, unity and communal harmony.”
Recalling his personal relationship with the cleric, Saraki described it as one of father and son.
“His prayers, counsel and moral guidance at critical moments in my public service remain unforgettable,” he said.
“My family benefited immensely from his wisdom and sincere supplications, just as my late father, Oloye (Dr) Abubakar Olusola Saraki, held him in the highest esteem.”
Saraki urged the Ilorin Emirate and the Muslim Ummah to take solace in the enduring legacy left behind by the late scholar, noting that his life of devotion, scholarship and service would continue to inspire generations yet unborn.
He prayed to Almighty Allah to forgive the shortcomings of the departed cleric, accept his decades of service as acts of worship, grant him Al-Jannatul Firdaus and comfort his family, the Ilorin Emirate and the entire Muslim Ummah.
Sheikh Salihu served as the 12th Chief Imam of Ilorin.
Beyond the pulpit, he was Chairman of the Kwara State Council of Ulama, Alfas and Imams, where he played a key role in fostering unity among Islamic scholars and strengthening interfaith harmony within the state.
