NSCIA appoints Adedimeji Deputy Sec. Gen.
By Mubarak Oladosu and Mustafa Abubakar
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has appointed a Professor of Pragmatics and Applied English Linguistics at the University of Ilorin and current Vice Chancellor of the African School of Economics (the Pan-Africa University of Excellence), Abuja, Prof. Mahfouz Adebola Adedimeji, as its Deputy Secretary-General in charge of National Affairs.
The appointment was announced following the NSCIA’s General Assembly in Abuja, penultimate Saturday (October 3, 2026), where Muslim leaders deliberated on issues concerning the Muslim community and the wider Nigerian society.
Prof. Adedimeji’s appointment followed the expansion of the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General into specialised portfolios covering International Affairs, National Affairs, Corporate Matters and Administration.
Before attaining his current position, Prof. Adedimeji was the pioneer Vice Chancellor of Ahman Pategi University, Patigi, Kwara State, and a former Director of the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies as well as Head of the Directorate of Corporate Affairs of the University of Ilorin.
A Fulbright scholar, Prof. Adedimeji, who is equally the Chairman of the Editorial Board of UNILORIN Bulletin, is also a columnist and consultant and has been widely published in the areas of communication, peace and strategic studies, education and public engagement.
Apart from being a distinguished academic, Prof. Adedimeji is also an accomplished Islamic Scholar and Cleric, who had served as General Secretary and Naibul Amir of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) at the University of Ilorin, the Editor-in-Chief who revived Al-Furqan magazine after several years in limbo and Secretary-General of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria, Kwara State Area Unit, Amir (President) of Muslim Corpers Association of Nigeria (MCAN), Katsina State Chapter, Public Relations Officer of MCAN, North-West Zone before being an Islamic columnist for Daily Independent and National Pilot newspapers.
Prof. Adedimeji also served as Secretary-General of the University of Ilorin Muslim Community for over a decade and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Ilorin Muslim Graduates Association (UNILOMGA). He is the current Imam of the UNILORIN Senior Staff Quarters, (Permanent. Site).
His background in peace and strategic studies, institutional administration and communication is expected to complement his new responsibility in the NSCIA, particularly in areas involving social cohesion, Muslim welfare and engagement with the wider Nigerian society.
For Prof. Adedimeji, the new role brings his academic and administrative experience into a national platform where he will be expected to engage diverse constituencies and contribute to the Council’s response to national issues.
