THE IMPACT OF SHEIKH AHMED LEMU ON ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN NIGER STATE

Islamic education has played a significant role in the moral, spiritual, and intellectual development of Muslim communities in Nigeria. In Niger State, one of the prominent figures who contributed immensely to the growth and reform of Islamic education is Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, a prominent Nigerian Islamic scholar, who played a pivotal role in shaping Islamic education in Niger state, and Nigeria. His contributions, both in the religious and social spheres, have had a lasting impact on the development of Islamic thought and the overall progress of Nigerian society. Ahmed Lemu was born at Lemu Village near Bida, Gbako Local Government of Niger State on 21 November 1929. He 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. He 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. He went on for School of African and Oriental Studies in 1954 from the London University in United Kingdom. He 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 1Oriental Studies in 1964. On 16 November 1969, Lemu and his wife Aisha Lemu decided to establish their own organisation to do the things we are urging others to do, the Islamic Educational Trust2. The first task of the establishment was to ensure that all schools both the public and missionary in the North-Western State had qualified teachers for 'Islamic Religious Knowledge'. IET trained and employed teachers sending them to various schools within the Northern State of Nigeria. The first set of textbooks used in teaching Islamic Religion Knowledge in schools were written by Lemu, Bashir Sambo and AbdurRahman Doi. One of the flagship trustee Program is the Daawah Institute Nigeria.