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Chief Imam of Ilorin and Chairman of the Kwara Council of Ulama, Sheikh Bashir Solihu, is dead.

He died at the age of 75.

The Chairman of the Islamic Missionaries Association (IMAN), Sheikh Abdullahi Nurudeen-Adana, confirmed the demise of the Chief Imam in Ilorin on Monday.

Nurudeen-Adana, who spoke with NAN at the Palace of the Emir of Ilorin, said the late Chief Imam died during an undisclosed illness.

According to him, Solihu rose through years of dedicated Islamic scholarship and service to become one of the most influential religious leaders in Kwara.

He served as the 12th Chief Imam of the Ilorin Emirate, a position he held for over four decades, following his appointment in 1983.

“Throughout his long tenure, the late Chief Imam was widely known for his deep understanding of Islamic teachings, firm leadership in religious affairs, and consistent advocacy for peace, unity, and religious tolerance among Muslims and the wider society,” he said.

The IMAN chairman described the death of the Chief Imam as shocking and an unmitigated disaster.

He condoled the Emir of Ilorin, members of the Kwara Council of Ulama, and citizens of the Ilorin Emirate.

Meanwhile, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of the Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council, Mai-Martaba Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, has expressed deep sorrow over the passing of the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Shaykh (Dr) Muhammad Bashir Imam Solih.

The monarch conveyed his condolences in a statement on Monday by his Press Secretary, Dr. Abdulazeez Arowona, describing the cleric’s death as a monumental loss to the Ilorin Emirate, the Muslim Ummah, and humanity at large.

Reacting to the sad development, the Emir said the news was received with total submission to the will of Allah.

“Inna lillahi waina ilaehi roji’un, it is with total submission to the will of Almighty Allah that we receive the news of the demise of the 12th Chief of Ilorin, Shaykh Muhammad Bashir Imam Solih Onida OON,” he stated.

He further paid tribute to the late religious leader, highlighting his exceptional character and lifelong service to Islam and society.

“He was a cleric with unique features, intelligence, honesty, loyalty, dedication and tolerance. His demise has caused us in Ilorin Emirate great sadness of no particular measure. We reflect on his lifetime as a man of great of honour and piety,” the Emir said.

Alhaji Sulu-Gambari also praised the late Chief Imam for his unifying role among Islamic scholars and his commitment to peaceful coexistence.

“Late Imam Solih was full of wisdom, and he was notable for unifying the entire Muslim clerics as well as promoting inter-religious harmony in the state,” he added.

The Emir announced that funeral prayers for the deceased would be held later on Monday.

“The Janazah will hold at the Palace Square of the Emir of Ilorin by 4 pm today, Monday 19th January 2026,” the statement said.

He prayed to Almighty Allah to forgive the late cleric, accept his good deeds, and grant him eternal rest.

Alhaji Sulu-Gambari also extended condolences to the family of the deceased and the entire Ilorin community, urging all to take solace in the exemplary life lived by the late Chief Imam.

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The Federal Government has announced the commencement of applications for the 2026 Petroleum Technology Development Fund Overseas Scholarship Scheme, providing opportunities for Nigerian postgraduate students to study in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Malaysia.

This was confirmed in a post shared via X( Formerly Twitter) by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, on Monday.

“FG has announced the commencement of applications for 2026 Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Scholarships overseas,” the post said.

According to the statement on scholarship board website, the scheme targets MSc and PhD candidates in disciplines relevant to the oil and gas sector, offering benefits such as tuition, return flight tickets, accommodation and living allowances, health insurance, and bench fees where applicable.

The PTDF statement said, “The 2026 Overseas MSc and PhD Scholarships provide access to world-class training, research facilities, and global expertise, while developing indigenous capacity in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.”

For PhD applicants in the United Kingdom, scholarships will follow a split-site arrangement, allowing research to be conducted between the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kaduna (CPESK), and selected UK partner universities including Robert Gordon University, University of Strathclyde, and University of Portsmouth.

The agency emphasised that the scholarships are highly competitive. “Only candidates who demonstrate outstanding merit and suitability will be considered,” the statement said, adding that applicants will be evaluated based on academic credentials, research proposals, membership in professional bodies, and the relevance of their studies to the oil and gas industry.

Requirements for MSc applicants include a minimum of Second Class Lower (2.2) in a first degree (or 2.1), completion of the NYSC programme, computer literacy, and five O’Level credits including English Language and Mathematics. PhD applicants must also submit a research proposal of up to five pages outlining objectives, methodology, and data collection approaches.

“All applicants must ensure their National Identity Number (NIN) is verified prior to application, and multiple applications or submission of falsified documents will result in automatic disqualification,” the PTDF statement added.

Interested candidates are advised to apply online at scholarship.ptdf.gov.ng for approved programmes at PTDF partner institutions. The closing date for applications is 27th February.

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The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said that 10 out the 14 demands of the workers that are on strike have been met, adding that other demands are being looked into with a view to addressing them.

The FCTA also said that there are workers under various unions such as the Law Officers Association of Nigeria that have dissociated themselves from the strike action, and these workers deserve the rights to be allowed access to their offices to perform their duties.

The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCTA), even wrote to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, appreciating him for “his exemplary leadership and commitment to the welfare of healthcare workers, as demonstrated by the payment of the longstanding 13 months hazard allowance arrears as well as the payment of one month wage award.”

Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, who made this known in a statement on Monday, said top officials of the FCTA have held several meetings with union leaders, including on Saturday and Sunday.

He said in one of the meetings held with Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) leaders on Friday, January 16, the demands as well as the interventions of the FCT Minister were laid bare, and at no point did the the Minister expressed unwillingness to address any of the demands.

Appeal was made to JUAC Officials that other pending issues were not severe enough to warrant the declaration of strike action, and that dialogue should be adopted in resolving all other issues affecting staff welfare in the FCTA.

For instance, one of the demands made was non-payment of outstanding five months Wage Award, payment of which has commenced. Also, the outstanding 13 months Hazard Allowance and 22 months Rural Allowance for Health Workers have been fully paid by the administration.

The workers also listed non-payment of 2023 promotion arrears and outstanding 2024 promotion arrears as part of their demands. Meanwhile, the outstanding arrears in the sum of N286,166,772.46, covering 724 Officers across 24 SDAs was approved by the Minister in December 2025 and being processed for payment to the beneficiaries.

On elongation of tenure of retired Directors and Permanent Secretaries in violation of the Public Service Rules, this has been ressolved with Minister assuring the workers of strict compliance with the Public Service Rules.

JUAC also raised issue of lack of training and retraining of staff and on this, on this, all SDAs have been directed to forward general and specialized training needs to the permanent Secretary, Common Services for onward submission to the office of the Head of Service for further necessary action.

Another issue is non-remittance of National Housing Funds (NHF) deductions and Pension Contributions since May, 2025, which is the function of workers themselves and has nothing to do with the Minister or the FCTA management. The Head of Service has therefore constituted a Committee comprising of the workers to holistically address all issues relating to all deductions and remittances.

On claim of defective promotion examination process with a pass rate of about 22.5 percent, it was pointed out that the figures and percentage presented by JUAC had no official backing and they were therefore advised to await the formal release of the results of the promotion examinations as directed by the Minister.

Also, the issue of overstay of Overseeing Directors has been reasonably addressed by the conduct of the 2023 promotion for eligible Deputy Directors while the release of the just concluded 2024 staff promotion by the FCT Civil Service Commission will conclusively address the matter.

In all, it can be seen that the FCT Minister has made concerted efforts to address the demands of the workers and he will continue to accord them top priority.

From all indications therefore, and considering all the efforts already made by the Minister in acceding to almost all the demands as well as explanations by the FCTA management staff in the meetings held, the strike action embarked on by JUAC is unnecessary, ill-motivated and obviously aimed at achieving purposes other than welfare of the workers.

The FCTA also call on security agencies to ensure that workers who have opted not to be part of the strike have access to their offices so as to carry out their lawful duties unhindered.