Nigerian Scholars, on Tuesday, gathered in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, to submit that the world needs leaders like the late founder of Ansarul Islam Society of Nigeria, Sheik Muhammad Kamalu-deen al-Adabbiy.

The scholars made their position at a media briefing to usher in week-long activities to commemorate the 100 years of the establishment of the Az-Zumratul Adabiyatul Kamaliyyah School of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Ilorin, founded by the late Sheik Kamalu-deen in 1942.

The spokesperson of the school, Prof Kamil Kamaldeen, said the late sheikh was “non-discriminatory” in all his policies, a virtue he said was lacking in most leaders today.

“We are here to celebrate the legacies of the late Sheikh Muhammad Kamalu-deen al-Adabbiy, not to tell his history, at a time when the world continues to need what he stood for. We are in a world today that is looking for leaders who will serve without putting themselves first, no matter where we come from,” he said.

They noted that the late Sheikh Kamalu-deen had, through his preachings, established educational structures and selfless leadership qualities, producing worthy ambassadors in all spheres of disciplines, urging leaders at all levels to invest heavily in education.

“No society loses from investing in education; it can only gain; no society loses when you build skills; you can only gain”, they added.

The scholars also charged leaders to take a cue from the late Sheikh Kamalu-deen, whom they said was always willing to collaborate with scholars and leaders of like mind in a bid to bring advancement and progress to his community, citing his link with Al-Ahhar University, Cairo, as beneficial in the advancement of higher Islamic studies in Ilorin.

Born in 1905, the late Sheik Kamalu-deen was one of Nigeria’s foremost Islamic scholars and educational pioneers who transformed deep Islamic religious learning into education and also advocated the acquisition of Western education.

He also served as a councillor and member of the Ilorin native authority transition committee between 1958 and 1961 and was appointed as the first Grand Mufti of Ilorin by the Emir of Ilorin.

The late Kamalu-deen al- Adabbiy died in 2005 at the age of 100 years, leaving behind impactful legacies in the propagation of the Islamic religion, scholarship, education, and leadership.