By Rasheed Abubakar
Copyright independent
… Achieves Key Projects, Targets Expansion Of Schools, Solar Upgrade
The Lekki Muslim Ummah (LEMU) on Sunday, Sep-tember 14, 2025, held its 7th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Vice Admiral Jubrilla Ayinla Hall, Lekki Central Mosque, Lekki, Lagos, with a renewed com-mitment to building a non-sectarian Ummah.
The meeting brought together distinguished Muslim personalities, religious leaders, executive officers and Board of Trustees (BoT) mem-bers of LEMU, who reaffirmed sup-port for the organisation’s mission of unity, transparency, and service.
The meeting was presided over by a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Engr. Raji Adeniji, represent-ing the Chairman of BoT, Vice Ad-miral Jubrila Ayinla.
The major highlights of the AGM included the commissioning of the second phase of staff accommo-dation; comprising six additional rooms, and presentation of the 2024 financial report and financial statements, which showed signifi-cant growth in donations from N251 million in 2023 to N322.8 million in 2024, representing about 29 percent increase.
The positive trend, stakeholders said, reflected stronger donor en-gagement, improved fundraising strategies, and heightened aware-ness of LEMU’s impact.
In his address, the President of LEMU, Dr. Abdul Ganiyu Olusola Labinjo, welcomed members to the gathering and expressed gratitude for their commitment.
He noted that the Ummah contin-ued to build on a strong foundation with deliberate efforts toward organ-isational structure, transparency, and inclusiveness.
Dr. Labinjo emphasised the im-portance of youth participation, saying that deliberate programmes were being developed to involve young people in the administration of the mosque as well as in activities tailored to their spiritual and social interests.
According to him, “The absence of youths in the masjid today por-tends the absence of Islam in our community tomorrow.”
He praised the performance of the various committees, highlighting their contributions during the period under review.
The Zakat Committee, chaired by Alhaji Yunis Saliu, was commended for ramping up collections and dis-bursements with particular empha-sis on empowerments.
The Zakat Committee disbursed N99 million in 2024 compared to N85 million shared in 2023 with about 60%, amounting to N63 million spent to support micro and small business-es with the aim of empowerment and reduction of crime rate in the society.
The Welfare Committee was lauded for mitigating hardship and providing succour, while the Da’wah Committee, under Imam Dr. Ridwan Jamiu, continued its quarterly out-reach programmes and the Annual Imams’ Conference.
Dr. Labinjo also applauded the Ra-madan Committee for innovations in Ramadan and Itikaf activities, as well as daily provision of iftar.
He also disclosed that the three major projects approved at the last AGM – external painting of the mosque complex, procurement of a new school bus, and acquisition of a 100kva generator – had all been accomplished.
Looking ahead, Dr. Labinjo re-vealed plans to upgrade the mosque’s solar inverter system to reduce reli-ance on the national grid, noting that the organisation’s electricity bill had risen to N3 million monthly.
He also stressed the urgent need for physical expansion of LEMU schools, which he described as “Im-possible in our current location,” urging creative solutions to address the challenge.
He acknowledged the resignation of Alhaji Adeniji Kazeem (SAN) as Chairman of the Board of Gover-nors of LEMU Schools following his election as National President of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria.
While describing his exit as a setback, Dr. Labinjo welcomed the appointment of the immediate for-mer President of Nasrul-lahi-li Fathi Society of Nigeria (NASFAT), Alha-ji Niyi Yusuf as the new Chairman, expressing optimism that he would help move the schools to greater heights.
Dr. Labinjo further disclosed that the current Executive Committee, which had served two terms of two years each, would bow out by July 2026.
LEMU, a flagship of the Mus-lim community in Lagos: BoT Chairman
In his goodwill message, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Vice Admiral Jubrila Ayinla (rtd), represented by Engr. Raji Adeniji, described LEMU’s growth over the past year as exponential, attributing its successes to the commitment of members and the administrative dexterity of the Exco.
He noted that LEMU had become a flagship of the Muslim commu-nity in Lagos, with its Zakat and Sadaqah Committee leading pover-ty alleviation initiatives across the state, while its Welfare Committee, Women Forum, and Youth Commit-tee continued to make significant contributions to charity, health, and community development.
Vice Admiral Ayinla also praised the educational strides of the LEMU Schools, which had reviewed and up-graded curricula to provide a more robust learning experience.
He lauded the Da’wah Committee for sustaining vibrant programmes and commended Dr. Labinjo and the outgoing Exco for their “Phenome-nal expansion, infrastructural up-grades, and strategic vision” which, he said, had left “A lasting positive legacy.”
He urged members to continue supporting the organisation by pay-ing their annual dues and contribut-ing to LEMU’s sustainability.
“By and large, the period under review has been splendid in terms of tangible achievements. While we thank Allah for the journey so far, we must all continue to play our part,” he said.
The AGM closed with prayers and renewed calls for unity, accountabil-ity, and collective commitment to building a stronger, non-sectarian Ummah as the Dr Labinjo-led ad-ministration continues till July 2026.
