Lagos Island Muslim community plans N5b mega projects

• Initiates cemeteries, hospitals, orphanages for Muslims

By Kehinde Aderemi

They are a group of prominent Muslim professionals and community leaders on Lagos Island whose members have always deployed their resources to benefit humanity, especially their immediate community. This group – Island Muslim Community (IMC) is made up of some eminent Nigerians that are devoted Muslims who have a mission to propagate Islam. They deploy their resources to helping out in areas of healthcare, education and care for dead Muslims.

But now, these people with philanthropic souls are taking things a notch higher.

On Tuesday, February 25, 2025 the group held a press conference to give an insight into the mega plans of the Island Muslim Community (IMC).

Chairman Board of Trustees of the group, Alhaji Rafiu Adisa Ebiti, said the group would be  launching a N5 billion mega Social Infrastructure Fund holding at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos today Saturday March 1, 2025.

Ebiti noted that the N5 billion fundraising was being held to enable the group achieve its purpose of completing many of its mega projects scattered across Lagos State in line with set goals of the Muslim community.

So how did this group come into being? It was gathered that upon discovering that social amenities and infrastructure critically needed by Muslims on the Island were terribly lacking or in short supply in the area, the Muslim communities came together to form what is now known as the Island Muslim Community (IMC).

It was to be an umbrella body for all Muslim individuals, communities, mosques, and Muslim corporate entities on the Island. The body was formally established on August 22, 2022 as a faith-based, not-for- profit, non-governmental group. Members were drawn from communities such as Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki, Chevron, Ajah, Ibeju-Lekki and others in that axis of Lagos.

The group’s aim is to be the centre of promoting the common good of the Muslims on the Island through cooperation and collaboration. Its mission is to promote unity among the Island Muslims and build social infrastructure and capacity to enhance their welfare.

And since its establishment, the group has lived up to its creed – ‘Intervening for the Ummah’s good.’ Since 2022, the IMC has been working to fulfil the reasons for its establishment. This includes promoting unity and welfare of the communities, provision of Muslim Social Projects and infrastructure, Socio-economic and financial inclusion programmes and projects, protection of Islamic values and interests, youth empowerment and mobility as well as ensuring media presence for strategic national engagement.

Among the projects being planned by the IMC are some Shariah-compliant cemeteries, including a 10,000 square metre-long cemetery in Ikorodu,  Premium Cemetery at Akodo

and a cemetery at Ibeju-Lekki. There are also plans to build a world class hospital for women and children. This is being planned as a gender sensitive hospital where the dignity of the Muslim woman is respected in service delivery and men are attended to by male doctors.

There is the Muslim-oriented orphanage at Surulere, Lagos, which has a focus to protect the sanity of Muslim orphaned children. There is also the Island Muslim Community (IMC) Centre. This will be a revenue-generating edifice to house, among others, events halls, office space for rent, commercial activities, digital communications hub, comprising a radio station, studio, and other facilities.

Those running the IMC now include Alhaji Rafiu Adisa Ebiti, a renowned accountant and businessman who is its Chairman, Board of Trustees. The Vice-Chairman is Alhaji Tijani Borodo, a lawyer as well as President and Chairman of Governing Council, Institute of Directors Nigeria (IoC). There is the Shurah Council, a standing committee composed of the leading Imams and Islamic scholars from the stakeholders communities. It relates with the Board of Trustees in advisory capacity, guides the organization in its spiritual affairs and promotes the unity of members and communities. 

Members of the Shurah Council are Coordinator, Finance and Admin, Alhaja Kudirat Moyosore-Brimah; Chairman, Executive Council, Alhaji Adeniyi Akinlusi; Chairman Mega Launch Committee/member, Alhaji Ariyo Olushekun; Chief Imam, Lekki Central Mosque, Dr Ridwan Jamiu; Member, BoT, Alhaji Sherifat Abiola Andu and Member, Executive Council, Dr Basheer Oshodi.

At the press conference held on Tuesday at the Lekki Central Mosque in Lagos, Alhaji Adisa Ebiti said: “We are here to give an insight into what the Island Muslim Community is about to achieve and for which it is launching a N5 billion social infrastructure fund at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on March 1, 2025.

“IMC is a not-for-profit organisation, and it’s the umbrella body for Muslims and Muslim organisations on Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lekki Scheme 1 and Ibeju-Lekki areas of Lagos State.  The organisation was established as an interventionist body to ensure the provision of Islamic social infrastructure that are concomitant to the practice of Islam.

“It is rather pathetic to note that such essential facilities as cemeteries, orphanages, women and children hospital, Halal recreation centres, etc, are either totally non-existent or inadequate in our local jurisdiction. This explains why we are embarking on an arduous task of raising N5 billion for the provision of such essential Islamic social infrastructure for the teeming Muslim population in the aforementioned axis.

“It’s an open secret that the ancient cemeteries on the island, such as Oke-Sunnah, Abari, and Ikoyi are already bursting at the seams. Unfortunately too, the few highbrow cemeteries available hardly meet Islamic standards, quite apart from the fact that their charges are relatively exorbitant. In view of this ugly situation, we have made cemeteries our flagship project,” said Alhaji Ebiti.

He said since it’s not permissible to keep a dead Muslim in the morgue for a long time, something must be done without delay about his or her  burial without delay, noting that social interventions are also vital.

Vice-Chairman of the association,  Alhaji Tijani Borodo, was in total agreement. He said: “In our own thought, just like the Chairman has said, we have three flagship approaches. Number one is the cemetery which he has mentioned; number two is the hospital where people will get befitting treatment.”

In her own submission, Alhaja Sherifat Abiola-Andu said: “This is a major project. One is a cemetery, the second is an orphanage and third is to have a hospital for Muslims. It is inevitable that we are going to die but we don’t know where we are going to be buried. And right now, there is paucity of cemetery for Muslims and we thought we want to give a nice resting place for the dead. And that is what is informing us to have this mega launch. We need a lot of money to make sure that we have enough resources to do that.”

Also speaking, Alhaji Ariyo Olushekun said: “We have some vital projects that we thought as a community we should work on. The ones that we have identified now are the cemetery, the orphanage and the hospital. As for the cemetery, we are working on three cemeteries; one in Ikorodu, one in Ibeju-Lekki and another one in Akodo.

“As for the orphanage, we have an orphanage that is about to start. Everything is ready. We are only awaiting the final inspection by government authorities and then it will kick off.”

Also speaking, Dr. Bashir Oshodi, explained why the intervention in the healthcare delivery system was pivotal in the mega project goals of the IMC, emphasising on the need for a concentrated effort on a Muslim hospital.

Said he: “About 27 per cent of Nigerian kids have stunted growth. Why? Because they don’t have proper nutrition; they are not eating proper food. Twenty to 15 million children are out of school. That is the highest in the world.

“Now, if you look at the number of doctors we need, globally it is about one doctor to 600 people. In Nigeria, we have one doctor to 5,000 people. So, for every 5,000 people, you have one doctor. How much can be done through that? If you raise N5 billion, N10 billion, N100 billion, it is not going to solve the problem.”

So how does the organisation hope to sustain the cash flow needed for the execution of its many projects? Alhaji Borodo said the IMC leaders were fully committed to sincerity and integrity, noting that proper accountability would be kept, which, he said, would attract donors.