Alhaji Shefiu Adeniyi Omidiya has been turbaned the Otun Baba Adini of Iranlowo Oluwa Central Mosque, Itire, Lagos State, following what the Muslim community called his commitment to the growth and development of the community and welfare of the Muslim ummah.

Omidiya, a mechanical engineer, is the Operations Manager of the Independent Newspapers Limited (INL), publishers of Daily Independent, Saturday Independent, and Sunday Independent.

Nineteen Muslims were turbaned, the third of it in a mosque that also runs the Ar-Rashad Children School Itire on whose board Omidiya has served since its inception in 1995. The event also featured fund-raiser for the mosque.

"Right from the outset and through the years, Alhaji Omidiya has remained a strong pillar and great source of inspiration to Ar-Rashad Children School and Iranlowo Oluwa Central Mosque. This he has eloquently demonstrated through his moral and financial supports to the school and mosque. It is in appreciation of this that he is being honoured today with the title of Otun Baba Adini of Iranlowo Oluwa Central Mosque," according to a flyer containing short biographies of the awardees.

The event was attended by crËme de la crËme of the Itire Muslim community and Omidiya's colleagues from INL and other newspapers with which he had worked, including The Guardian and The Punch.

Congratulating the awardees for "their meaningful contributions to Islam and Muslims", Sheikh Musa Bello, the chief tefseer of Itire Central Mosque and lecturer of the day, said Islamic titles are to be conferred only on people who are committed to the religion and guard against satanic acts, including liquor-drinking, wasteful spending, and other acts forbidden by Allah.

"I urge you the awardees to know that the essence of this (turban) is to encourage you to do more to the path of Allah. Now that you have been conferred with these honourable titles, you are not expected to veer off the ways of God. You must be of good behaviour, God-fearing and adhere to all the injunctions of Allah. It does not befit you to be caught in a beer parlour or doing anything contrary to the Words of Allah. This is being said because satan is in the habit of dissuading the faithfuls from the path of Allah and causing them to go astray. May Allah help you all," the lecturer said, praying for the growth of the Muslim community.