Dr. Umar Oseni, CEO of IILM (International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation) in Malaysia, has another string to his bow! On July 10, 2022, Dr. Umar was chosen as the Mufti (Jurisconsult) of the Kingdom of Auchi, located in Edo State (Central Southern Nigeria). The ceremony was held in the presence of His Majesty, the Otaru of the Sacred Kingdom of Auchi, Alhaji Haliru Momoh Ikelebe III, and was attended by many dignitaries. The event took place at the Royal Palace. It is noteworthy that this is the first time this prestigious title has been awarded in the kingdom and is done in the spirit of Islamic heritage's revival and promotion. Indeed, the Mufti plays an important role in social cohesion within any Muslim community as he is saddled with the responsibilities of issuing religious verdicts. In addition to being a reputable Islamic jurist and scholar, the mufti is an intellectual whose extensive knowledge of the Qur'an, hadith, verbal reasoning, Islamic law and legal literature enables him to issue fatwas on matters of worship, ritual, financial transactions and contracts. Thus, the enormity of his responsibilities requires that he be endowed with many qualities, among which are: a strong grasp of knowledge, forbearance and dignity, knowing what (his) people are like and their realities, strong personality. In addition, he should have good intention and fear Allah in all his dealings.

As for the new Mufti of the Kingdom of Auchi, Dr Umar Aimhanosi Oseni, he has a rich and, to say the least, impressive background. Indeed, Dr Oseni is a seasoned academic and prolific writer with a proven track record in academic and professional fields. To date, he has several reference books and over 100 publications in reputable journals. He was awarded a Bachelor's degree in Common Law and Shari'ah. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2007. He proceeded to bag a Master's degree in Comparative Law with distinction in 2009 and a Doctorate degree in Law from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) in 2011. He completed a post-doctoral program at Harvard Law School in the United States and held a professional master's degree in financial law from York University, Ontario, Canada.

In addition, he co-founded the International Waqf Research Centre in Malaysia. In addition to being a Harvard-certified negotiator and dispute resolution expert, he has served as a consultant on Islamic finance to the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group and some United Nations agencies. He is currently the head of IILM (International Islamic Liquidity Management) in Malaysia, an international liquidity management organisation for Islamic financial institutions. Dr Umar Oseni has featured in the quarterly magazine IFC Mag published on July 12 2022, where he had the opportunity, among other things, to introduce IILM and her ambitions for development in Africa. The interview  can be read here

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