Buhari, Shekau listed among most powerful Muslims

President Muhammadu Buhari has been named among the top 50 most influential Muslim leaders in the world.

According to the 2017 edition of The Muslim500, an annual report of the world’s 500 most influential Muslims, President Buhari is the 17th most powerful Muslim in 2016. Last year, he was the 20th most influential Muslim.

Among the top 50 list are two other Nigerians, the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar III, and a Borno State-Islamic cleric, Sheik Ibrahim Saleh.

The Sultan and Saleh retained their previous ranking, 22nd and 38th respectively.

Also listed were Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Nigeria, and Abubakar Shekau, leader of the terrorist group, Boko Haram.

Other Nigerians who made the list of most influential 500 Muslims in the world included Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II, Prince Bola Ajibola, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and Abdurahman Olanrewaju Ahmad.

The publication noted that there were 1.7 billion Muslims all over the world, making up approximately 23 per cent of the world’s population, or one-fifth of the world.

It stated that Buhari and his compatriots were listed among the world’s 50 most powerful Muslim leaders because of their influence on “cultural, ideological, financial and political” activities.