Bashir Aliyu Umar

Bashir Aliyu Umar OON (born 27 July 1961) is a Nigerian professor of Hadith, Islamic scholar and specialist in Islamic and non-interest finance. He is a professor at Bayero University Kano and has held academic, regulatory and advisory roles in Islamic finance in Nigeria and internationally.

Umar served as Special Adviser on Non-Interest Banking to the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from 2010 to 2014 and later became Deputy Chairman of the CBN's Financial Regulation Advisory Council of Experts (FRACE).

Internationally, has also served on the Shari'ah Committee of the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM) in Malaysia, the Shari'ah Board of the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB), headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the Shari'ah Board of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

He was appointed to the Shari'ah Board of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), based in Bahrain, for the 2024–2028 term.

Alongside his academic and financial-sector work, Umar has held public, scholarly and religious leadership roles. In April 2025, he became president of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah in Nigeria (SCSN), having previously served as its vice-president. He has also served as Vice-President of the Union of African Scholars, headquartered in Bamako, Mali.

Early life and education

Bashir Aliyu Umar was born on 27 July 1961 in Unguwar Yola, Kano.

Academic career

Umar joined the Department of Islamic Studies at Bayero University Kano, where his academic work has focused on Hadith and Islamic studies. Bayero University also lists Islamic Finance and Islamic Civilisation Studies among his research interests. The Islamic Development Bank is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

In October 2024, Umar was appointed to the Shari'ah Board of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) for the 2024–2028 term. AAOIFI is an international Islamic-finance standard-setting organisation based in Bahrain.

In August 2026, he was appointed Chairman of Ghana's Non-Interest Financial Advisory Council (NIFAC). NIFAC provides advisory support concerning the regulation and supervision of non-interest financial institutions in Ghana.

Religious scholarship and leadership

Alongside his academic and financial-sector work, Umar has held leadership positions within the Supreme Council for Shari'ah in Nigeria (SCSN), previously serving as its vice-president.

He also serves as Chief Imam of Al-Furqan Mosque in Kano.

In April 2025, he was appointed president of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah in Nigeria following the death of Sheikh AbdulRasheed Hadiyatullah.

Umar has also served as Vice-President of the Union of African Scholars, an organisation headquartered in Bamako, Mali.