“Learning the fiqh of marriage is important, but learning the how to nurture mutual respect, trust & compassion is essential.”

Mr. Muhammad Nuruddeen Lemu is the Director of Research and Training at the Da’wah Institute of Nigeria (DIN), Islamic Education Trust (IET) in Minna, Nigeria. He develops, facilitates and conducts train-the-trainers courses in enhancing inter-faith dialogue and engagement, intra-faith cooperation, responding to various forms of religious extremism among Muslims, and promoting faith-based critical thinking (“Shari’ah Intelligence”).

He is a Director of several organizations including: Lotus Capital (Halal Investments) Limited, the Development Initiative of West Africa (DIWA), the Almajiri Child Rights Initiative (ACRI), ICICE-Al-Noor Academy, and a co-founder of the Inter-Faith Activity and Partnership for Peace (IFAPP). He holds various positions on the boards of several other organisations that focus on issues related to social welfare, governance and public policy, education, environment and sustainable development, leadership, family life, youth empowerment and gender equity.

Mr. Lemu has trained and given talks to students, lecturers, youth, community and religious leaders in over 30 countries, and he has moderated, presented and produced more than two hundred radio and television programmes. Nearly half of these have been on interfaith bridge-building and engagement (the IFAPP’s “Inter-Faith Forum”) aired on the African International Television (AIT) and Ray Power Radio.

He was also nominated by the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) to represent the Nigerian Muslim Leadership at the National Conference (CONFAB 2014). He is a Fellow of Aspen Leadership Institute (ALI) and member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN), Colorado, USA; a Fellow of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), Vienna, Austria, and of the Africa Leadership Initiative – West Africa (ALIWA). He holds a MSc. in Resource Management from Edinburgh University, UK, and a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

His personal motto is “Growth and contribution with compassion, wisdom, faith and fun”.