These are:
1. The General Council, which is the highest authority of the
organisation. It consist of not more than 75 members chosen on merit
to serve for a renewable term of three years. It meets once a year.
2. The Executive Committee, which will be a committee of the council, shall be headed by the chairman of the general council. It meets quarterly to review progress and see to the implementation of council policy.
3. The secretariat, which is the administrative and coordinating centre of the organisation is located in Abuja, the capital of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The secretariat is headed by a secretary-general who is also the secretary of the general council. He is responsible for the implementation of council policies and duties.
4. Subsidiary organs
There shall be established subsidiary organs which will be the channels
for the pursuit and realisation of the objectives and programmes of
the organisation.
The number of such organs may vary with the varying needs of the Ummah; at take off plans for four such had been mapped out;
(a) Literature Development
The need for an organ to revive and develop the literary tradition,
no doubts need no restating. It shall comprise all efforts directed
toward research, writing, translation, reprinting and publishing. This
organ shall seek to avail itself the wealth of learning in the great
libraries and research institutions of both the Muslim and the non-Muslim
world.
(b) Relief and welfare
There shall be a unit for the provision of relief to the distressed
and care for the welfare needs of the millions of people of who have
been turned homeless, hungry and in dire need of the hand of brotherhood
and human fellow-feeling. This unit will exist to relieve human beings
of distress in respective of race, religion or region.
(c) Manpower Development
The need for developing manpower needs is very great. It is evident
in all areas; and, thus, there is a felt need for prioritising to develop
various cadre of manpower relevant to the needs of the Ummah.
(d) Da'wah Unit
For the message of Islam and the pressing communication needs, it is
now necessary to employ all the new and latest technology. Da'wah effort
must therefore be as effective, relevant and efficient as possible.
(e) Cooperation
The very nature of the programmes the lAO wishes to carry out demand
cooperation with various Islamic humanitarian and scholarly groups and
institutions. The lAO will therefore seek to develop links and wrorking
relationships with the relevant organisation and institutions in this
respect.
One other relationship which the lAO is particularly keen to develop
is that between the Muslims in Africa and their brethren in Diaspora
scattered in various countries of Europe, Canada, the United States
of America and the Caribbean.
This is a spiritual constituency of the lAO. The relationship between
Muslim in Africa and those in the Diaspora is one of great potential
both in its spiritual and material aspects. It is a duty to revive it
and a greater duty to do everything to sustain it. The IAO has therefore
regarded this out-reach to Muslims in Diaspora as one of its most important
goals.