Borno State: Traditional Ruler urges religious Clerics to preach peace, unity

A traditional ruler in Borno State, the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi, has urged religious leaders in Nigeria to preach peace and religious tolerance in their sermons.

Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour at the official commissioning of the reconstructed Kaltungo Central Mosque, Gombe State, the Shehu of Borno, called on Islamic clerics to always preach unity, religious understanding, tolerance and peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.

Similarly, the Guest Speaker at the official opening of the Kaltungo Central Most, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, encouraged Muslims in the area to maximise the use of the mosques, not just for prayers and worship, but for the acquisition of other skills in useful ventures for the socio-economic development of the people.

Prof. Pantami said mosques should serve as centres for the unity of Muslims, as well as a centre for teaching younger people, as well as women various entrepreneurship skills.

He hoped that the management of the mosque in Kaltungo would come up with various initiatives, where the mosque would be put to good use to promote and develop society.

“The Masjid is not only restricted to five daily prayers but rather, we are urged to make our masjids to be a multi-purpose centre where we pray, we re-orient our younger ones we teach our children and at the same time, we teach our wives and our sisters. And it should be a centre, where Muslims are united and support one another,” said Prof. Pantami.

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State also corroborated the ideas of the Guest Speaker on the maximum use of mosques in promoting growth and development across the country.

He urged all well-meaning citizens of the country to replicate the efforts of the Mai Kaltungo, His Royal Highness Sale Mohammed in reconstructing the mosque in other sectors of the economy, so as to advance in all human endeavours.

 “If we are to emulate and copy the same and so to schools, to hospitals, and for other social services, it means there will be no crisis in this society because the ordinary man would have been taken care of,” said Governor Yahaya.

The Gombe State Governor said his administration was focused on developmental projects in all aspects, especially infrastructure development and all social development structures that would build up a modest, just and equitable society in Nigeria.

The Chairman of the Mosque Building Committee, the Secretary to the Gombe State Government, Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, said the reconstructed mosque had the capacity for 2,300 worshippers, as well as a women’s section, whereas the old one had the capacity for 250 workers.

According to him, the astronomical growth in the Muslim population in Kaltungo and its environs, which was grossly inadequate, necessitated the move to have a new one.

He said it was constructed to fulfil the wishes of the Late Ahmadu Bello, Sardaunan Sokoto, the then Premier of Northern Nigeria in 1968.

Prof. Njodi highlighted that the new mosque had a women’s section, a library and conveniences, (toilets) for males and females: It has two minarets on which are mounted public address systems with a capacity to transmit up to 5-7 kilometres of sound.

“The mosque has sufficient premises to the northern and southern thanks to accommodating an additional 600 worshippers. In addition, the mosque has a second aquifer borehole and an overhead water tank with a capacity of 3000 titres, a 40KVA soundproof standby electricity generator and some poles fitted with solar lights,” said Prof. Njodi.

He said the project that took only three years to deliver at a cost of N269 million naira only, despite the economic challenges that forced price fluctuations for materials, other services and la labour.

Prof. Njodi appreciated the entire Muslim community and well-wishers, regardless of religious affiliation or creed, who believed in the reconstruction committee and donated cheerfully.

The Mai Kaltungo, Sale Muhammadu appreciated everyone who contributed to the success of the reconstruction and commissioning of the Kaltungo Central Mosque, as well as for making time to witness the commissioning.

PIAK