‘We are surprised Makinde did this for Islam despite being a Christian’

If the eyes of Nigeria’s history are sunken, it is partly because of the horrid things it has witnessed Nigerians do to one another in the name of religion. This is why it amounts to toying with the tiger’s tail for anyone to do something that remotely looks adversarial, especially towards any of the two major religions in the country, Islam and Christianity.

However, the governor of Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde, trod the slippery path of religion recently — albeit in the name  of infrastructural development — and the undertaking has turned out as something of a legend, even to the most ardent, in religious circles in his state.

Mr AbdulHameed Dawud is a middle-aged man who worshipped at the old Adogba Central Mosque in Iwo Road, Ibadan. The mosque belonged to the Organisation of Thadomunul Muslimeen (OTM). In October 2019, on a Friday, he was one of the faithful who had gathered at the mosque for the weekly Juma’at prayer.

The Juma’at service turned out to be one like no other: it was joined by an August visitor, the governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde.

“What is our governor, a Christian, doing here? This is a Juma’at prayer. What could have brought him?” That was the question running through Dawud’s and many other worshippers’ minds that afternoon. Their curiosity soon gave way to a complete loss of hope.

“On that fateful Friday, His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde, came to the old Adogba Mosque during our Juma’at prayer. He sat with us and prayed with us. I was at a loss as to why a governor who is a Christian came to be part of such special prayer and what his mission was. When it was time for him to address us, he declared his plan to demolish our mosque. The general feeling that greeted that declaration was one of despair. ‘Our brotherhood at Adogba mosque has been broken up irretrievably. Our brotherhood by virtue of this mosque is over’. This was the thought in my head. The entire congregation was, to say the least, shocked at the governor’s announcement. When the bulldozers arrived and began to pull down the structure, many of us wept. I did. We thought a citadel of knowledge was gone. I thought to myself: ‘So, just like that, Adogba mosque is done for?’ Although the governor promised to build a new structure for us, because of our long-standing misgivings about politicians and their promises, no single one of us believed that our mosque would ever be rebuilt.

“But to our utmost surprise, Governor Makinde rebuilt the mosque in a wonderful way we never imagined. We are so happy and we pray for abundant reward for him for what he has done.”

A joyful Dawud said these words to Saturday Tribune during an encounter on Friday at the inauguration of the new mosque built by promise-keeping Governor Makinde. The inauguration was performed by the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, who himself was also so impressed by Makinde’s virtuous deed that he invited the governor to begin to respond to his royal name ‘Sa’ad’.

The inauguration event was a gathering of who’s who in the government and Islamic circles.

Another worshipper, Abdul Hakeem Lanlehin, described the rebuilding of the mosque as a first in Oyo State.

“He demolished our old mosque for the sake of public infrastructure and built a new, better mosque for us. This is delightful thing he has done for us. We can’t thank him enough,” Lanlehin said.

The National Imam of the OTM, owners of the mosque, Professor Qaasim Badmaasi, said it was wondrous to see a Christian governor building a mosque, a better one at that, to replace an old which he demolished for overriding public good.

“When he (the governor) informed us of his plan to demolish our old mosque, he promised to build a new mosque for us, and he fulfilled that promise by building a new structure that is better five times over. This is very fascinating to me and indeed all members of the Organisation of Thadomunul Muslimeen. It is our prayer that Allah will allow the governor to have his reward in this world and hereafter for what he has done for His religion.”

The Imam, OTM Central Mosque, Iwo Road, Alhaji Abdul Kabeer Muhammad Awwal, also had a word to say about what Governor Makinde did.

Alhaji Muhammad Awwal said: “The rebuilding of our mosque by the governor is like taking an old garment off somebody and replacing it with a new one. The feeling that comes with such kindness for the wearer is pure happiness. I am happy that the governor was true to his promise. He did not allow anything to come between him and fulfillment of his promise. This commendable gesture of the governor only prompts me to beseech Almighty Allah to crown all his efforts regarding the advancement of Oyo State and his efforts over his private undertakings with unmistakable success.

“The governor doing this for Islam in spite of being a Christian only proves his equitable disposition to religions and his unbiasedness towards Muslims in Oyo State.

“I must add that it is also a thing of history and pride that the Sultan is the one inaugurating this mosque.

“The mosque is meant for nurturing of souls and for turning ignorant persons into a knowledgeable lot. This objective is what we pursued in the our old mosque and which we will continue to pursue in this new and improved facility. We pray Allah to give us the grace to continue on this path. The sustenance and maintenance of this edifice is a task for the entire community of Muslims. We welcome contributions, even in the form of advice, from all our brothers and sisters as regards keeping this mosque pleasing to the eyes at all times.

“I urge the governor to continue to see the entire people of Oyo State as his charge, for whom he will answer to Allah. As such, he should keep pursuing things that will bring comfort to the people of the state.”

The Chairman, Muslim Community of Oyo State (MUSCOYS), Alhaji Ishaq Kunle Sanni, who flew into Ibadan with Sultan Abubakar for the inauguration, expressed delight with Governor Makinde’s gesture.

In an interview with Saturday Tribune, he said: “We have to give kudos to the governor because we were not happy when the old mosque was demolished. He made a promise to build another mosque. We took the promise with a pinch of salt; we did not believe him, knowing full well that politicians have sugar-coated mouths. Politicians are people who build bridges where there is no river. They make promises that they will never fulfill. But to our surprise — and to, I will say, positive disappointment — the governor not only built a mosque but he built a mosque that is bigger, more beautiful, more modern than the one that was demolished. He even built an Islamic school which was not part of the old mosque. We have to give credit to him for not behaving like an average politician who makes promises and does not fulfill them. We really appreciate what he has done. That is why we partnered him to get the Sultan to be here. We pray that God will reward the governor bountifully for what he has done.”

Also, the Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh AbdulGaniy Abubakri Agbotomokekere, extolled the governor, saying the “commissioning of the new mosque which our governor built gladdens the hearts of all Muslims not only in Ibadan but Oyo State as a whole.”

The spiritual father said : “We are so happy. We never thought he would do something like this. I pray Allah to grant him breakthrough in all that he does. May he end up well. May we all end up well.

“I advised l that this mosque be kept in this original condition at all times; we must ensure that it is unspoilt in any form. It is up to us as the beneficiaries. May Allah assist us. They say the streets of Mecca are clean. Those streets do not just become clean by themselves, some people are behind their constant clean state. Money is spent to achieve this. We should also be spending money in ways like this.”

Governor Makinde had, on October 19, 2019, promised to rebuild the mosque from his personal resources, following plans to pull down the former structure to allow for the development of the Iwo Road Bus Terminals.

On Friday at the inauguration, he recalled going to the mosque and worshipping with the Muslim Ummah four years ago.

He said: “I told them that the mosque and the church around it would be demolished, because we already put forward a roadmap for accelerated development, which means we had to focus on the development of our infrastructure.

“I understood the fact that there was trust deficit between the government and the people. So, before we even said anything, some people were already insinuating.

“But when I spoke at the mosque that day, I saw that 90 per cent of the people believed me and every time I ran out of money building this mosque, because it was built with my personal money, I always remembered those 90 per cent who believed me that I would rebuild the mosque as I promised.

“We are here today and I am sure that everyone knows the story. We actually completed this project before the election. But some people said I should not be re-elected because I am a Christian.

“Today, I can tell the entire world that I got over 70 per cent of the votes from the Muslim community in Oyo State.

“So, I want to take this opportunity to appreciate the Muslim leaders and the community for believing in us and I want to make that solemn promise that for the next three years and some months, we will run an administration that will balance out any leaning and ensure that people get what they are entitled to.”

Explaining his reason for building the mosque, the governor said it was imperative to also cater to people’s spiritual needs by building what he described as spiritual infrastructure, after his administration has embarked on a massive building of physical infrastructure by connecting all zones of the state with good roads.

According to him, his government has also been taking care of what is known as ‘stomach infrastructure’ through the infusion of billions of Naira into the economy of the state on a monthly basis by paying salaries and pensions as and when due and had also implemented policies in the education and health sectors, which have yielded positive results.

The Sultan, Alhaji Abubakar, who chaired the occasion, remarked: “When you see the way this mosque was before and it actually turned out to be this, you cannot but thank Allah for the life of Seyi Makinde for thinking this way and also doing it.

“A lot of people say something but implementing it is always a problem,” he said.

The NSCIA president-general, who praised Governor Makinde for building a house for Allah in such a beautiful manner, said the new mosque, which also has an Islamic school, would help people to strive to be more educated for the world and hereafter.

He added: “About three years ago when I spoke with the governor on phone, he told me he was building a mosque in a strategic place in Ibadan, and I told him I knew where the place is. He told me I would commission the project and I assured him that I would fulfill his request.

“I have moved around the whole area here and I can tell you that this is the most beautiful structure here. Whenever you pass along here, you won’t miss it and that is what we are supposed to be doing for the people. We should build houses of Allah in the most beautiful manner.

“The mosque is not just a place of worship but a school also. Now, having an Islamiya with a beautiful mosque, we cannot but strive more to be educated for the world and hereafter. So, let us use such facilities to educate ourselves, our brothers and sisters so that we live peacefully with one another as peaceful coexistence is important to us.

“Today, we are here by the will of Almighty Allah and this is a very good work, which we believe the governor has taken up. This is a good history we want to be replicated everywhere. So, we thank you, Your Excellency.”

The Sultan advised that the edifice be well-maintained.

“Let’s maintain this edifice. Let’s not come back after two, three years and find it in a very bad state. It should be the resolution of the management committee to ensure that this mosque is maintained. Don’t leave the maintenance to the governor; he has done his job. Set up a committee, get funds every day, every week, every month so that this edifice is maintained, so that whenever you pass, you see a beautiful structure and you say, ‘Yes! Alhamdulillah,’” he said.

He prayed Allah to keep the governor’s life worthwhile and allow him to end as a good person.

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