During the commissioning of the National Assembly (NASS) Central Mosque in Abuja today, President Bola Tinubu, admonished Muslim faithful to act with kindness and humility towards one another.
OsunDaily News understands that notable persons in the country were present on Friday when President Tinubu, represented by his Vice, Kashim Shettima, charged the Muslim community to exhibit humility, an act they will be remembered for, for good in the next fifty years.
“Fifty years from now, half of the Assembly members will not be around and very few people will know that we existed. So we should work the earth with humility.
“As much as possible, let us strive to be humble and as much as possible, let us strive to be kind to each other.
“Power, wealth are gifts from Allah to humanity. May Allah make our contributions toward the construction of this mosque a blessing.
“Even if we are gone, reward from the construction of this mosque will follow us,” the Nigerian leader said.
Tinubu felicitated the Muslim Ummah in the National Assembly for contributing resources to building the worship centre.
He also recognised the crucial role played by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, in the construction of the mosque.
“I recognise their contributions without whose consent not a single erection plan would have been effected for the construction of the mosque,” the president noted.
9th National Assembly Destined To Build Central Mosque
Speaking at the event, the Sultan of Sokoto and President of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Sa’ad Abubakar III, said God destined that the 9th National Assembly would build the mosque.
The Sultan, represented by the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, felicitated the Muslims on the realisation of the construction of the mosque and thanked the leaders, the senators and members of the House of Representatives for their contributions towards the religious project.
He said: “Certainly it is Allah’s will that the 9th National Assembly did this great work.
“We thank Allah for giving them the opportunity to build the mosque. We pray Allah will reward them with what he has promised to whoever contributes to the building of a mosque.
“We pray Allah will continue to guide and bless the national assembly so that they will continue to work for the betterment of humanity.”
Reacting, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan said: “We consider ourselves very lucky that God has chosen us for this mosque to be a reality.
“This is one investment that will continue to yield dividends even after we depart this world.
“May Allah continue to give us the opportunity to serve him and serve humanity.”
He said that the mosque provided not only an environment for them to pray the Jumma’t and other prayers, “it could even enhance the productivity of staff because they may not need to go far away from here for prayers.
“Maintenance should be our business; that is by those who made the contribution; 400,000 per month for a senator and 250,000 per member of the House of Representatives of the 9th Assembly.
“We have our brothers and sisters in the 10th national assembly. I believe that the next assembly, the maintenance of the mosque should be our business as well.”
It’s The First Mosque Built In 42 Years
Speaking on the development, the Chairman of the Mosque Construction Committee, Ibrahim Shekarau (PDP-Kano), noted that the idea for the construction of the new NASS Mosque began in 2021.
According to him, it was the first mosque built in the 42-year existence of the National Assembly.
Shekarau acknowledged the joint leadership of the two legislative chambers that set up the National Assembly Mosque Project Management Committee.
He said: “It comprised of four senators, 10 members of the House of Representatives and three members from national assembly management.
“It was to look into the possibility of providing a permanent and more befitting mosque to replace the makeshift mosque which proved to be very inadequate.
“All 227 of us agreed to bear the brunt of the project, and within eight months of this agreement, we had contributed well over N570 million.
“Apart from earning Allah’s pleasure, these lawmakers have set the pace and made history by providing what is long overdue to the Muslim members of this huge legislative community.”
Also speaking, the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sani Tambuwal, said that the desire for a Jumm’at mosque became necessary due to the demanding nature of legislative work.
“This is as it relates to parliamentarians and legislative staff which makes it tasking to attend Jumma’t mosque by worshipping outside the assembly.
“The mosque is now a great relieve,” Tambuwal said.
