...as Sultan calls for prayers
...Senator Wadada harps on significance of education
From Our Correspondent
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has reiterated the call by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu for Nigerians to remain patient as both the Federal and state governments work towards addressing the challenges confronting the country.
Governor Sule made the call during the opening ceremony and fund raising for the new Nasarawa central mosque complex, in Nasarawa, headquarters of Nasarawa Local Government Area, on Friday.
According to the Governor, even as the country is experiencing challenges posed by the high cost of living, it has become necessary to appeal to Nigerians to be patient because governments at various levels are working round the clock with a view to addressing these challenges.
"We are all aware of the prevailing challenges across the country. There is hunger occassioned by the high cost of food items, as well as economic hardship. Just like President Tinubu appealed to Nigerians to be patient, I am also adding my voice by appealing to Nigerians to remain patient. Government is working hard towards addressing these challenges," he assured.
He added that, at the state level, his administration is taking urgent steps to alleviate the plight of the people.
Governor Sule disclosed that his recent interaction with marketers in the state, where he appealed to them not to hoard food items but to bring such out for government to buy, has already yielded fruits, with over 21000 bags of rice now made available for government to buy.
"We will buy from them and distribute part of the rice free of charge and sell the remainder at a discounted price. We will also buy millet and maize to be shared to people. We want to therefore appeal for the people to remain patient," he said.
He used the opportunity to inform the residents of the area that his administration has sought intervention from both the Federal Ministry of Works and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for the rehabilitation of the 30km stretch of road from Keffi to Nasarawa town.
The Governor expressed optimism that, coupled with further intervention from Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, the lawmaker representing Nasarawa West at the senate, who equally sought for intervention for the road to be repaid, the dilapidated condition of the Keffi-Nasarawa road would be a thing of the past.
This is just as the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Saad Abubakar III, called on the Muslim faithful to continue to pray for leaders across the country in order for them to successfully discharge their responsibilities.
The Sultan said it's better if the people pray for their leaders, especially in a moment such as presently being experienced across Nigeria, with increasing cost of living.
"We are always calling on Muslims to continue to pray for our leaders for them to succeed. If you pray for a leader and he is able to deliver good leadership, the citizens would benefit. But if you leave the leaders along and they are not able to deliver, it's the citizens that would suffer. It's therefore imperative that we continue to pray for our leaders for them to be able to discharge the responsibilities vested upon them by God," he stated.
With the Ramadan fast approaching, the Islamic leader urged Muslims in the country to use the period to redouble their prayers for the leaders and country.
"We are aware that our country is now facing hard times. We have said this several times. Our responsibility is to pray for our leaders and to draw their attention to the plight of the people. We draw their attention on a daily basis not because they are not aware of the situation of the people but for them to understand that God will put them to account," he added.
On his part, Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa West), called on Muslims in the country on the need to pay more attention to education, as according to him, education is light.
Senator Wadada was of the view that it's better to have more schools than mosques because in Islam, one can only worship God if one has the appropriate knowledge.
He further called on Muslims to unite, irrespective of their creed, as that is the only way to bring about the development of the people and country.
In a welcome address, the Emir of Nasarawa, HRH Alhaji Usman Jibrin, described the event as a milestone in the history of the emirate, as well as the spread of Islam in the Northern part of the country.
The royal father disclosed that the new central mosque, which was started in 2017, consist of an Islamiyah school, a library, conference hall, administrative offices, a place for ablution, as well as a parking lot.
" The initial bill for the main mosque was about N600m as at 2017. That has gone up over N1bn as at the completion today," he stated.
Highlights of the event were the fund raising for the completion of the library and office complex and the two rakats Jummat prayers marking the commencement of religious activities at the mosque.
During the donation, over N100m was realized, with Governor Sule donating N30m on behalf of the state government and a personal donation of another N45m on behalf of his family, the Emir of Lafia and visiting emirs from outside the state, including the Sultan. Senator Wadada, who doubles as the Chief Launcher at the event, donated a whopping N25m on behalf of his parents, family, constituents and Keffi emirate.
Architect Shehu Ahmed Tukur donated N10 million naira on behalf of himself and the Keffi emirate.
The event was witnessed by prominent individuals from within and outside the state, including the Emir of Kano, HRH Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, Emir of Kazaure, HRH Najib Hussaini Adamu and the Mai Kaltungo, HRH Engr. Saleh Muhammad Umar, amongst others.
