Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has urged the people of the state to maintain the spirit of camaraderie, cooperation and collaboration towards achieving their goals as well as continue to imbibe culture of tolerance.
Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya made the call during the official commissioning of the newly constructed Kaltungo Central Mosque.
The governor, who was the chairman of the occasion, congratulated Kaltungo community for getting a new central mosque with all the needed facilities, describing the event as historic.
Gov. Inuwa called on the community to make good use of the newly built place of worship, stressing that the mosque as an institution has a lot of relevance to the Muslim Ummah.
“The Masjid is not only a place of worship; it is an educational centre, a place to dispense justice, a reconciliation center and a place to bring social justice and ethical orientation to the people”, he said.
The governor appreciated the effort and resilience of the mosque construction committee and all people who contributed either in cash or in kind towards the success of the project, explaining that the effort is a community service worthy of emulation.
“I will commend the perseverance, foresight, doggedness and sacrifice made by the members of the committee in particular and to the entire community which resulted to the successful completion of this outstanding project”
He stressed the need for people to instill the spirit of communalism towards solving their problems, maintaining that government alone cannot do it all.
“I want to stress the fact that we all need to go together; the government, the people and indeed all the operatives within the environment must work together towards the advancement of whatever we do”
He used the occasion to call on the people of Kaltungo and Gombe State to continue to live in peace and harmony for the overall development of the state, maintaining that peace and unity are requisite for development of any society.
“It is only when there is peace that people will build mosques, courts, reconciliation centres or any other institution people may need for their development”, he noted.
He also observed that a project of this sort can bring enormous development to the community, advising that the approach be extended to other sectors.
He said, “If we are to emulate and copy the same, and do so for schools, hospitals and for other social services, it means there will be low crisis in the society, because the ordinary man would have been taken care of. That is the essence of leadership and that is the spirit on which this government, my humble self, and I believe each truth worthy leader, stands for.
“I urge you to work hard and join hands together with the government and the people, and make sure that you work towards advancing development in all aspects, especially in Infrastructures and in all social development structures that will build up a modest, just and equitable society”, he added.
The Guest Speaker at the event, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isah Ali Ibrahim Pantami said, Mosque is an important institution in Islam that serves several social functions.
He said building mosque is one of the acts of ibadah in Islam that attract abundant rewards from Allah even after one dies, giving reference to different Qur’anic verses and Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
On the relevance of mosque to the Muslims, Prof Pantami said, “Masjid is a place of worship, a learning centre, and all encompassing centre of excellence. Masjid is a university, a place for guidance and counseling, a place for promoting peace and unity, skill acquisition centre, centre for societal orientation.
“Mosque as an institution has been performing these institutional functions since the dawn of Islam and has been the genesis for the establishment of the first and second universities in the world”, he added.
He therefore called on the custodians of the mosque and the community to explore other functions for maximum benefit.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Secretary to Gombe State Government, Professor Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi who is the chairman building committee of the mosque, thanked Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for the support he has given to their committee throughout the course of their assignment.
Prof Njodi appreciated the efforts of members the committee and the entire Kaltungo community and beyond for their contributions towards the success of the project.
“I wish to appreciate the entire Muslim Ummah and well wishers, regardless of religious affiliation or creed, for believing in our committee” he said.
He said the reconstruction of the mosque became necessary due to the fact that the former structure could not accommodate the people conveniently.
“The old mosque was built in 1968 with a capacity for 250 worshippers. Following the astronomical growth in the Muslim population in Kaltungo and its environs, this was found to be grossly inadequate”
The construction project engulfed the sum of two hundred and sixty nine million Naira (N269,000,000) and was completed within the period of three years.
Shading light on the new mosque, the building committee chairman said, “The newly constructed mosque has the capacity for 2,500 worshippers, it has a women section, a Library and toilets for both males and females; it has two minarets on which are mounted public address systems with a capacity to transmit up to 5-7 kilometers of sound”.
The event featured goodwill messages from Mai Kaltungo, HRH, Engr Saleh Muhammad, Mai Fika, HRH, Muhammad Abali Ibn Muhammad Idrisa and culminated into official commissioning of the mosque by Shehu of Borno, HRH, Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Al-Amin Elkanemi after which two raka’at Jumu’at prayers were observed.
Ismaila Uba Misilli
Director-General
( Press Affairs)
Government House
Gombe
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