KOGI MONARCH SETS FOUNDATION STONE TO REBUILD CENTRAL MOSQUE, THAT ACCOMODATES 3200 WORSHIPPERS
KAFAYAT.O. OYEWUNMI
HRM Alh. Abdulrazaq Sani Isakoto, Ohimegye Igu Koton karfi, has set the foundation stone for the projected rebuilding of Koton karfi Central Mosque (Masjid) of Igu Kingdom in Kogi Local Government Area of Kogi State, which would have a worship capacity of 3,200 people.
The project was created out of the Muslim ummah’s intrinsic yearning to establish a contemporary Mosque for the Muslim population of Koton karfi and its surrounds, according to the Royal father, who spoke immediately after the groundbreaking at Koton karfi.
Today, we performed the magnificent breaking ceremony of Kotonkarfe Igu Kingdom’s central masjid,” he stated. Due to the huge foundation laying, we have been able to inform the broader public, particularly the Muslim Ummah of Kotonkarfi, that a new direction has been determined, and that is where I went to lay the foundation stones.
Secondly, we have never had a magnificent mosque in Kotonkarfe as a unifying element, so I trust that this one will be the mosque that redefines us,” Isakoto remarked.
We pray that as time passes, we will ask you again to attend to the mosque dedication ceremony,” the monarch said.
Speaking on the country’s mounting insecurity, the monarch emphasized the need of returning to family units and addressing moral degradation, adding, “If we can solve it, we will be able to battle insecurity. I have stated numerous times that I do not believe that poverty causes people to commit crimes. You will be mistaken if you consider leadership to be our current problem. Another thing is to support good or poor administration; pray for our leaders and security services; and we will be able to overcome any socioeconomic or political crisis.
You will never receive a response if you ethnicize and politicize crime. There is no ethnic group that isn’t involved in banditry, abduction, or other forms of criminal activity.
As a result, the royal father urged people to address family decadence and advised parents to make sure their children have an education, emphasizing that this would help to minimize illiteracy, poverty, insecurity, and societal vices.
Prof. Ibrahim Aguye, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, praised the Muslim community’s efforts and appealed for enough assistance to ensure the project’s prompt completion, calling it as a uniting element.
The Project Engineer, Architect Alhassan Abdulmumin, highlighted that the previous central mosque structure had been in place for nearly 30 years and had faced several obstacles.
We felt we couldn’t continue to live in such a dangerous structure, so we requested that the old one be dismantled and a new one built to suit today’s demands. The complex is divided into two main structures an indoor mosque with a capacity of around 1200 attendees, and an outdoor space with a capacity of around 2000 worshippers, for a total capacity of 3200 worshipers “he added”.
He further said that the masjid will contain a retail mall where Islamic literature and other items would be sold to help fund its upkeep, as well as courses where youngsters might be instructed.
He stated that the mosque will be completed in 12 months at a cost of roughly N400 million.
Also addressing, Amb. Usman Bello, Chairman of the Kogi State Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), praised the monarch and the people of Koton Karfi for their dedication to constructing a new mosque for worshipers.
