Olusegun Obasanjo .
Report reaching Us states that ; State Governors, politicians,
business moguls and corporate heads on Friday gathered at the
Presidential Library in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital to honour
President Olusegun Obasanjo's invitation for launch of his project.
The occasion was the fundraising and foundation laying ceremony of a
mosque to be built inside the complex of the Olusegun Obasanjo
Presidential Library.
The mosque named Baytus-Salam Central Mosque, is to be located meters
from the existing church also built by the former Military Head of
State. The governors of Sokoto, Kano, Kebbi, Kastina and Ogun States
were in attendance as the organisers raised N400 million. They had
planned raising N350 million. Obasanjo who is the Initiator of the
project, said the idea was to put down a legacy for posterity and
reflects the mosaic of the community in terms of Christianity and
Islam.
"I believe that the more you know about your God, the better you will
be able to serve Him. If you are religious, you will be a good citizen
because religion behooves us to be better
citizens." He revealed that the mosque would have facilities such as
the Imam's residence, an Islamic school among others.
In his remark, Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, urged Nigerians
to continue to co- exist peacefully regardless of religious
differences. Commending the former President for the idea, Amosun
said: "This is a clear demonstration that we can co-exist regardless
of our religion. Baba is a Christian but he has shown we should not
have issues about religion and where we came from."
In his keynote address, the Chief Imam of Olabisi Onabanjo University,
Kamaldeen Balogun, praised Obasanjo for his vision, noting that the
mosque is a veritable centre of
learning that is capable of impacting basic Islamic knowledge on the
younger ones.
"It is my abiding hope that the formal opening of the foundation of
Baytus-Salam Mosque would strengthen our efforts in peace building and
reconciliation between the Muslim Ummah and followers of other
faiths."