Earlier, the Founder of the mosque and the centre, Alhaji Aminu Baba-Kusa, while reflecting on the mandate, vision and mission of the ICICE, said: “I’m intrigued by the laudable achievements recorded so far, which are in line with my vision and aspirations.”
Represented by his son, Alhaji Mahmud Baba-Kusa, he also expressed delight on reflecting where the centre was 10 years ago, “where we are now and where we’re going.
“I can see the centre touching the life of the community through the provision of quality education, authentic Islamic knowledge and the propagation of knowledge on Islamic Banking and Finance, and related Capital Market products.
“Today we are celebrating the contributions made by the donors for Al-Noor Masjid Expansion project. The trajectory is to increase the capacity from 1,000 to 12,000 worshippers.
“This is indeed a remarkable milestone that should be supported and celebrated. It is a very joyful day for me and pray to Allah SWT for a successful completion of this project.”
On his part, Dr Mele Kyari, the Chairman, ICICE Advisory Committee and Group Executive Officer, NNPC Ltd., enjoined all Muslims to endeavour to secure a house for themselves in paradise by contributing towards the completion of the ongoing Al-Noor masjid expansion project.
Kyari assured that the committee would intensify efforts and continue to reach out to the Muslims to donate and support the project.
The Director-General of the centre, Dr Kabir Usman, also commended the major donors who earlier contributed about N2.2 billion to the ongoing project which was on course.
“Initially, we booked, planned and asked for donation of about N3.15 billion and at a go we generated about N2.2 billion and now we are on course but we know the prices of building materials and whatever has increased.
“So, we are targeting completing the project by the end of this year when we have to spend positively between N5 and N6 billion and that is the challenges that we have got and that is why we said people should contribute in cash and also in kind.
“Therefore, we need to celebrate that success and tell them what we have done with their money because transparency and accountability is a critical ingredient if we want to imbibe the culture of honesty and integrity, and that is what we have done today.”
The former Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Shamsudeen Usman, who stressed the importance of transparency and accountability, assured donors that their money was being utilised properly.
He explained that the project was being implemented with the best international standard, adding that when the project s completed “we will do a detail technical report”.
Sen. Mohammed Sanusi Dagash, former Minister of Works, also said “it is in the interest of all muslims to support our religion so that those who will come after us will meet a responsible society.
“We are here to ensure that the project succeed and impact positively on the lives of the Muslim community.”
Switch Nigeria reports that the highpoint of the event was the presentation of awards to those who contributed immensely to the growth and development of the masjid and the centre since inception.
