PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has urged the Muslim ummah to exhibit humility in their daily dealings with fellow humans.
The President gave the admonition last Friday in Abuja during the inauguration of the National Assembly Mosque.
While urging the members of the ummah to be kind to one another, Tinubu declared that wealth and power are from Almighty Allah and He gives it to whomever He wishes.
According to President Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, life is ephemeral and as such, people should be God-conscious in all that they do because whatever a man does during his lifetime will be used to judge him after death.
The President commended the Muslim community of the National Assembly for pooling resources to build the mosque.
He recognised the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila,without whose consent he said the construction of the mosquewould not have been possible.
Tinubu said: “Fifty years from now, about half of the National Assembly members will not be around and very few people will know that we existed. So, we should walk the earth with humility. As much as possible, let us strive to be humble and to be kind to each other.”
“Power and wealth are gifts from Allah to humanity. May Allah make our contributions toward the construction of this mosque a source of blessing for us. Even when we are gone, the reward from the construction of this mosque will follow us.
In a remark, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, who was represented by the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, thanked the lawmakers for making the mosque project become a reality.
The Sultan said: “Certainly, it is Allah’s will that the Ninth National Assembly did this great work. We thank Allah for giving them the opportunity to build the mosque. We pray Allah will reward them with what He has promised to whoever contributes to the building of a mosque.
“We pray Allah will continue to guide and bless the National Assembly so that they will continue to work for the betterment of humanity.”
The Senate President said the mosque will enhance the productivity of the National Assembly members and workers as they won’t need to go far away to observe their prayers.
The Chairman, Mosque Construction Committee, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, said 227 Muslim lawmakers from the two chambers of the National Assembly came together in 2021 to discuss how to build a befitting mosque and set up the Mosque Project Management Committee (MPMC) which comprised four senators, 10 House of Representatives members and three members from National Assembly management.
Senator Shekarau said: “It (the MPMC) comprised four senators, 10 members of the House of Representatives and three members from National Assembly management. It was to look into the possibility of providing a permanent and more befitting mosque to replace the makeshift mosque which proved to be very inadequate.
“All 227 of us agreed to bear the brunt of the project, and within eight months of this agreement, we had contributed well over N570 million. Apart from earning Allah’s pleasure, these lawmakers have set the pace and made history by providing what is long overdue to the Muslim members of this huge legislative community.
“Arguably, this is the first mosque built in the 42-year existence of the National Assembly.”
He noted that more than N100 million is still in the coffers for the mosque’s maintenance for members of the 10th National Assembly and the Muslim community.
