2019 polls: God will not allow any other party,upstage APC in Lagos -Akiolu

The Oba of Lagos, HisRoyal Majesty Oba Rilwan Akiolu 1 has urged all Lagosians to work assiduously for the continuation of the All Progressives Congress government in the state, praying God will not allow any opposition party to upstage APC in 2019 general elections.

The monarch made this assertion today in Lagos, at the 11th Annual Hijrah Lecture and Commissioning of the new ultra modern House of Assembly Mosque.

According to him, the new Mosque is unique especially as it was built inside the Assembly complex where Bills are passed into Law.

The Oba also posited that it is not enough to build Mosque but that the custodians of the Mosque should be properly take care of it and never allow any untoward activities within the edifice.

He also advised the custodian not to be involved in anything that would tarnish the image of Islam.

Speaker of Lagos State of House Assembly Rt Hon. Mudashiru Obasa commended the congregation the joint financial support which made the rebuilding of the place of worship a reality.

He described a Mosque as a Holy place to Worship Allah and supplicate to Him, adding that the custodians should do everything to ensure that it serves purpose for which it was built.

Special guest of honour was Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of the state, while the Chairman of the occasion was Oba of Lagos & Permanent Chairman, Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs, HRM Alaiyeluwa Oba Rilwan Osuolale Akiolu 1.

Governor Ambode was represented by the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr. AbdulHakeem Abdulateef who is the Chief Imam of the House of Assembly Mosque.

In his speech, the Chairman of the Muslim Community of the Assembly, Hon. Sikiru Osinowo thanked God Almighty for the completion of the mosque.

Osinowo recalled that he started his career in the Assembly in 2003, 16 years ago and that it would come to pass.

Osinowo however, said that the would be permanent and that it could only be renovated or rebuilt.

“We started the mosque project so that we could fulfil the purpose of our coming here. We have been Muslim Speakers, and God made it possible for us to build the new mosque during the time of the current Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa,” he said.

Guest Lecturer 1, the Director, Islamic Affairs, Nigeria Air Force Base, Ikeja, Lagos State, Wing Commander Abdullahi Hassan Inuwa, said that mosque is a place, where Allah is being worshipped.

Inuwa added that civilization is about the advancement of the human race.

According to him, Prophet Mohammad took a journey from the mosque in Mecca to the mosque in Jerusalem.

“The heavenly mosques are located in the seven heavens, while the most important mosque close to human race is the Kabbah, that is the one in Mecca. The Quran tells us that the first place of worship on earth is in Kabbah, while the second is the one in Medina followed by the one in Jerusalem,” he said.

He stated that if one is talking about the place of mosque in human civilisation, we must consider the Prophet’s mosque in Medina.

He added that the origin of human civilization, where people are being taught and given ideas was the Prophet’s mosque in Medina.

“It saves mankind from all kinds of darkness and the Quran came to liberate the human race. The Prophet’s mosque provided an avenue for human civilisation. The mosque was used as a centre of learning and a place of judicial decisions, the command and control centre of the military activities. It was used as a library, where books are stored,” he said.

The lecturer made mention of the mosques in Tunisia, Morocco and Timbuktu, which he said have contributed to human civilisation, but that at a time Muslims became negligent of their responsibilities, and that the mosques were also invaded and looted by the enemies that went away with valuable materials from the mosques.

He accused some Islamic leaders of shifting attention from the importance of the mosque to acquisition of monetary materials.

Guest Lecturer 2, the Chairman, Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs, Ogun State, Shaykh Abdur Rasheed Mayaleke stated that the first house God mentioned in the Quran was the house in Kabbah, Mecca.

Mayaleke added that it was the first house the angels built for humans on earth.

“The place where we worship God is the mosque. Prophet Muhammad also spoke about the importance of mosques. He said they are people that do not oppose the mosque and attach importance to it as a place of worship.

“Mosque is the first house God provided for man. It is a place of learning, meeting, judgment, worship, a place where we meet on how to defeat our enemies,” he said.

According to him, mosques are important places men must visit at least five times a day, but that women have a lot of things to do at home as wives and mothers unlike men.

Mayaleke lectured that praying in the mosques for men is more acceptable than to pray at home, and that all Muslims must be given an opportunity to pray in the mosque.

He however, said that the importance of the mosque has been eroded by the type of leaders appointed as Imams in the mosque.

The lecturer advised that people now dwell on sentiments in appointing leaders for the mosques.

He also accused the rich of building mosques in their houses rather than contributing a big mosque for the community.

This, he said has reduced the respect people give to mosques, while thanking the Lagos State Government for the newly constructed mosque in the Assembly premises.

He enjoined Muslims not to prevent people from gaining entrance into the mosques in their communities to pray, saying that only those who are regular in the mosques would make heaven.