Pantami tasks Gombe communities on unity, development

The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Isah Pantami has urged residents of Kaltungo community in Gombe State, to utilise the newly constructed mosque to promote unity and sustainable development of the state.

Pantami made the call on Friday during the inauguration of the newly constructed 2,500-capacity Central Mosque in Kaltungo Local Government Area of the state.

According to him, mosque is a multi purpose centre for prayers, acquisition of Islamic knowledge, and support for one another to promote unity in the society.

“I am appealing to the community members to come up with an initiative on how best to utilise the mosque for the sake of promoting Islam, rehabilitation to develop the society,” he said.

He prayed Allah to reward those who contributed in one way or the other to the successful completion of the mosque project.

Gov. Inuwa Yahaya thanked the Kaltungo Paramount Ruler for the foresight to construct the mosque in view of the the growing population in the area.

He said the mosque was constructed because Gombe State is relatively peaceful, adding that, “the peaceful atmosphere made the construction easier.

“A mosque is a place of discussing justice, worship, learning and ethical orientation for people as well as advancement of the society.”

He stressed the need for peaceful co-existence among the people, and thanked those who contributed to the project.

Prof. Ibrahim Njodi, Chairman, Kaltungo Mosque Central Building Committee, said the project idea was conceived to promote unity among residents of the area irrespective of religious affiliations.

“We felt that Kaltungo needed an ultra modern mosque befitting of the emerging image of Kaltungo.

“The three-year project was constructed at the total sum of N269 million,” he said.

He said the mosque was designed to accommodate 2,500 worshippers as against the 250-capacity old mosque constructed in 1968.

He said the mosque was furnished with all the necessary modern facilities.

The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Garbai El-Kanemi commended Gov. Yahaya for his support towards successful completion of the project.

He also urged the people to utilise the mosque to promote unity, peace, tolerance, understanding and respect for the constituted authorities.

Also, Alhaji Saleh Mohammed, the Paramount Ruler of Kaltungo thanked the dignitaries that grace the occasion.