The Honourable Commissioner representing Rivers State on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Chief Engr Dr. Chukwudi Dimkpa, has come out to explain his decision to embark on the building of a mosque for Muslims in Rivers State.
He narrated that the gesture is in fulfillment of his corporate social responsibility to society as every responsible citizen should do. And also in keeping with his desire to encourage unity, religious tolerance, freedom of worship and peaceful coexistence amongst people of all faith and beliefs living in our society.
Dimkpa made the revelation on Monday when he visited the site of the ongoing construction of a Central Mosque in Isiokpo Town, headquarters of Ikwerre Local Government area in Rivers State.
He was accompanied on the inspection tour by the Chief Imam of Isiokpo, Alhaji Muhideen Babatunde, alongside other Muslim faithfuls to ascertain the progress of work done on the project so far.
Engr Chukwudi while speaking said, “You don’t have to be a Muslim, neither do you have to belong to any particular religious sect to know that God is God. And if we are all one people as we ought to be, then helping our Muslim brothers to get this all important mosque which they have been praying to have for a long time is a clarion call.
“So whether you are a Muslim or a Christian or belonged to any other faith, once there is a need in your environment, whether by way of giving back and helping people to worship God in whichever way they choose, It is something we should do to allow everyone the right and freedom to express their own faith and religious belief.
Dimkpa noted that the project is very important to Muslim faithfuls in the community, and that over the years, the people have been yearning for a place of worship, hence in the spirit of brotherliness he had decided to heed to their request to build them a Mosque.
The Muslim clerics in Isiopko in their exhilaration took turns to shower praises and prayers on the philanthropic gesture of their benefactor, they had these to say…
In his remarks, the Chief Imam of Isiokpo central mosque, Alhaji Muhideen Babatunde, expressed gratitude to Chief Chukwudi Dimkpa for the gesture and prayed for God’s blessings and protection upon him.
“This our oga (Chukwudi Dimkpa) is the one helping us to build this central mosque for us Muslims here in Isiokpo. So we are very happy, we are thankful and we ask Almighty Allah to continue to bless and protect him, “Alhaji Muhideen Babatunde speaking.
Also speaking, Alhaji Habibu Usman said, Muslims in Isiokpo are extremely happy with this development, especially to see Engr. Dimkpa come by himself to inspect progress of work done so far to ensure it is properly executed.
“We are very happy for our Oga to come see us and the project. This project is being done by our oga Chukwudi Dimkpa and we are very happy and we pray God to protect him. May God guide him and continue to bless him. We are very happy to see him come to see us and to inspect the project.
We will continue to pray for him to ensure that the project is completed”, Alhaji Usman concluded.
