The Bayelsa Government has donated a large expanse of land to the Muslim community for the construction of a mosque in Yenagoa, the state capital.
Gov. Seriake Dickson announced the donation on Sunday when a delegation of Muslim leaders in the state paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Yenagoa.
The governor, who also promised to provide a bus to the Muslim community, said that the government would not only make the land available, but also support the actual contruction of the central mosque.
Dickson, who reiterated government’s commitment towards the project, directed the state Commissioner for Lands and Survey to map out the area in accordance with the Master plan for the capital city.
He said: “All humanity is one; if God had chosen to make all of us adherents of one religion, He would have done so without our asking.
“We are all children of God regardless of the religion you belong to.”
The governor noted that Nigerians were at present living in unusual times occasioned by threats to national security.
He emphasised the need for peaceful co-existence among the different ethnic and religious groups in the country.
Dickson, who congratulated the Muslims on the peaceful celebration of Eid-el Maulud, urged them to be more vigilant and report suspicious characters whose activities were inimical to the prevailing peace in the state.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Alhaji Abdulrahman Enewari, lauded the Dickson-led administration for its efforts at promoting security, infrastructural development as well as transparency in governance.
Enewari, who the governor of the continued support of the Muslim community in the state
He requested the state government to provide them with a separate Muslim Board, a land and an 18-seater bus.
He also requested for office accommodation for the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in the state, among others.