By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has given the Executive Secretary (ES) of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engineer Shehu Hadi 24 hours to explain the position of the National Mosque and what the compensation plan is.

The Minister who said this when he received members of the Abuja National Mosque Management Committee led by its Chairman, the Etsu of Nupe, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar in Abuja.

The FCT Minister assured his visitors that he will never promote policies that are against certain religious Alignments.

“I want to start from what I was told, that I instructed the demolition of a Mosque in Rivers State, when I was a Governor.

“Moreso the Emir of Sokoto is one person I have high regards for, I don’t just see him as an elder brother but like a father.

Anything that has to do with Mosque, I will always give it support”

“You said Obasanjo launched the appeal fund for the support of the renovation of the National Mosque. No government will not support the management of the national Monument. We have a role to ensure that worship centers are well taken care of” he assured.

Wike disclosed that those trying to whip religious sentiment, were mischievously doing so, just to score some cheap political points.

“We are not targeting any religious group or ethnicity, we are doing what we can for the good of all FCT residents and Nigerians at large.

 “Don’t allow politicians who do not have the capacity to face me in any way to use religion as a weapon against me”

Wike noted that as a Nigerian, he has no reason to instigate hate speech against any religious groups, but to support any that has a genuine cause.

While assuring that FCT will not hesitate to support the maintenance of the National Mosque, or the National Ecumenical Centre having been declared as national monuments, he called on religious leaders to preach National unity and peaceful coexistence.

“You said Obasanjo launched the appeal fund for the support of the renovation of the national Mosque; no government will not support the management of the national monument; we have a role to ensure that worship centers are well taken care of”

“I say if we do not surpass what whatsoever you have been receiving for the maintenance of the Mosque, we are going to continue doing it” the Minister promised.

Reacting to an allegation that he intends stopping cows to be grazing in Abuja, the Minister said “Cows should not feed in the city center where there are only flowers but outside the city center where you have grasses to eat.

“I am here as the minister of FCT for everybody, religious group and ethnicity, we may not like change but change is inevitable,” he said.

Earlier in his remarks, the Etsu Nupe urged the Minister to support the maintenance project of the National Mosque, which he disclosed had been stalled for some time now.

He also pleaded with the Minister to grant the Committee more time to develop plots of land allocated to it by FCTA.