Obasanjo heads campaign for renovation of 100-year-old mosque in Ogun

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has taken the lead in the initiative to remodel the Egba Central Mosque, located in the Kobiti area of Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.

According to reports, the mosque, which represents an architectural masterpiece, was said to have been built in 1925 on a piece of land donated by Oba Sodeke shortly after the Egbas had settled there.

The mosque sits on the site of the first Mosque erected on the same location in the 1830s.

Meanwhile, the renovation remodelling efforts of the century-old mosque are being championed by the Egba Muslim Council (EMC).

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As outlined by the council, the mosque renovation project includes the construction of several new structures, such as an administrative building, a library, a Quranic Academy, a multipurpose social hall, an imam’s residence, a shopping complex, a medical center, and a guest house.

Prominent Nigerians made donations at the public presentation and unveiling of the project’s designs held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The former President is leading the initiative alongside several other dignitaries in attendance, including Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, and the Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo.

Other notable figures include former governors of Ogun and Sokoto states, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Aliyu Wamakko, respectively, as well as former Nigerian Ambassador to the UK, Sarafa Tunji Ishola, Sir Kessington Adebutu, Chief Rasaq Okoya, and the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Prof Ishaq Oloyede.

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The campaign leader, Obasanjo, urged the guests and faithful to support the mosque’s remodelling, emphasising that such charitable acts attract divine reward.

The elder statesman called on all Nigerians, regardless of their religion or status, to consider the project a collective effort and contribute to its realisation.