Bashir Ahmad, an ex-aide to the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari has dismissed reports that the FCT minister, Barr Nyesom Wike is about to demolish the National Mosque in Abuja for a road expansion.
Some earlier reports had claimed Wike has given an order for some parts of the National Mosque to be demolished to make way for the construction of a road project.
However, Ahmad in a post via his X account on Thursday, said the Minister has no such plans and has not given such orders.
Quoting a statement from the Federal Capital Territory, Ahmad noted that the mosque’s allocated land remains untouched, and the construction is at a considerable distance from the mosque building itself.
The road construction project is in the pipeline, but would not affect the National Mosque as being speculated in some quarters.
He wrote: “The Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has clarified that @GovWike is not planning to demolish parts of the National Mosque in Abuja for road expansion, as widely circulated. According to a statement by the Ministry, the mosque’s allocated land remains untouched, and the construction is at a considerable distance from the mosque building. The expansion will not affect the existing structures of the National Mosque.”
