The Ilorin Central Jumaat Mosque Committee has announced plans to construct a 250-bed student hostel at the University of Ilorin, in Kwara State.
The project, which will cost N1.1bn, is conceived to boost the mosque committee’s internally generated revenue drive.
LEADERSHIP reports that the Ilorin Central Jumaat Committee led by the chairman of the board of trustees, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore, had over the years relied on donations from the wealthy sons and daughters of Ilorin Emirate, for the maintenance of the edifice.
Presenting the progress report of the committee during its annual meeting in Ilorin, the secretary of the board of trustees, Alhaji Shehu AbdulGafar said, ” Already letter of intent ( on the 250 bed- space students hostel) has been submitted to the university. 3D plan of the hostel is displayed in the programme for the 2025 BoT/ stakeholders meeting”.
AbdulGafar also said that the committee would spend N100m on the procurement of a rug for the mosque’s main hall.
He added:” Our mosque, is no doubt, one of the most beautiful places of religion in Nigeria and beyond. We, therefore, need to expend resources towards giving it proper maintenance for it to maintain its alluring admiration.
“However, since the Mosque has neither any form of investment or a steady source of income, this gathering has become a necessity for compatriots not only to donate and make pledges, but also to get enabling information on the state of the Mosque.
“May I say that due to the growing inflation, the cost of maintaining the edifice is on the increase. The amount needed for the monthly recurrent expenditure is N5.5m.”
AbdulGafar said epileptic power supply remains a significant challenge, coupled with a high bill of over N1 million monthly for the operation and maintenance of the Mosque.
