Lagos State has again showed other states why religious crisis hardly occurs despite being a heterogeneous society.
A property that was willed to the Lagos Central Mosque was inaugurated on June 24 after a long legal tussle.
The immediate family of the late Alhaja Munirat Muhammed refused to honour the woman’s wish to will a property located at 14A Bashorun Street, Ikoyi, to the central mosque.
It took the intervention of the brother of the late Alhaja Muhammed, Bashorun JK Randle, a Christian, for the family of the deceased to release the property, but not that easily.
Bashorun Randle followed the case from the lower court till it got to the Supreme Court, where it was ruled in favour of the central mosque.
It was after the judgement that he handed over the property to the mosque.
The mosque executive refurbished and opened it for habitation on June 24.
At the low-key but colourful event, Bashorun Randle was the cynosure of all eyes.
He was praised for his belief in justice and religious tolerance.
A senior member of the mosque said: “The late philanthropist (Alhaja Munirat Muhammed) had willed the property to the Lagos Central Mosque, but the matter had dragged through the courts until the Supreme Court delivered judgment in favour of the mosque with the help of the deceased’s brother Bashorun John. K Randle (a Christian). This once again proved the harmonious relationship between Christians and Muslims, cemented by love and mutual respect, which Lagos Christians and Muslims have shared and cherished for several centuries.”
An elated Baba Adinni of Lagos, Sheikh Abdul Hafeez Abou, noted that the old structure was handed over to the mosque by Bashorun Randle according to the wish of the late donor.
He said the old building was demolished and re-built into a modern four-flat of three bedrooms each with car park, boys quarters and borehole for the occupiers by the mosque management.
According to Sheikh Abou, Lagos Central Mosque internally generated revenue to finance the re-building without borrowing from any financial institution.
“I give praise and thanks to Allah for granting me the privilege to be part of the actors of this project and also to witness in my lifetime such a prestigious Islamic event as the opening of this significant project in the annals of the Lagos Central Mosque,” he said.
Sheikh Abou thanked the Lagos Muslim Ummah, particularly the Building Project Committee-led by Arc. N.A.K. Kekere Ekun, the consortium of engineers and the Executive Council of the Central Mosque, for making the project a reality.
He prayed to Allah to grant Alhaja Muhammed Al-Jannah Firdaus.
Bashorun Randle said Lagosians shared mutual respect irrespective of religion.
“Just as Christians donated generously to the building of mosques, in similar fashion Muslims contributed to the building of churches and cathedrals in cash and kind and mostly lands,” he said.
Randle said his family is no exception of the natural friendship and inter-marriages, whereby most families in Lagos are almost equally spilt between Christians and Muslims.
He said sanctity of tolerance, integrity, honesty and trustworthiness is embedded in the blood of all genuine Lagosians.
Giving insight into cordial relationship enjoyed by the different faiths, he said: “The old Lagos Central Mosque was designed and constructed under the supervision of George Debayo Agbebi, a Christian and an Italian Catholic Company, G. CAPPA & CO, built the new Central Mosque. And also most of you are aware of the twin brothers who went to different schools – Methodist Boys’ High School, Lagos and Ahmadiyah College, Agege. The late Alhaji L.B Agusto was Chief Imam of Lagos and that did not preclude him from being the lawyer to the Catholic Diocese of Lagos under Archbishop Leo Taylor. It was Alhaji Jubril Martins, another Muslim, who attended St. Gregory’s College, that succeeded him as the church’s counsel.
“For those who insist on concrete evidence, I suggest you visit 123, Bamgbose Street, in Lagos. It belongs to Akerele, McGregor and Da Silva families respectively. All of them are staunch Catholics. There is no record of friction between the catholic and the Muslim Community. On the contrary, there is hardly any of the children of those catholic families that was not given a Muslim name in joyful celebration by the adherents of Islam from across the streets. Occasionally, the Chief Imam intervened to settle disputes among Christian family members. It was and remains a relationship cemented by love, trust and mutual respect.”
Chief Randle praised the elders of the Lagos Central Mosque for their maturity.
He said: “I should be the one to thank our Muslim brethren for giving me the opportunity to once again celebrate the life, steadfastness, humility, faithfulness and generosity of spirit of the Testator.
“For several years, the matter dragged on through the courts until the Supreme Court delivered judgment in favour of the event we are witnessing today.”
Bashorun of Lagos Alhaji Sikiru Alabi Macfoy described the day as special day in the history of Lagos Central Mosque.
“Though people have been donating to the Central Mosque but we have not experienced a situation where someone willed a whole property to the Mosque and after her demise, such plan was executed,” he said.
He noted that so many people don’t want the property to get to the beneficiary but with the help of the deceased faithful cousin, it got to the rightful beneficiary.
He commended Bashorun Randle and assured that the property, which has been turned to an investment would yield profit, which would be used judiciously for the development of the society.