The chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, yesterday said he could not see any evidence that Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike demolished any mosque in Port Harcourt as reported. Fayemi, who was on a fact-finding mission, visited the location of the alleged mosque demolition at Biambo Street, off School Road, Rainbow Estate, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, pleaded with Wike to oblige the Muslim community if they sought a request to have another place.
“With what I’ve seen, I cannot see any evidence of any building that has been demolished here. If you (Wike) are somebody who wants a place of worship, you should find a way to oblige them. I know within your capacity, it’ll be possible to find a place for them. From what I’ve seen here, I think it is a storm in a tea Cup. There is nothing to warrant this kind of media hype that has been given to it,” Fayemi said.
Wike, who conducted Fayemi round the disputed land, urged people not to create discord among the different religions as they worship the same God, saying the NGF chairman had confirmed that there was no mosque there.
“I want to thank the chairman of my forum for at least coming to see things for himself. He called me while he was away and I told him, you know that I can’t do something like that and he said okay when he comes back, he is coming to see me and he has fulfilled that promise. That shows leadership, and from what he has seen, there was no mosque. There is no way I’ll see a mosque and order the Ministry of Urban Development to go and demolish a mosque.
“Assuming that there is even a mosque and that government doesn’t want it at that location, we’ll invite them and say look, we don’t want a mosque there, can we find you an alternative place? But there was no mosque. I don’t know why people should make politics out of the issue. It’s not important,” he said.
