Nigerian Muslims Abroad are set to build a N500 million educational facility in Epe.
Epe Insights reports that a group of Nigerian Muslims based in Canada, the United States, and Europe recently unveiled their plan to build a N500 million educational facility in Epe, Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial city.
Nigerian Muslims Abroad is a faith-based, not-for-profit organization that is made up of some eminent Nigerians who are devoted Muslims. Their mission is to propagate Islam by deploying their resources to help out in areas of education and sports.
The visionary of the project, Ustaz Ahmed Lasisi, said the proposed Peace Centre for Culture and Knowledge is an educational facility that will serve as an incubator to train and nurture the minds of young Muslims from their kindergarten age to adulthood.
Lasisi said the proposed educational project located at Ini-Iraye in Epe area of Lagos, will be useful for both the school and the community with various facilities like a befitting hall for knowledge-based seminars and lectures, an event centre for Walimot, weddings, and other social Islamic functions.
He told a story of a 30-year-old named Abdullah, born to devout muslim parents, with elementary education at a Catholic school. But later found grace with the advice of his uncle, who taught him about the oneness of Allah.
Lasisi, the Canada-based Nigerian, added that today, many young Muslims face the same fate as that of Abdullah and the vision to rescue lies in the establishment of the Peace Centre.
” We are registered both in Nigeria and Canada as a not-for- profit organization.Two years ago,we acquired ten plots of land at Ini- Iraye in Epe,with all the necessary documents intact.
“The proposed facilities to be built on the land include the mosque for 700 males and 500 females,the school including libraries,Imam’s quarters, dormitories,court yard and event centres and artificial turf for various sporting events.
“The idea is to focus on ways to protect our young muslims from going astray.We want to capture their minds when they are young.
“We have so many of our brilliant minds that have been lured to other religions, because there is no better facility that will take care of their educational needs, especially now that we are in a highly contested environment, where people prey on their vulnerability and change the course of their lives.”
The visionary of the project explained further that the project is in four stages, stressing that the first stage, which is the acquisition of the land, had been completed and that there is a timeline of about 18 months from the groundbreaking to the completion of the project.
“We seek donations from Muslims from all over the world to complete this project. It is not about us but about the future of our young ones.”
The Peace Centre is encompassing because it is integrating some of the Yoruba culture that is fused directly with that of Islam into the school system.
One of the Board of Trustees of the organization, Ustaz Ibrahim Balogun, said the construction of the project will start in earnest.
