Rev. Fr. Joseph Awoyale of the St. Andrews Catholic Church in Oro,
Kwara State, has commended the Federal Government for rehabilitating
the Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa Road, a critical arterial road which was in a
state of disrepair for about a decade.
The cleric gave the commendation when the Minister of Information and
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, paid him a courtesy visit at his parish
on Wednesday, as part of the activities marking this year Eid-el-Kabir
celebration.
”If there is anything I want to commend the administration for, it is
the rehabilitation of Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road that was really a death
trap for many people. I was asking one of our priests, Rev. Fr.
Christopher Ajiboye, who has just been posted to Jebba about the
road. He said when you pass through Shawo garage and hit the road,
it is smooth all through.
”We thank the administration for that and we hope and pray that the
administration will do more for us it terms of roads. I must say to
you that we need those roads to be able to connect to villages and
towns,” he said.
For his part, Mohammed congratulated the St. Andrews Catholic
Church, which he described as a shining example of religious harmony
and peaceful coexistence.
”It is has demonstrated, in practical terms, what religious harmony
means. It’s to the eternal credit of this church that for several
years, it made its premises available, free of charge, for the annual
Ramadan lecture, which I organize. Now, I am sure that, against the
background of the acrimony and mutual suspicion that many religious
leaders are promoting today, many cannot believe that a church will
throw its gates open to a Muslim. But that’s what this Catholic church
did for many years,” he said.
The Minister said the religious disharmony being propagated today by
some religious leaders is avoidable, and that adherents of the two
major religions do not have to be enemies.
He also congratulate the church as it prepares to mark its centenary,
and promised to play a major role in the celebration.
”A hundred years in the life of any person or organization is no mean
feat, hence it is always worthy of celebration.
“I have been invited to this celebration, which comes up from October 29 to November 1 2018, and I will play our part in the celebration”.
