By Nofisat Marindoti
As part of efforts geared toward supporting the Government, A notable Islamic organisation in Nigeria, The Muslim Congress, TMC, has embarked on the fixing of bad portions of roads in the State of Osun.
The community service which kicked off in the capital city of Osogbo, along Gbongan-Osogbo express road, witnessed the filling of pot holes at Ajagbe junction, Onward Area Osogbo on Saturday.
The activity commenced by exactly 7:30am with members of the Congress and the Congress Guards fully involved in the business of the day, even as they were fully kitted with reflexive jackets and implements.
While the team which comprised of civil engineers and other experts were fixing the interlocking bricks after ensuring the foundation was well laid, others were seeing evacuating the drainages which had been the major cause of the recurring pot holes in the area. The Congress Guards were seeing dorecting the traffic.
According to State Waali (Governor) of the Congress, Dr Hassan Mustapha-Busuyi said the move was a contribution of TMC’s gesture to the development of the community.
“This is what Islam teaches us. Al Bir (righteousness) should not be limited to the four walls of the mosques. Righteousness is about spreading goodness, preventing harm to to the populace and benefiting other people. We cannot leave the burden of development to the government alone.
“We know the Federal Government is doing a lot. We are equally aware that Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s government is doing much in terms of infrastructures, but, government alone can’t fix everything. Everyone, every organisation, every corporate body has got to contribute to the society to make live worthy of living”, he said.
The Osogbo Local Government Wakil (Chairman) of the Congress, Mallam AbdulGaniyy Shittu also remarked that potholes at the Ajagbe junction had been causing accidents, damage and injuries to the road users, hence the need to commence the road repairs from there.
Mallam Shittu who is also the Imam of Alhaji Salahudeen Oladejo Memorial Mosque in Osogbo, said The Muslim Congress decided to assist the community by filling the holes with setting of interlocking bricks and clearing of the blocked drainage that was causing erosion to this road.
His words, “You can see that we truly mean business. That is why we are not just filling pot holes, we are doing it with standard and long-lasting materials. We are able to succeeded in doing this through the contributions made by the members of the Congress and support from some members of the community.
“As preached by our religion, we aim to do this and sustain it throughout our state, since we consider it as a veritable means to improving the well being of our people in the community.”
Imam Shittu however appealed to both religious and non-religious organisations, corporate bodies and unions, including the National Union of Road Transport Union and Roads Transport Employers Association of Nigeria to emulate the gesture by discharging their Corporate Social Responsibilities to the society, as practiced across the globe.