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Obalende Praying Ground: Muslim Jamat Petitions Obasanjo

This Day (Lagos)
NEWS
November 11, 2004
Posted to the web November 12, 2004

By Ndubuisi Ugah
Lagos
Lagos Muslim Jamat yesterday called on President Olusegun Obasanjo to urgently
intervene by ordering the Nigerian Army to remove its hardware from the
Obalende Muslim praying ground, as the continuous dumping of the wares was
impeding against the planned development of the area.
The community said the call became necessary since representatives of the
Central Mosque of Lagos, the Nigeria Muslim Council, the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society
of Nigeria and other Muslim organisations had recently protested through a
letter, to the Minister for Defence, Alhaji Musa Kwankwaso, against the
occupation of the praying ground at Obalende by military authorities.
A statement signed by Alhaji Lateef Olufemi Okunnu (SAN), and made available to
THISDAY yesterday said, "on April 12, 2004, representatives of the Lagos
Central Mosque, the Nigerian Muslim Council, the Ansar-ud-Deen Society of
Nigeria and other Muslim organisations wrote a letter of protest, to Alhaji
Musa Kwankwanso, Minister for Defence, against the occupation of the Muslim
praying ground at Obalende by the Nigerian Army, without the consent or
authority of its owners, the Lagos Muslim Jamat."
Signatories to the letter were Alhaji W. I Folawiyo (Baba Adini of Nigeria),
Alhaji Garuba Akinola Ibrahim (Chief Imam of Lagos) and Alhaji Lateef Femi
Okunnu (SAN), who is the chairman of Obalende praying ground committee.
the letter read: "the possession of the praying ground, first situated at Keffi
Street and now at Ribadu road, South-west, Ikoyi, was designated for Eid
prayers, Maulud Nobiyi and other Muslim festivals from time immemorial, under a
grant by the colonial government."
Shedding more light on how the community acquired the praying ground, the
statement explained that "by an indenture dated August 9, 1931, Sir Donald
Charles Cameron, Governor of Nigeria, vested the title to the land in 'the
Jamatul Muslimi of Central Mosque of Lagos, to hold the same unto and to the
use of the Jamatul Muslimi...for ever, free from all incumberances".
According to Okunnu, "that particular piece of land was in exchange for an
earlier parcel of land at Obalende similarly vested in Lagos Muslim community".

   

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