No fewer than 78 construction companies are competing for contracts for construction of 90 mosques in Jigawa State.
Muhammad Musa, chairman, Tender Board Committee for the project, made this known in a statement on Thursday, November 10, 2016 in Dutse.
Muhammad, also the permanent secretary, administration and finance, office of the secretary to the state government, said that three mosques would be constructed in each of the 30 constituencies of the state.
He gave the assurance that due process would be followed in awarding the contracts, adding that the Technical Evaluation Committee for the bidding would be fair.
The decision to use public funds in building religious buildings has come under intense scrutiny on social media platforms.
Leo Igwe, a humanist and human rights activist, reacting to the news of the northern government described it as a waste of government funds and condemned the involvement of a state government in promoting a religion.
“Personally, I cannot imagine that this wasteful scheme is being executed under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari who came to power promising to tackle corruption and curb the misuse of state funds,” he wrote in an opinion editorial published on The Trent.
“Actually, because it has to do with Islam, I do not expect anybody not even President Buhari, or our Emir of Kano to be critical of this project.
“I do not expect all those who have, in recent years, decried the poverty and marginalization of northern Nigeria by past governments to oppose this scheme.
“Definitely, I do not expect any of the anti-corruption or change-begins-with-me campaigners to raise a voice or question the justification of using state money to build mosques at a time Nigeria is in recession,” he said.
Some Nigerians on Twitter have reacted to the government’s plan and not many supported it.
Lagos will train 1 million students in coding&build 1000 coding centres. Jigawa wants to build 90 mosques. UNDERDEVELOPMENT IS A CHOICE.
— Resistance is Futile (@chrisngwodo) November 12, 2016
"The Jigawa governor said it was expensive to maintain GEJ's almajiri's schools but now has money to build 90 mosques?- Uwakwe-mangse Hanna"
— Ntiense Wills (@NtienseWilliams) November 12, 2016
Jigawa state:
Population about 4m
Only 36k students in secondary sch
Literacy rate 24.2%
Poverty rate 88.4%
Wants to build 90 mosques— Sola (@Advsola) November 12, 2016
https://twitter.com/Ayomidejoe/status/797008050716545025
Misplaced priorities:
Jigawa Govt to construct 90 mosques;
Katsina Govt to purchase 3000 coffins;
Gombe Gov appoints 229 aides. #Arewa
— Y M Rigasa (@YMRigasa) November 11, 2016
So, while a governor like Ambode is running up & down putting VAT into the federal purse, his Jigawa colleague will be building 90 mosques.
— BROUHAHA (@BrouhahaNG) November 11, 2016
Jigawa state gov said he has no money to maintain almajiri schools but is building over 70 mosques. https://t.co/9lYXRpOYAL
— Bobby of House Stark (@datsbobby) November 12, 2016
EFCC should better go after that governor in Jigawa he is trying to siphon public fund in the guise of religion.
— dj man (@koldflame) November 12, 2016
