Thursday, April 30, 2026 - Public
Affairs commentator, Mahdi Shehu has accused the Federal Government of bias
following the flag-off of a N25 billion ecumenical chapel project at the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Shehu made his position known in a post shared on X on
Wednesday night, reacting to reports that the Federal Government and the
Christian Association of Nigeria have commenced construction of the facility.
“The N25 Billion project was flagged -off on April 26, 2026
by the Secretary to the Federal Government, George Akume, Aviation Minister,
Festus Keyamo, CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, other Senior Federal
Government and CAN officials.
“According to SGF George Akume, the project represents a
“confluence of faith and progress” which will meet passengers’ physical,
emotional, and spiritual needs.
“Archbishop Okoh said travelers need a place where they can
regain their calm before they enter the aeroplane,” Mahdi quoted.
According to him, the involvement of top government
officials in the project shows that it has full backing at the highest level.
“For this project to be flagged off by the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation and the Aviation Minister means the President is
fully aware and has given his consent,” he said.
Shehu also pointed to the allocation of land for the
project, suggesting that key government figures must have been involved in
approving the space.
He further questioned when Muslim travellers would be given
the same prominent and visible land space to build a mosque at the airport.
“When will equal financial contribution be provided to the
Muslim faithful as was done for CAN?” he asked.
He also queried whether government officials would show
similar support for a mosque project, including attending a groundbreaking
ceremony.
“When will some Muslim ministers be sent to perform the same
role?” he added.
“When will P-ABT put a disclaimer that he is not aware of
the N25billion Federal government/CAN Project so that Muslim faithfuls will
“believe him as neutral”
He argued that without equal treatment, the project risks
creating the impression of partiality.
“This N25 Billion project is an equation with two variables,
one known and the other unknown. For the picture to become clear, the equation
must be balanced otherwise it remains the case of: “A mother in charge of the
kitchen will feed her children first and out of hate will deliberately starve
the others to death,” he said.
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