The foundation stone laying was held over the weekend at Diabugu village. In attendance were government officials in the region, religious leaders, students and officials of GACH and a cross section of the community. The mosque is expected to be completed in four to five months and it is being constructed by S.B Construction Engineering Company.
The chief executive officer of GACH, Abubakary Jawara, underscored the significance of the mosque for the village, saying the construction of the new mosque is part of their efforts towards participating in the promotion of Islam in the country.
“This is what I find my parents and grandparent doing. They have worked tirelessly in promoting Islam in the region and the country at large. Therefore, we must follow up their footsteps in ensuring that their legacy is still in place.”
“Our intervention in the country in terms of supporting Gambians to address some of their challenges will not only stop at other sectors, but even on religious issues. Prophet Muhammed (S.A.W) has made it clear that whoever builds a mosque for Allah here, Allah will also build a house for the person in Jannah. Therefore, as a company, we also want to strengthen our intervention in this area. In essence, if we are approached by any community or an individual of anything that we feel is worth supporting, we will not hesitate to support.” he said.
The Gambia, Jawara said, belongs to all of us irrespective of our beliefs or ideologies. “The government can’t do everything for us, even if they are willing to do so, we thus need to partner with them.”
The GACH CEO, who later visited the police Intervention Unit (PIU) project site that he is constructing in Basse, said no nation in the world can develop in the absence of peace and stability, saying peace and security is among the most important pillars in any country.
According to him, there can be no sustainable development without peace, adding that nothing is more important on this earth than peace. “Therefore as Gambians, we must complement the efforts of our security personnel in ensuring that the peace and stability that the country is known for is maintained always.”
Muhammed Drammeh, the imam of the mosque, thanked the GACH CEO for fulfilling his promise to construct a mosque for them.
“I can tell you that almost every day I was afraid, especially when my students were going for prayers crossing the Laminkoto-Passamas road to go and pray in another mosque, which is about one kilometre from our area.”
The construction of the mosque, he added, would encourage others to be more serious about their five daily prayers and start worshiping Allah. He urged other philanthropists to emulate Mr. Jawara and participate in the promotion of Islam in the country.
Surahata Jawara and Haja Neneh Susso both thanked the donor for the support, while describing it as a worthy investment.
