The Personal Assistant to the National Chief Imam of Ghana, Dr. Mohammed Marzuq Abubakar Azindoo, has called for Ghanaians to work at improving on their maintenance culture.

He said that traditionally, citizens of the country have not committed a lot of their energies to ensure that things, such as buildings, that are left in their care, are properly maintained.

He added that if only this aspect of Ghanaian life can be effectively worked on, it would go a long way to improve productivity and progress in the country.

Dr. Marzuq Azindoo spoke to GhanaWeb during the inauguration of the Hajia Safia Yakubu Masjid at Adenta.

“It is a very important project and it is important that we all help to maintain it. I believe that the struggle to give is next to the burden to maintain. As you know, in Ghana, we have a very poor maintenance culture and that is why I am not more interested in the construction, but I am rather more interested in the maintenance.

“This is such a pride to all Muslims and it should be a source of productivity for the entire society. Whether the members are Muslims or non-Muslims, this mosque should serve all of them and that is to say, this mosque is not just a mere symbol of religion; it must be a place of worship, an avenue of socialisation and a platform of national unification.

“If we are able to stand by all these values, then definitely, this mosque will be put in a situation that will be productive to the entirety of the Ghanaian population,” he said.

He also explained that it is the hope of the National Chief Imam, Shiekh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, that more and more people contribute to projects of humanitarian nature that will benefit societies.

He also said that it is the hope of the National Chief Imam that mosques will serve more purposes to their societies than merely being places of worship.

“His Eminence the National Chief Imam is a man of humanitarian services and he believes that no matter where we are, we should try as much as possible, to have avenues of humanitarian services and therefore the National Chief Imam expects all Muslims, especially the wealthy ones, to construct any project that will be beneficial to the society.

“The mosque, within the context of religion, is one thing, but beyond religion, the mosque is still a place of productivity to the Muslim community. And that is why His Eminence the National Chief Imam is interested in coming out with any project – not just a mosque, that will be productive to society.

“A mosque, especially in modern societies, cannot be reduced to a mere symbol of worship. In modern societies, we are faced with so many challenges ranging from the cyber world, to the behavioural tendencies of society, and therefore it is up to all centers of worship to find solutions to all these multi-dimensional ills of contemporary societies," he added.

The Hajia Safia Yakubu Masjid is estimated to have cost between GH¢500,000 to GH¢600,000 and was single-handedly built by Alhaji Saani Mohammed Yakubu, the Country Director of ActionAid, based in Congo DRC.

AE/MA