By Nneka Nwogwugwu, Abuja
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has responded to a leaked internal memo trending on social media which revealed the approval of N30m for construction of a ‘Friday’ mosque with taxpayers’ funds.
In a statement issued by the Director of Information, FMARD, Theodore Ogaziechi on Thursday, confirmed the leaked memo as being authentic.
Explaining reasons for the construction, Ogaziechi said that the Ministry built the mosque for livestock farmers.
He said livestock farmers were sacked from their settlements by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno.
According to the statement, “To put the facts straight, the memo is authentic and appropriate in all ramifications.
“It is original and was issued by the ministry for the construction of a worship centre for a community of livestock farmers who were sacked and displaced in Borno State by Boko Haram insurgents and are being resettled in Ngarannam/Mafa Local Government, Borno State.
“The memo is an official document and it is available for public scrutiny and review. It is therefore unfortunate for anyone to presume that the memo leaked.
“The ministry is in no way perturbed about the matter because it received appropriate approval, carried out due needs assessment, and ensured due process in the execution of the project.”
The ministry went ahead to state that apart from the mosque, other common facilities provided for the livestock farmers in the community include solar-powered boreholes with overhead tanks and drinking troughs for their cattle and small ruminants.
