A group of Nigerian Muslims based in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Europe has unveiled plans to build a ₦500 million educational facility in Epe, Lagos State, with the mission of propagating Islam by deploying their resources to support education and sports.
Speaking on the new initiative, the visioner of the project, Ustaz Ahmed Lasisi, said the proposed Peace Centre for Culture and Knowledge is an educational facility designed to serve as an incubator to train and nurture young Muslims from their kindergarten years to adulthood.
Furthermore, he explained that the proposed educational project, located in Ini-Iraye in the Epe area of Lagos, would serve both the school and the community. The facility will include a hall for knowledge-based seminars and lectures, an event centre for Walimot, weddings, and other Islamic social functions.
According to Ustaz Lasisi, the Canada-based Nigerian, the proposed facilities to be built on the acquired 10 plots of land at Ini-Iraye in Epe include a mosque for 700 males and 500 females, a school with libraries, an Imam’s quarters, dormitories, a courtyard, event centres, and an artificial turf for various sporting events.
He explained that the idea is to focus on protecting young Muslims from going astray, citing the story of a 30-year-old named Abdullah, born to a devout Muslim family. Abdullah received a basic education at a Catholic school and nearly lost his faith before his uncle helped him rediscover the oneness of Allah.
Lasisi noted that many young Muslims today face similar challenges and stated that the vision for the Peace Centre lies in rescuing them.
“We want to capture their minds when they are young. We are registered both in Nigeria and Canada as a not-for-profit organisation. Two years ago, we acquired ten plots of land at Ini-Iraye in Epe, with all the necessary documents intact.
“The proposed facilities to be built on the land include the mosque for 700 males and 500 females, the school with libraries, Imam’s quarters, dormitories, a courtyard, event centres, and an artificial turf for various sporting events.
“The idea is to focus on ways to protect our young Muslims from going astray. We want to capture their minds when they are young.
“We have so many of our brilliant minds who have been lured to other religions because there is no better facility to cater for their educational needs, especially now that we are in a highly contested environment where people prey on their vulnerabilities and change the course of their lives,” he said.
Speaking further, Lasisi explained that the project consists of four stages, stressing that the first stage, which involved acquiring the land, had been completed. He added that the timeline for the project’s completion, from groundbreaking to the final stage, is approximately 18 months.
He described the Peace Centre as encompassing, stating that it integrates elements of Yoruba culture that are directly fused with Islam into the school system.
“We seek donations from Muslims all over the world to complete this project. It is not about us but about the future of our young ones,” he said.
One of the Board of Trustees of the organisation, Ustaz Ibrahim Balogun, said that construction of the project would commence soon.
“When completed, the Peace Centre for Culture and Knowledge will be a legacy project, and the young generations of Islamic ulamas graduating from the school will make a positive impact that will transform the world,” he said.
Other members of the Board of Trustees of the Peace Centre for Culture and Knowledge include Ustaz Isiak Okusi, Ustaz Abdul Akeem Buhari, Ustaz Abdul Fatai Tunde Lawal, and Ustaz Abdul Roheem Olayemi, among others.
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