Rev. Fr. Joseph Awoyale of the St. Andrews Catholic Church in Oro, Kwara State, has commended the Federal Government for rehabilitating the Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa Road, a critical arterial road which was in a state of disrepair for about a decade.

The cleric gave the commendation when the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, paid him a courtesy visit at his parish on Wednesday, as part of the activities marking this year Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

“If there is anything I want to commend the administration for, it is the rehabilitation of Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road that was really a death trap for many people. I was asking one of our priests, Rev. Fr. Christopher Ajiboye, who has just been posted to Jebba about the road. When you pass through Shawo garage and hit the road, it is smooth all through.

“We thank the administration for that and we hope and pray that the administration will do more for us in terms of roads. I must say to you that we need those roads to be able to connect to villages and towns,” he said.

For his part, Alhaji Mohammed congratulated the St. Andrews Catholic Church, which he described as a shining example of religious harmony and peaceful coexistence.

“It is has demonstrated, in practical terms, what religious harmony means. It’s to the eternal credit of this church that for several years, it made its premises available, free of charge, for the annual Ramadan lecture, which I organise. Now, I am sure that, against the background of the acrimony and mutual suspicion that many religious leaders are promoting today, many cannot believe that a church will throw its gates open to a Muslim. But that's what this Catholic Church did for many years,” he said.

The Minister said the religious disharmony being propagated today by some religious leaders is avoidable, and that adherents of the two major religions do not have to be enemies.

He also congratulated the church as it prepares to mark its centenary, and promised to play a major role in the celebration.

“A hundred years in the life of any person or organisation is no mean feat, hence it is always worthy of celebration. I have been invited to this celebration, which comes up on Oct. 29 to Nov. 1 2018, and I will play our part in the celebration,” Alhaji Mohammed said.

•Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed (fourth from left); the Parish Priest of St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Oro, Irepodun Local Government of Kwara State Rev. Fr. (Dr) Joseph Awoyale and the Special Assistant II To the President on Information and Culture, Mr. Williams Adeleye (extreme left) when the minister visited the Church as part of the activities to mark the Eid-el-Kabir Celebration in Oro on Wednesday.

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