Former Chief Imam of the Apo Legislative Quarters Mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Khalid, has been appointed to lead another Juma’at mosque in Abuja.
This is coming barely 24 hours after the Imam was sacked by the Apo mosque steering committee over a sermon that criticised the government’s failure to stop insecurity in the country.
The Imam said he paid the “price for the voiceless” and would continue to identify with the masses.
“My sack is a reflection of how Nigeria is today. Many people are hiding under the cover of religion to perpetrate all manners of unwholesome acts.
“Such people would stop at nothing to take away people like me, who are pro-masses and bold enough to speak the truth to power always on behalf of voiceless Nigerians.
“This is the price we pay for aligning with the people and identifying with their sufferings.
“By the Grace of Almighty Allah, I will be leading my new congregation this Friday, because as clerics we need a platform for operating.
“There’s a Jum’mat mosque we built behind the CBN Quarters, in Abuja; I will now be leading the congregation there,” he was quoted as saying by Vanguard.
The mosque committee of Apo legislative quarters, Abuja, had suspended Khalid over a sermon he delivered on Friday, April 1. He was later sacked on Monday, April 4, 2022.
Khalid, who is also the Founder of Islamic Research and Da’awah Foundation, in the sermon, criticised the government for its failure to stop insecurity in the country.
The Imam specifically told the electorate not to vote for any politician who cannot guarantee them the safety of lives and properties.
While delivering the sermon, he said, “Nigerian masses should resort to only one term which is – protect our lives, we will come out to vote; let us be killed, we will not come out to vote, since it’s only elections that you people know.
“We need prayers. We need supplication. This is very important at a time when Nigeria is facing a very serious challenge. Everything is not working well. People are dying. Our roads are not secured.
“Most part of the country is not secured. The government is always telling us that they are doing their best. But we deserve more than that best as citizens because we want a secured Nigeria.
What you are telling us is that your concern is about the 2023 elections. And what I am telling the citizens is to send a message that we are going to vote under one condition. Nigerian masses should resort to only one term which is – protect our lives, we will come out to vote; let us be killed, we will not come out to vote, since it’s the only language you understand, we are going to speak it.
“Our lives are important to us. We want to live. Our wealth and dignity are is important as well. You must do something to secure our lives and make our security workable. We cannot afford to be moving like this. People attacking our trains, killing our people as if there is no government in this country.
They (bandits) can gather and disseminate intelligence information as if they are a government of their own while our government cannot share information and stop the rubbish on our ways.”