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Political commentator Mahdi Shehu has accused the Federal Government of bias following the flag-off of a N25 billion chapel project at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
In a post shared on X on Wednesday night, April 29, Shehu reacted to reports that the Federal Government, in collaboration with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has commenced construction of the chapel. He questioned when a similar project of such scale would be undertaken for Muslim faithful.
He wrote: “The N25 billion project was flagged off on April 26, 2026, by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo; CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh; and other senior government and CAN officials.
“According to SGF George Akume, the project represents a ‘confluence of faith and progress’ that will meet passengers’ physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
“Archbishop Okoh said travellers need a place where they can regain their calm before boarding an aircraft,” Shehu quoted.
He added: “For this project to be flagged off by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Aviation Minister means the President is fully aware and has given his consent.”
Shehu also pointed to the allocation of land for the project, suggesting that key government figures must have been involved in approving the space.
He further questioned when Muslim travellers would be given equally prominent and visible land to build a mosque at the airport.
“When will equal financial contribution be provided to the Muslim faithful, as was done for CAN?” he asked.
He also queried whether government officials would show similar support for a mosque project.
“This N25 billion project is like an equation with two variables—one known and the other unknown. For the picture to become clear, the equation must be balanced; otherwise, it remains a case of:
‘A mother in charge of the kitchen will feed her children first and, out of hate, deliberately starve the others,’” he said.
