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 government and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) have commenced construction of the chapel.
Shehu questioned when a similar project of such magnitude would be constructed for Muslims. He wrote: “The N25 Billion project was flagged-off on April 26, 2026 by the Secretary to the Federal Government, George Akume, Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, and other senior government and CAN officials.”
According to Shehu, SGF George Akume described the project as a “confluence of faith and progress” that would meet passengers’ physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Archbishop Okoh said travelers need a place to regain calm before boarding.
Shehu noted that the involvement of the SGF and Aviation Minister indicates the President was fully aware and consented. He also pointed to land allocation, suggesting key government figures approved the space.
He further questioned when Muslim travelers would receive similar prominent land space to build a mosque at the airport. “When will equal financial contribution be provided to the Muslim faithful as was done for CAN?” he wrote.
Shehu also queried whether government officials would show similar support for a mosque project. “This N25 Billion project is 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 the case of: ‘A mother in charge of the kitchen will feed her children first and out of hate will deliberately starve the others to death,’” he said.
