“… If you visit many construction Sites where the Chinese are employed as Contractors, you will find that they work on Sundays, but we, who have unemployment challenges do not often work on Sundays.
We have invested a worrisome amount of money in building Places of worship compared to what we have in building Factories, Businesses and Schools.
This is worrisome compared to the investments I see in Businesses and Schools that outstrip investment in Places of worship in the West and Middle East.
Recently, while driving along a Road of not more than 5 (FIVE) kilometres in a Nigerian City, a Colleague and I took an unplanned census of Building types and this is what we counted:
a) 1 Laundry Outfit for washing and dry cleaning clothes (Job Place)
b) 3 Clinics for healthcare (Job Place)
c) 2 Petrol filling Stations (Job Place)
d) 1 Bank Branch (Job Place)
e) 4 shopping Outlets (Job Place)
f) 1 Eatery (Job Place)
g) 10 Religious Houses (Worship Place)
As you go around your States and Neighbourhoods, I urge you to do a similar count and tell your Neighbour what you see.
Again I reiterate, I DO NOT criticise worship, but I am challenging you to think through the choices you will make.
We will not pray our way out of recession, we will plan, and produce our way back to prosperity and out of recession …”
- Babatunde Raji Fashola.
Former Minister for Works.
