The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has successfully performed Umrah rituals amid tight security, upon his arrival at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the President, alongside members of his entourage, was led by a delegation from the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Nigerian Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami, in performing the rituals on Thursday.
The Nigerian leader had earlier visited some historic religious places in Madinah on Tuesday and Wednesday before he proceeded to Makkah for the Umrah.
President Buhari also visited and prayed at the Prophet’s Mosque. He arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for an eight-day official visit.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, League of Federal Capital Territory Imams, Sheikh Tajudeen Adigun, on Thursday, urged all Muslims to imbibe the culture of self-reliance in compliance with the teachings of Islam.
Adigun gave the advice in his keynote address during the distribution of food items and cash to over 2,000 needy persons by the Nurul Yaqeen Islamic Foundation at Life Camp in Abuja.
He said Islam was a religion that encouraged everybody to work so as to be self-reliant and also give out alms to the needy.
Adigun said, “Until we have the culture of thinking of the way out individually, we cannot solve the problem of poverty in society.
“This is because those who are rich as you are seeing them are in categories. There are those who are merciful and ever-ready to give out and there are those who don’t mind, they believe it is their hard work that makes them reach such a position. So, they are too careless to even know if somebody is suffering, but the only way is to encourage individuals to have something. If we have that culture, poverty will be reduced tremendously in society.”
