By DANJUMA JOSEPH, Lafia –
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has urged intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to pray for peace, unity and the success of the present administration in the state and the country at large.
Governor Sule, made the call on Tuesday, in his farewell message to the intending pilgrims from the state in Lafia.
He called on the pilgrims to use the spiritual exercise and pray for President Bola Tinubu and the state governors to be able to turn around the affairs of the country for good.
Our correspondent gathered that the intending pilgrims were supposed to be 1,760 but two women were screened out and dropped due to pregnancy in line with the current roles of Hajj exercise.
The governor lauded the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), for selecting the state for two successive year to be among the inaugural flight to the Holy Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The governor also commended the officials of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, for their coordination in the previous exercise that had attracted special recognition to the state at the national level.
Gov. Sule congratulated the pilgrims for the grace of God in their lives to perform Hajj which is one of the seven pillars of Islam and urged them to continue to be good ambassadors of the state.
On his part, the Emir of Lafia, retired Justice Sidi Bage-Mohammed, charged the intending pilgrims not to do anything that would bring disrepute to the good name of the state in Holy Land.
He explained that enforcement of law and order is very strict in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and urged them to avoid anything that would led to breakdown of the law while in the pilgrimage.
Similarly, the Chief Judge (CJ) of the state and the State Amirul – Hajj, Justice Aisha Basir-Aliyu, advised the pilgrims to use the exercise for prayers for the president, governor and other leaders.
The 2024 Amiru-Hajj expressed optimism that with prayers God would intervene to address the present problems confronting the country.
In his goodwill message, the Executive Secretary of Nasarawa State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Ahj. Idris Ahmed-Al-Makura, expressed gratitude to the governor for the support toward the success of 2024 exercise.
“As it has been in the past, Gov. Abdullahi Sule had given the board all the necessary support and had supported the intending Pilgrims in the areas of accommodation and transportation to ease pilgrimage” he said.
The 1,758 intending pilgrims from Nasarawa State, would be airlifted to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia on May 15.
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