Buhari heads to Saudi Arabia on 8-day official visit
President Muhammadu Buhari will on Tuesday, April 11 travel to Saudi Arabia on official visit and he is expected to be back after eight days.
During his visit to the kingdom which would be the sixth and the last while in office, the president will perform Umrah, the Lesser Pilgrimage, as contained in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media an Publicity, Garba Shehu.
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According to Shehu, the President had on Friday joined other Muslim worshippers at the State House, Abuja, to witness the early closure of the daily Qur’anic recitation (Tafsir) in view of the Imam’s impending Umrah trip to Saudi Arabia.
He noted that the recitation and commentary of the Qur’an was a daily feature of the month-long Ramadan fasting period in places of Muslim worship and the one of this year had a special meaning for the President.
He added that last Friday would be the last time he would be officiating in the Tafsir as President and Commander-in-Chief bearing in mind the May 29 handover date.
Friday’s Qur’anic recitation (Tafsir), availed the Chief Imam, Sheikh Abdulwahab Sulaiman, the opportunity to turn the event into a valedictory ceremony.
He further said that Sheikh Suleiman praised the president for his patience and forbearance and for his work in fighting corruption, terrorism and insurgency as well as the massive infrastructure projects he had put in place.
According to the spokesperson, the Chief Imam also lauded president Buhari for setting high standards for probity and accountability and for service to the nation and its people with morality and integrity during his eight years in office, adding that the cleric said the President’s place in history was an assured one.
Shehu said prayers were said for the successful handover to the next administration under president-elect, Bola Tinubu and his vice, Senator Kashim Shettima.
