By Laleye Dipo
The Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has charged Muslims to use the holy month of Ramadan to pray for an end to the ravaging coronavirus pandemic.
Bello gave the charge in a statement in Minna on Friday, to congratulate Muslims on the commencement of the one month of fasting and prayers.
In the statement signed on his behalf by his Chief Press Secretary Mary Noel Berne, Governor Bello noted that the end to the pandemic will require divine intervention which is why Muslims should join to seek the face of God to terminate the spread of the disease.
“The Muslim Ummah should fast and pray for the end of the coronavirus pandemic so that normal life will return to the world,” he said.
Apart from the prayers, the governor also told Muslims “to abide by the advice offered by the government and even the spiritual head, Sultan of Sokoto Abubakar Sa’ad III, to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, which include social distancing, use of mask, avoidance of crowded areas and the practice of personal hygiene”.
Bello noted that this year’s Ramadan “will be a Ramadan of seclusion. Ramadan where we would be grateful that our families are safe, healthy and alive even if they are at a distance , considering the fact that so many families will be entering this month without their loved ones, while others have lost loved ones and so many will also be losing their loved ones . The only way we can get through this is to be thankful and be patient in all circumstances”.
The governor also reminded Muslims of the need to show “absolute love to one another without discrimination, sober reflection, empathy, piety, alms giving especially to the aged, poor and the less privileged”.
Bello called on residents of the state to remain vigilant and security conscious considering the security challenges threatening the state by reporting any suspicious movement in their locality to law enforcement agents.
