28th October, 2021
By Ismaila Chafe
President Muhammadu Buhari has performed the Umrah (Lesser Hajj) at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, alongside the minister of communications Isa Pantami, and business moguls Aliko Dangote, Wale Tinubu and Abdulsamad Rabiu.
Umrah, is a religious ritual of great significance performed by Muslim Ummah for the sake of Allah. It is believed that all the requests made while performing the act are answered by Allah.
The President was also joined in the Umrah by his aides including, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the State Chief of Protocol, Amb. Lawal Kazaure; the president’s personal physician, Dr Suhayb Rafindadi and the Chief Security Officer, Idris Ahmed.
The ritual was completed by the president and members of his entourage at the Holy Kaaba on Thursday, at about 3.20a.m local time.
President Buhari, travelled to Saudi Arabia for the Fifth Edition of the ”Future Investment Initiative Summit” which held in Riyadh.
He had a brief stopover in Madinah for intense prayers for the return of peace and security to Nigeria, and for the recovery of economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Similar prayers were offered by the president and members of his entourage at the Holy Mosque in Makkah, while performing the Umrah rituals.