An Islamic cleric, Lukman Hamidu-Yauri, who is a member of ‘Da’awah’ Committee, Kebbi Pilgrims Welfare Board, has said prayer for the restoration of peace across Nigeria is sacrosanct.

The cleric disclosed this during a nasiha (enlightenment) session, shortly after Subhi (dawn) prayer in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday.

The morning enlightenment session has now become a routine to educate the pilgrims on rituals of hajj towards an acceptable pilgrimage.

The cleric observed that prayer for Nigeria was not only important, but compulsory “in view of the critical security challenges bedevilling our dear country.’’

“We should use this opportunity to consistently pray for peace to reign across Nigeria. We should also pray to Almighty Allah to guide our leaders right, to give them the wisdom to fix the nation’s economy. We should also beg God to give them the capacity to be just while steering the affairs of our motherland.

“We must specially pray for our Governor, Dr Nasir Idris, to succeed in Kebbi. He has started well; we can attest to the fact that the fertilisers he distributed free-of-charge to farmers is a gesture never witnessed in Kebbi. I tend to agree with a writer, who recently wrote that we have had many governors in Kebbi before, who actually performed, but Idris supersedes them. I believe that each one of you here is a living witness to that fact,” he said.

In his contribution, Deputy Imam, Central Mosque, Birnin Kebbi, Kabiru Umar-Wasagu, urged the pilgrims to be patient in their dealings with one another.

He recalled that without patience, “our noble Prophet Muhammad wouldn’t have succeeded.”

He reminded them that the religion of Islam grew from strength to strength due to the patience and resilience of the Holy Prophet and his companions.

The cleric observed that patience was critical to a successful hajj, hence the need for pilgrims to always imbibe the spirit of tolerance and understanding.

“There is always a need to be our brothers’ keepers,” he stated.

Commenting on pilgrims’ plastic identity card produced by the Saudi authorities, Ms Umar-Wasagu advised them to be patient and orderly, saying that every pilgrim would receive his card in due course

He admonished them to remain close to Islamic clerics and frequently ask questions on grey areas regarding the exercise.

(NAN)