President Bola Tinubu on Monday visited the Holy Ka’bah in Makkah, where he was granted the rare privilege of entering Islam’s most sacred structure to offer prayers during his Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
The visit was marked by a symbolic gesture, with barriers surrounding the Ka’bah temporarily painted in Nigeria’s national colours, green-white-green, in honour of the Nigerian leader.
Umrah is an Islamic religious rite performed in Makkah, involving a visit to the Grand Mosque, which houses the Ka’bah, Islam’s most sacred structure, and the performance of prescribed acts of worship. It is distinct from the obligatory Hajj.
The President was also photographed kissing the Black Stone, known as Hajar al-Aswad, which is associated with Tawaf, the ritual during which Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Ka’bah seven times.
Inside The Haramain, a news outlet covering the Two Holy Mosques in Saudi Arabia, shared a photograph of the barriers on X on Monday.
“Barriers placed around the Ka’bah temporarily. Green-white-green barriers temporarily surround the Holy Ka’bah,” the platform captioned the image.
“The President of Nigeria will enter the Ka’bah later tonight,” it added.
In a statement issued on Monday by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu reaffirmed his commitment to national development, saying his determination to build a prosperous Nigeria had grown stronger as he sought divine wisdom and resilience to continue serving the country.
The President also expressed appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for granting him and members of his Nigerian delegation access to the sacred site.
Describing the experience as historic and deeply cherished, Tinubu said the gesture reflected the longstanding friendship, mutual respect and cooperation between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
“I want to say a big thank you for the faith, for the recognition. I can’t believe the fencing of the Ka’abah is in Green-White-Green, which reminds us of the Nigerian identity,” he said.
Tinubu further thanked Saudi authorities for their hospitality and recognition, describing the opportunity to pray inside the Ka’bah as a rare spiritual privilege.
“It is an honour that I enjoyed, and it is gracious of them to have allowed me to enter inside the Ka’abah. This is history,” he added.
The President said he had specifically asked Allah for wisdom and resilience to continue serving Nigerians, expressing confidence that his prayers had been answered.
“I asked for wisdom and resilience to continue to serve the people. I know that prayer has been granted.
“Before the 2023 election, I did the same thing. I asked Allah to bless my Umrah then, and He did. And I promised that I would come back to thank Him,” Tinubu said.
He described his emergence as Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief as a special blessing from Almighty Allah, stressing that the position came with a significant responsibility to serve the nation.
“I have faith in that, and I believe extremely well that He has done me and my country a great favour. Out of many millions of people, to be the President and Commander-in-Chief is a favour that only Almighty God can do to a human being,” he stated.
Tinubu was accompanied by several Nigerian delegates, including Kwara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq; Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Pate; and governors of Borno, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, Yobe and Kwara states.
Other members of the delegation included BUA Group Chairman, Abdulsamad Rabiu, and Oando Plc Chief Executive Officer, Wale Tinubu.
Crediblenewsng.com
