President Bola Tinubu will on Thursday depart Abuja for Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to perform the Umrah, a spiritual trip devoted to prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity and stability.
The President will before hopping into his jet commission NAF equipment at the precints of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The visit will give the President “an opportunity for spiritual reflection, devotion, and prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability, and continued progress,” according to a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
While in the holy city, Tinubu is expected to perform the rites associated with the Umrah — the “lesser pilgrimage” to Makkah, which, unlike the Hajj, may be undertaken at any time of the year — and to seek divine guidance and blessings for Nigeria and its people.
Before leaving Abuja, the President will commission equipment acquired by the Nigerian Air Force for its operations, at a ceremony at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, the statement said.
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The statement did not disclose the items to be commissioned, the composition of his delegation, or his exact date of return beyond saying he is expected back in the country “next week.”
Umrah for all Muslims
This is not the President’s first pilgrimage to Makkah in office. Tinubu performed the lesser hajj in November 2023, at the close of his official engagements in Riyadh for the Saudi–Arab–Africa summit, where he performed the tawaf — the circumambulation of the Holy Ka’aba — and said he prayed for Nigeria and humanity.
The trip comes at a time when insecurity remains the dominant issue on the national agenda, and days after the President pressed for stronger African defence cooperation and local arms production.
In July this year he approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions and the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel.
The equipment he will commission before departure fits into the Air Force’s ongoing fleet modernisation. In recent weeks alone, NAF has formally accepted two Airbus H125 helicopters in Lagos and fresh Mi-35M gunships, while its newly published acquisition plans list 12 Aksungur drones, two CH-4Ds and six more T129 ATAK attack helicopters among aircraft expected.
Crediblenewsng.com
