Buhari departs for Saudi Arabia Tuesday on official visit

President Muhammadu Buhari will travel to Saudi Arabia on official visit from Tuesday, April 11 to 19 on his last trip to the Kingdom as President, during which he will perform Umrah, the Lesser Pilgrimage.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media an Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, announced this in a statement on Monday.

The presidential spokesman said President Buhari would be accompanied by his aides.

The President had on Friday joined other worshippers at the State House, Abuja, to witness the early closure of the daily Qur’anic recitation (Tafsir) in view of the Imam’s impending Umrah trip to Saudi Arabia.

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Shehu had said the recitation and commentary of the Qur’an was a daily feature of the month-long Ramadan fasting period in places of Muslim worship and the one of this year had a special meaning for the President.

He said last Friday would be the last time he would be officiating in the Tafsir as President and Commander-in-Chief bearing in mind the May 29 handover date.

Shehu said as President Buhari was about to complete the two four-year terms of office in a matter of weeks, the Chief Imam, Sheikh Abdulwahab Sulaiman, turned the event into a valedictory ceremony.

The presidential spokesman said Sheikh Suleiman praised the President for his patience and forbearance and for his work in fighting corruption, terrorism and insurgency as well as the massive infrastructure projects he had put in place.

He said the Chief Imam also lauded President Buhari for setting high standards for probity and accountability and for service to the nation and its people with morality and integrity during his eight years in office, adding that the cleric said the President’s place in history was an assured one.

Shehu said prayers were said for the successful handover to the next administration under Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima.

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