Northern group organises prayer session for Tinubu’s birthday

A northern group, Arewa Think Tank (ATT), on Saturday organised a prayer session in Kaduna to mark the 73rd birthday celebration of President Bola Tinubu, emphasising that there is nothing wrong with praying for leaders.

Two Islamic clerics, Sheikh Yahaya Musa and Abdulkareem Abumujahidah, led the prayer session. According to the clerics, “there is nothing bad in praying for our leaders. God even says that we should continue to pray for our leaders so that they can have the strength and good health to lead us better. So this prayer for the President and Nigeria as a country is in order.”

They used the occasion to urge Nigerians to remain steadfast in prayers at all times, encouraging them to contribute to the country’s speedy development through supplications.

Earlier in his remarks, the Convener of Arewa Think Tank, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, stated that the gathering was solely a prayer session in commemoration of President Tinubu’s 73rd birthday celebration. Yakubu clarified that the event had no political affiliation.

However, while addressing journalists after the event, he expressed optimism about President Tinubu’s chances of securing a second term, citing the various reforms implemented by his administration, which, according to him, were already yielding results.

“We must not forget the fact that the respective holy books of the two major religions—Islam and Christianity—call on the people to always pray for their leaders.

“So what we are doing here today is in line with one of the religious tenets. We are not doing anything political here today. Remember that last year, we organised the same event for Mr President’s 72nd birthday celebration. So this is not the first time we are organising this prayer session.

“However, Arewa Think Tank wants to use this event to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for ordering an immediate crackdown on the killers of travelling hunters of northern extraction in Edo State last week.

“There is no doubt that every right-thinking Nigerian felt bad about the ugly news of the killing of 16 travellers heading to the northern part of the country.

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“But we are delighted over Mr President’s prompt response to the tragedy. He did not play politics with the incident. He showed great concern about what happened, and that was why he gave such a strong order for the arrest of the perpetrators of that heinous crime without delay.

“It is, however, worrisome that some people, who never see anything good in this government, are trying to use that incident to incite the North against the South. They will never succeed because President Tinubu is ahead of them in thinking positively for the progress of the entire country.

“So we want to say that those who never wish Nigeria to progress will never succeed in their private lives unless they wish this country to succeed too. Nigerians cannot afford to leave their leaders alone in administering the wheels of progress to ensure the smooth running of our dear country towards the promised land.

“Therefore, let us continue to pray for our leaders, no matter their shortcomings, so that they can be strong and focused to lead the people aright.”

The former governor of Kaduna State, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, and the Director General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Comrade Issa Aremu, graced the occasion. Both commended the organisers of the prayer session.

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