Barriers painted in Nigeria’s national colours, green-white-green, were mounted around the Holy Ka’bah in Makkah ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the sacred site on Monday.
The gesture was to honour the Nigerian leader who went to Saudi Arabia to perform the lesser Hajj (Umrah), during which he was granted the rare privilege of entering the Holy Ka’bah to offer prayers.
Umrah is an Islamic religious rite performed by Muslims in Makkah.
It involves visiting the Grand Mosque, home to the Ka’bah, Islam’s most sacred structure, and performing a series of prescribed acts of worship. However, Umrah is not a substitute for Hajj.
The President was also pictured kissing the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad), which is associated with Tawaf when Muslim pilgrims walk seven times around the Ka’bah.
In an X post on Monday, Inside The Haramain, a news outlet that covers the Two Holy Mosques in Saudi Arabia, shared a photograph of the barriers, with the caption, “Barriers placed around the Ka’bah temporarily.
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According to a statement by the President’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, on Monday, the president reiterated his commitment to national development, declaring that his determination to build a prosperous Nigeria has become stronger as he seeks divine wisdom and resilience to continue serving the country.
He also thanked 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, the President said it 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.
The President also thanked the Saudi authorities for their hospitality and recognition, describing the opportunity to pray inside the Ka’abah 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 the strength to remain in service to the Nigerian people, and expressed confidence that the prayer had already 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.
Tinubu described his emergence as Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief as a special blessing from Almighty Allah, stressing that the privilege came with an enormous 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 joined by other Nigerian delegates, including Kwara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq; the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Pate; the governors of Borno, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, Yobe and Kwara States; BUA Group Chairman Abdulsamad Rabiu; and Oando Plc Chief Executive Officer, Mr Wale Tinubu.
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