Authority of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has banned Eid al-fitr prayers at the National Eid prayer ground along the Umaru Musa Yar’adua Expressway.
This is to curtail the further spread of the Covid-19 Pandemic in the city.
This was one of the resolutions reached during a meeting of the FCTA and a delegation from the FCT League of Imams Initiative led by its Chairman, Imam Tajudeen M.B Adigun and chaired by the FCT Minister Malam Mohammed Musa Bello.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss the modalities of holding Eid prayers for the upcoming Eid el-Fitr celebrations.
It was also agreed at the meeting that all worshipers should hold Eid prayers outdoors within the premises of their neighborhood Juma’at mosques while Indoor worship are to be limited to less than 50% of installed capacity.
Other resolutions reached during the stakeholders meeting include the following,
* Religious authorities are advised to regulate the flow of people entering and exiting places of worship.
* All non-pharmaceutical intervention protocols of facial coverings, physical distancing and hand washing are to be observed
* All other Eid celebrations and activities should be confined to homes as all public parks, recreation and entertainment centers are to be closed
Speaking after the meeting, the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello thanked the religious leaders for their cooperation in the course of the battle against Covid-19 in the FCT.
Malam Bello said that having gone through a first wave of the pandemic and a second wave that caused more fatalities and had increased number of positives, it was imperative to prevent a possible third wave as is being witnessed in some countries across the world.
” Consequence, based on presentations made by officials of the Health and Human Services Secretariat of the FCTA and the Implementation Guidelines for Phased Restriction of Movement issued by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 on Monday. 10th May 2021, the following guidelines are hereby issued,” Malam Bello stated.
Speaking on behalf of the League, the Chairman of the FCT League of Imams Initiative, Dr Tajudeen Mohammed Bello Adigun, , said “In Islam, you listen to experts, those who are specialists and those who have actually discussed with us are experts in the field of medical sciences. In Islam, you also abide with the commands of leadership”.
Dr Adigun added that, “Based on this and what we are convinced of, we urge Muslim Ummah to also respect this stand of the Administration of the FCT by observing our Eid prayers within our localities.”
Confidence Okwuchi
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