Ilorin emir marks 20th anniversary with prayers

By Umar Bayo Abdulwahab
Ilorin

Dignitaries from different parts of Ilorin, Kwara state, on Wednesday converged on the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, for special prayers to mark the 20th year anniversary on the throne of his fore fathers.
The Special Advisers on political matters to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, Alhaji Usman Bibire Ajape, led the pack of government functionaries that attended the programme.

Other dignitaries that attended the brief ceremony included the Khalifat al- Adabiyya, Sheik Ahmad Kamaldeen, the Vice chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof AbdulGaniyu Ambali, President, Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union(IEDPU), Alhaji AbdulHamid Adi and the VC,KWASU, Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’ Allah.
Others are Prof. Yusuf Lanre Badmus, former Grand Khadi, Justice Idris Haroon and the General Manager of NTA, Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Majeed.

Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Mohammed Bashir Salihu, led a special prayer to mark the ceremony.
The prayer session took place at one of the courts in the Emir’s Palace, Ilorin.
Imam Bashir thanked Allah for allowing the reign of Sulu-Gambari witnessed tremendous development of Ilorin Emirate in particular and Kwara in general.
He offered prayers for a continued peaceful co-existence of people of diverse backgrounds and religion that reside in Ilorin and the state at large.

The cleric prayed Allah to grant the emir long life, sound health, prosperity and more years of peaceful reign.
Various groups later took turns to pay homage to the Emir who in turn prayed for them.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Dr Ali Ahmad, said the reign of Sulu-Gambari could be defined by the peace and tranquillity enjoyed in the Emirate and the state as a whole.
Ahmad in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Shuaib Abdulkadir, prayed Allah to continue to provide the monarch with “all it takes to take the Ilorin Emirate to greater heights.”