President Muhammadu Buhari has sent his best wishes to Muslims in the country and all over the world as they begin this year’s 30-day fast, following the sighting of the moon.
He, however, stressed the need for citizens to avoid large gatherings and have their prayers and meals (suhoor and iftar) individually or with family at home.
A statement issued by his senior special assistant on media and publicity), Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Thursday night quoted him as saying, “I congratulate all Muslims as they commence this year’s Ramadan fast which is depicted by self-denial, universal brotherhood, austerity and helping relatives and needy people.”
President Buhari described Ramadan 2020 as “a challenge,” falling as it is in the period of the global pandemic, which has spread to more than 200 nations, with virtually all countries.
“In this Ramadan period, the kind of socialising you are used to now risks spreading the coronavirus,” the president cautions Muslims while enjoining them to refrain from those Ramadan rituals and traditions such as group meals and congregational prayers that have been put on hold by Muslim religious authorities all over the world.
President Buhari also urged Muslims to endure and not to use the coronavirus as an excuse not to participate in the Ramadan fast “unless such abstention is warranted by the excuses clearly outlined by health and religious authorities.”
He wished Muslims in the country and the world overall the blessings of the holy month.
