Spiritual Mission: Presidency Foresees God’s Favour For Nigeria

The week under review has witnessed both official and spiritual engagements embarked upon by President Muhammadu Buhari in Riyadh, Madinah and Makkah, all in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between Oct. 26 and 29.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian leader, who arrived Riyadh on Oct. 25, participated in the Fifth Edition of the Future Investment Initiative Summit held in Riyadh, and later performed the Umrah (Lesser Hajj) in Makkah.

The Umrah is a religious ritual of great significance performed by the Islamic faithful for the sake of Allah. It is believed that all the requests made while performing the act are answered by Allah.

Buhari was also joined in the Umrah by his aides, including the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu; the State Chief of Protocol, Amb. Lawal Kazaure; the president’s personal physician, Dr Suhayb Rafindadi; and the Chief Security Officer, Idris Ahmed.

The religious ritual was successfully completed by the president and members of his entourage at the Holy Ka’aba on Thursday, at about 3.20 a.m local time.

Buhari had a brief stopover at Madinah for intense prayers for the return of peace and security to Nigeria, and for the recovery of economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

NAN reports that prayers were offered by the president and members of his entourage at the Holy Mosques in Madinah and Makkah, while performing the Umrah rituals.

Speaking to NAN on the significance of Umrah, Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s spokesman, expressed optimism that Nigeria would win the favour of the Almighty Allah in addressing her challenges.

The Nigerian leader, who was specially chosen by the Saudi Authorities to deliver the keynote address at the Future Investment Initiative Summit, drew the attention of 5,200 participants including world leaders to the devastating effect of climate change on the livelihoods of people around Lake Chad.

He also stressed the need for massive investments through strong public-private partnership to recharge the waters of Lake Chad to address the challenges of poverty and insecurity in the Lake Chad region.

He attributed growing social unrests to inequalities and unfair policies that exclude the majority from opportunities for participation, admonishing world leaders and global investors to prioritise on inclusive and humane policies.

Buhari said his administration would keep encouraging public and private initiatives that increase investments in health, education, capacity building, youth empowerment, gender equality, poverty eradication, climate change and food security.

According to him, this will go a long way in reenergising the global economy in a post-COVID-19 era.

He expressed the hope that participants at the forum would rise to the challenge in the interest of durable peace and sustainable development of the Lake Chad region.

The president used the opportunity to convey heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, for the invitation extended to him to participate in the summit.

He also congratulated Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman for his leadership and support through the Future Investment Initiative Summit.

Also commenting on the Riyadh investment summit, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, said the forum provided Nigeria the opportunity to educate the world on the abundant economic and business opportunities in the country.

He said: “It is always important for Nigeria to be in such an international forum such as this because it gives us an opportunity to tell our story.

“It gives us an opportunity to let the world know what we are doing and why we believe Nigeria is the best investment destination in Africa.

“I was at a forum recently and I pointed out that anybody wishing to do business in Africa must first do business with Nigeria because if you don’t do business in Nigeria you are not doing business in Africa.

“So, we believe that we should come out here, this is an international forum; we should let the world know the Nigerian story.

“We are aware of the problems that we have and we are working to resolve those problems to create an enabling environment for investors,’’ he said.

Also while in Makkah, the president had on Friday met with a select group of Nigerians, resident in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where he warned that nobody should start campaigning for an unconstitutional extension of his tenure in office beyond May 29, 2023.

He said: ”I swore by the Holy Qur’an that I will serve in accordance with the constitution and leave when my time is up. No ‘Tazarce’ (tenure extension).

”I don’t want anybody to start talking about and campaigning for an unconstitutional extension. I will not accept that.”

Buhari also tacitly expressed support to efforts to increase the role of technology in the nation’s elections.

He maintained that the introduction of the card reader and electronic register was God’s answer to his prayers, having been cheated of his victory in three previous elections.

“After the third so-called defeat, I said ‘God Dey’. My opponents laughed at me but God answered my prayers by bringing in technology.

”At that point, nobody can steal their votes or buy them,” the president added.

The president, who ended his visit to the Kingdom with the Friday Prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, said he would continue to abide by the constitution in all its ramifications.

A leader of the community, Dr Abdulkadir Maikudi, who spoke on behalf of the group, requested the president to assist the privately-run Nigerian International School in the Kingdom by equipping it to provide science and technical education.

The Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Yahaya Lawal, and the Consul-General in Jeddah, Amb. Abdulkarim Mansur, attested to the good conduct of the nearly 1.5 million Nigerians living in the Kingdom.

‘Nigerian professionals are doing well and projecting a good image of our country’, they said.

Buhari had earlier inaugurated the eNaira, saying the adoption of the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and its underlying technology, called blockchain, could increase Nigeria’s GDP by $29 billion over the next 10 years.

The president also declared that the introduction of the eNaira would enable the government to send direct payments to citizens eligible for specific welfare programmes as well as foster cross-border trade.

According to him, alongside digital innovations, CBDCs can foster economic growth through better economic activities, increase remittances, improve financial inclusion and make monetary policy more effective.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had also represented the president, virtually at the opening of the 27th Nigerian Economic Summit, themed “Securing our Future: The Fierce Urgency of Now”, on Oct. 25.

Osinbajo had also on Oct. 29 participated, virtually, at a panel of discussion on “A Just Transition: Balancing Climate Mitigation with Africa’s Development”, organised by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, few days to the commencement of the COP26 holding in the United Kingdom.

The president had on Monday in Abuja urged foreign envoys in Nigeria to be guided by diplomatic practices to ensure that their activities remain within the limits of their profession.

NAN also reports that Buhari, who is preparing to join other world leaders for COP26 holding in the United Kingdom, had since returned to Nigeria on Friday.

– NAN