Tobias Sylvester
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum has taken a “spiritual” step to tackle Boko Haram menace by striking a deal with 30 Saudi Arabia-based clerics to endlessly pray for the return of peace in the state.
This was disclosed in a statement made available to journalists by the governor’s spokesperson, Isa Gusau, in Maiduguri on Friday.
The governor, who has been in Saudi Arabia since last week, had the agreement sealed with the 30 clerics whose responsibility, henceforth is to offer prayers and perform daily tawaf (circulation) around the holy Kaaba. Gusau said:
“All the 30 clerics are originally from Nigeria but have been living in Makka for decades, praying day and night at the Ka’aba.
“An old man among them is said to have remained a Ka’aba devotee in the last 40 years. The Ka’aba is Islam’s holiest area located inside the grand Al-Haram mosque in Makkah.
“Combine different approaches that include sustained support for the Nigerian Armed forces, aggressive mass recruitment and equipping of more counter-insurgency volunteers into the Civilian JTF, hunters, and vigilantes as well as the socio-economic approach in enhancing access to education, job opportunities and providing other means of livelihood through social protection initiatives.”
He also quoted the governor as saying that “rather than sending anyone, I am here on behalf of the good people of Borno State, to thank you so much for your empathy and the compassion in devoting yourselves to praying for us every day at the Ka’aba which for us as Muslims is the most sacred place.
“We need these prayers more than ever before. We are handling our problems from different approaches. Prayer is key in everything that we seek. We will continue to seek prayers from many fronts. We will keep supporting our clerics of different faiths in Nigeria for the same prayers and we will seek the same from all of you that are always here around the Holy Ka’aba.
“I basically will beg that you continue to pray for us towards achieving three things: first, for us to regain peace in Borno State, all of the north and Nigeria in general. We will have to continue that prayer on a permanent basis because we need the peace that will be sustained.
“Secondly, we need prayers for us to achieve our ambitious plan for Borno State and lastly for Allah to make us remain focused and not to get carried away by the power.”
