Hijra: Group urges prayers against insecurity, economic woes, others
By Idris Ahmed://
As Nigerian Muslims join their counterparts across the world to celebrate this year’s Hijra, the Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria, MMWG, has called for fervent prayers against the worsening insecurity, economic woes, unemployment and unbridled corruption, among others, currently facing the country.
The group, in a statement issued on Thursday to mark the occasion and jointly signed by its National Coordinator, Malam Ibrahim Abdullahi and National Secretary, Dr. Nasir Balogun, pointed out that this remains the best way Nigeria could witness a positive turn-around soonest for the betterment of every citizen.
It urged all Muslims to troop-out in large numbers to celebrate Hijrah 1444AH in their respective states.
According to MMWG, Hijra marked a turning point in history of Islam which commemorates the movement of the Holy Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Madinah – One Thousand Four Hundred and Forty-Four Years ago, adding that it signified the spread of Islam to the entire globe.
The group particularly charged all Muslims to enter the New Islamic Calendar Year 1444 AH with piety, obedience to Allah’s commandment and good deeds.
It maintained that “without Almighty Allah’s benevolence, many would not have witnessed the New Year”, adding that “the best way to show appreciation to our Creator and Sustainer is to resolve to do all that Allah has commanded true believers to do and avoidance of all sins no matter how little.”
The Hijra celebration, according to the group will come up in Ilorin on Friday at the Kwara State Stadium Complex beginning at 9am while other states have fixed their own celebrations for Saturday and Sunday.
MMWG, however, called all Muslims irrespective gender to take advantage of the on- going voters registration exercise being conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to register as the opportunity to do so will end on Sunday.
The group stressed the importance of the exercise to include the opportunity for voters in the forthcoming general elections to change their polling units as a result of movement of people from where they domiciled before to a new polling zones.
It recalled the opportunities which INEC had given to impending voters to register or change their polling units several times, adding that those who failed to register between now and Sunday might not be opportuned to vote in February and March next year in the general elections as scheduled by the electoral body.
The Islamic body also called on all registrants to “keep their voters card properly otherwise whoever registered but unable to produce his voters card would not be allowed to vote or stay in the polling zones.”