Deji Elumoye in Abuja
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday afternoon departed the nation’s capital, Abuja for Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to perform Umrah pilgrimage.
During the exercise also known as lesser Hajj, Tinubu will offer prayers for Nigeria’s peace, national unity, stability and sustained development.
The president’s plane, Nigeria Air Force 1, took off from the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at approximately 2:20 p.m, after a brief departure ceremony attended by state governors and some top government officials who were on ground to see him off.
Ahead of his departure, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, Yousef Bin Mohammed Al-Balawi, presented the president with a Bisht, a traditional Arabian ceremonial cloak, on behalf of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
Also on ground at the airport to see the president off were Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq; his Yobe and Borno States counterparts, Mai Mala Buni; and Babagana Zulum respectively.
Others were Governors of Kaduna, Uba Sani; Jigawa, Umar Namadi; Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto; Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi; Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate; and the member representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Babajimi Benson.
The Nigerian Ambassador to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, Ambassador Reno Omokri, and Director of Protocol at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Sule Dan Agundi, also attended the departure ceremony.
Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, had on Wednesday confirmed the planned journey via a statement issued indicating that President Tinubu was due back in Nigeria next week upon completion of the religious exercise.
Tinubu’s visit will provide him an opportunity for spiritual reflection and devotion, while he undertakes the religious rites associated with Umrah and seeking divine guidance and blessings for Nigerians.