Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III has declared Saturday May 27, 2017 as the first day of Ramadan, 1438 AH which marks the commencement of the Ramadan fast by the Muslims.
Making the announcement Friday in his palace in Sokoto, Abubakar said the commencement of the fast followed reports of sighting of the moon across various states of the federation which marked the end of the month of Shaaban 1438.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris has called on Muslim faithfuls to use the Ramadan period to fervently pray for the safe return of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He added that there was need for all Nigerians to seize the opportunity brought by the fasting to pray for the county’s unity and for peace to reign.
This is contained in a statement in Abuja Friday by the Force Spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood.
The statement reads: “Muslims and other Nigerians should use this period to pray fervently for Buhari’s safe return to enable him deliver good governance he has started.
“Muslims faithful across the country should use this period to pray fervently for greater peace, security, unity and to as well seek God’s intervention in tackling the myriad of socio-economic challenges confronting the nation”.
The Police chief noted that fasting period is an era of sober reflection which gives Muslims opportunity to move closer to God and seek His face in supplication and prayers.
He explained that fasting is not mere abstinence from food, drink and worldly pleasures alone, but a time to seek Allah’s power through prayers to be able to faithfully carry out the transcendent injunctions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SWT).
Idris while calling on Nigerians especially youths to be law abiding and respect the constituted authority in the interest of peace added that Nigerians should to live in peace and tolerate one another irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliation for the overall development of the country.
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, has felicitated with the entire Muslim community in Nigeria as they join other faithfuls across the world to commence Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and prayer.
The Acting President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Laolu Akande, implored Muslims to seek maximum benefits from the Ramadan period by replicating the teachings of the Holy Prophet in all their engagements; private and public.
He appealed to all Nigerians especially Muslims to also use the period of Ramadan for reflection on our national challenges and join forces with the Buhari administration to overcome them.
Being a period of spiritual perseverance, temperance, introspection and retrospection with the Almighty Allah, the Acting President urged Muslims to use the Ramadan to renew their commitments to the virtues of love and peace taught by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and also work towards achieving them.
While calling on Nigerians to continue to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari, and the nation in general, Prof. Osinbajo urged Muslim faithfuls to also remember the less privileged in the society during the special period and wishes all Muslims a blessed Ramadan.
The Kano State Government has earmarked N300 million for the annual Ramadan free feeding programme scheduled to begin on Saturday, May 27.
Malam Ibrahim Kankarofi, Chairman of the programme made the disclosure at a meeting with coordinators of the feeding centres at Government House, Kano on Friday.
He said the state government had made adequate preparations to ensure the success of the programme across the 44 local government areas of the state.
Kankarofi warned that anyone found diverting the food items would be appropriately punished.
According to him, the state government has approved additional menu including Spaghetti and Macaroni as well as other items.
He urged well-to-do Muslims in the state to complement government effort as the programme was aimed at assisting the poor in the society.
The chairman, who is also the Principal Private Secretary to Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje, directed the coordinators to ensure prompt distribution of the meals to the right people.
Malam Abba Shehu, who responded on behalf of the coordinators, promised to discharge their duties as expected and with utmost fear of God.
NAN reports that the Ramadan free feeding programme was introduced by the government to assist the poor break their fast during the Holy month.
The yearly Ramadan fasting for the Muslim faithful begins tomorrow, but the usual high tempo of shopping at major foodstuff and fruits markets within the Lagos metropolis has given way to slow buying and selling, reports TONIA ‘DIYAN, who visited some of the markets.
Ramadan begins tomorrow. It is a period when Muslim faithful across the world observe fasting.
As usual, they are expected to stock their homes with staple foods and other things they will need during the period.
But, many of them are constrained to do this, no thanks to the prevailing recession, that have driven prices to the roof tops.
In the past, when it is two weeks to Ramadan, markets get busier with patronage increasing by daily. Shoppers, mostly Muslims, troop in and out of markets to buy goods, mainly foodstuffs and fruits. Visits to Idumota, Mile12, Oyingbo, Daleko and other foodstuff markets in Lagos revealed that sales were low with few customers buying up some of the items on display. This time, the markets have refused to ride on the crest of the spirit of the season.
For instance, at Idumota Market in Lagos Island, traders were lamenting that they were not making sales because Muslims were not buying their goods. A trader who sells food seasoning, Mrs Bimbo Akinyemi, said: “We always look forward to seasons like this to make money but customers are not coming; the few ones that come around only inquire prices and leave complaining that food items are extremely expensive and there is no money to buy. We are not pleased with slow sales and low patronage we are getting from customers,” she said.
A garri trader at Balogun market also in Lagos Island Local Government Area, Mrs Fatimat Awosanya, said at the weekend that her customers had not being patronising her in the last three months. She lamented that sales had been very discouraging.
“Before now, we used to anticipate Ramadan rush, which comes once in a year but the story has changed,” she said.
The price of a bag of garri, a common staple among low income earners, has increased. From N11,000 a bag, it sells for N14,500, depending on the brand.
Another trader, Shade Ifedapo, a pepper and tomato seller at Sabo Market in Ikorodu, said sales had been very poor in the past few weeks. “My Muslim customers are not coming to buy pepper, tomato and other items in large quantities the way they used to when they were preparing for their fast. Last year, regardless of the hike in the price of these items, particularly at times like this, they still patronised me. I haven’t seen them, some of them complain of lack of money,” she lamented.
She said a basket of pepper, which used to sell for N16, 000 sells for N17, 000. A basket of tomatoes was N7, 000, now it’s between N28, 000 and N30, 000, depending on its freshness.
Also, a bag of Tatase and Shombo: (pepper varieties), which gets expensive during raining season rose from N4000 to between N6,500 and N7000. A bag of onions, which hitherto sold for N15,000 has moved to N20,000.
Shade explained that when these items were sold at exorbitant rates to wholesalers, it was also sold at exorbitant rates to the retailers. “Yes, we sell to make profit. But we cannot afford to lose after spending so much money to buy to resell. That is why we sell according to what we buy,” she said.
She noted that in the past, Muslims would buy in bulk before the fast and when they are fasting, adding that is the only time traders experience low patronage is when the fasting proper begins.
The story is the same at Oshodi Market. One of the traders in the market, who spoke to The Nation, Belinda Ngu said: “Usually when Muslims are preparing for their fast, they don’t want to be caught unawares as they stock their homes with staple food items to prepare them. This time around, the case is different, we only come here to sit with our wares and return home unaccomplished. Last year Ramadan sale was better. Yes, foodstuffs and other items were expensive but affordable by many.”
At the fruit market at Ketu, the story is the same, people are not buying. Hameed Abu, a middle-aged stall owner, has been selling seasonal fruits for 20 years. According to him, business has not been this bad. “Before now, when people are preparing for Ramadan, I deal with about 300 customers daily. I sell fruits worth more than N30, 000 daily; watermelon used to be the most patronised. Now, I hardly take home N5,000. My customers walk past my shop asking me if fruit will fill their stomach. They would rather use the money to purchase foodstuffs,” Abu lamented.
Traders at the popular Agege Market also lamented the low patronage. Haji Abdullah, a tomato seller, said this year’s Ramadan business is the worst she had experienced since she started selling at the market. According to her, “despite an increase in the price of almost all food items last year, my sales did not go down.
Alhaji AbdulSemiu AbdulHammed, the Chief Imam of Ife Central Mosque, Enuwa, Ile-Ife, Osun , has appealed to food stuff sellers against hiking the prices of their foodstuffs during the forthcoming Ramadan.
AbduHameed made the appeal while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Ile-Ife ahead of the Ramadan, which begins less than two weeks’ time.
NAN reports that Ramadan is the period when Moslem faithful fast for 30 days as laid down by Prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam.
The religious leader said that Prophet Mohammed made live comfortable for the masses while alive.
There was no reason for traders to make live unbearable for their neighbours, he said.
He admonished them to observe the Ramadan with the fear of Allah and guard against all forms of atrocities that could debar their prayers from being answered by Allah.
The cleric urged them to be generous to the less privileged through their charitable dispositions by giving to the needy during the period.
The imam said that it was good to give to the needy as the giver would be richly blessed by Allah in return.
The National Moon Sighting Committee has agreed with the Southwest sub-committee on May 27 as the possible start date for this year’s Ramadan.
The two committees reached the agreement at an interaction in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital Thursday evening.
The interaction, which held at the Bodija headquarters of the Southwest League of Imams and Alfas, afforded the two committees to share experiences on moon sighting techniques and the need to harmonize start date for the fasting exercise.
At the end of the interaction, the two groups announced May 27 as the possible start date based on guide by astronomical science indicating that the moon would be most likely sighted the day before.
Members of the national committee, led by its chairman, Dr Hafiz Wali, said they were in Ibadan to meet with the league and the Southwest moon sighting committee with a view to harmonize start date of Ramadan between the northern and southern parts of Nigeria.
They said the move became necessary in view of the fact that it is only in Nigeria that the two parts of the country start and end Ramadan at different times due to moon sighting inaccuracies.
Dr. Wali said his committee would continue to work with regional committees to ensure that the Nigerian Muslim community operates a unified Ramadan process. He promised to transmit the agreement to the Sultan of Sokoto, who set up the national committee to achieve harmony of process. The Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar, is the President General of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (SCIA) in Nigeria.
The chairman of the moon sighting committee in Southwest, Sheikh Muhammed Habibullah Adam Abdullah El Iorry (the Mudir Marcas Agege, Lagos State), welcomed the synergy and promised to sustain the new relationship.
At the meeting were the Vice Chairman of the Committee, Professor Usman El Nafaty, the President of the League in the South West, His Eminence Sheikh Jamiu Keulere (the Chief Imam of Ekiti State), the Vice President and Chief Imam of Lagos State, (Garuba Ibrahim Ainola), the Secretary (Shaekh Ahmad Olagoke Aladesawe), and the host Chief Imam of Oyo State (Shaekh Abdul Ganiyy Agbotomokekere, among others.
After a lecture delivered by Malham Mohammad Yaqub, entitled: “Basics of Moon Sighting”, and its relevance to fasting, where he talked on the challenges being faced in sighting the moon on annual basis, the influence of science in determining the accurate and uniform time, both parties indicated that it the disparity between the commencement and ending date of Ramadan in the North and South West may have become a thing of the past.
In a unanimous resolution by Dr. Wali and Sheakh El Ilory, the League said that the moon is expected to be sighted at 6.45 p.m on Friday May 26 according to the Abuja weather forecast and that fasting would commence the following day provided there are no clouds blurring the sky.
El Ilory said: ”Though some are saying we are no longer following the Sunnah which is the sighting of Moon with ordinary eyes, thinking that we don’t have the right calculation, we are building on astronomical science. Modern time calculation through seeking of knowledge. Some are mocking us that we Muslims are not in unity because the North may see the moon one day and the South may sight it the second day, thereby making us to terminate the Ramadan on different days. The cooperation and scientific knowledge between the two regions have brought near same time and date, thus promoting unity”.
Shaeikh Keulere, in his own remark, said: “I hope to contribute my quota to move forward the entire Muslim Ummah in all states of my jurisdiction in particular and the nation in general. Essentially, we would be ready to work with all Islamic organizations and groups, sects and associations to further the frontiers of Islamic religion towards achieving greater peace, progress, unity and development in our midst and in our nation at large. Good initiatives towards achieving peaceful coexistence and societal peace among various other faiths shall be supported”.
Former Akwa Ibom State Governor and Senate Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio, has admonished Muslim faithful not to forget the tenets of the religion, which are love, obedience and perseverance.
A statement by his media aide, Jackson Udom, urged Muslims to close ranks and work for the peace, unity and development of the country, noting that “it is only in a state of peace and tranquility that governments would be able to deliver dividends of democracy to the people.”
The statement reads: “Let me, on behalf of my senatorial district, rejoice with our brothers and sisters of the Islamic faith. As we celebrate the successful completion of Ramadan, let us not allow the essence of what the period stands for to be lost on us, because injunctions as preached during the period are the ingredients needed by the leadership of our country to move the country forward.”
In the observance of giving to the needy during the month of Ramadan, Nollywood actress and producer, Bukola Animashaun recently doled food items to some needy people in Ibadan, Oyo State during the ‘breaking’ of their fasting. She gave cooked food, sachet water and fruits.
“We need to be compassionate to the needy and those around us who don’t have just liked the Holy Quran and Prophet Mohammed preaches,” said the actress who is a devoted Muslim and also goes by the name Iqmat.
“We shouldn’t only preach love but exercise it daily and not necessarily during the holy month of Ramadan.
“I’ve taking it upon myself to continue doing this periodical because I’m moved by the level of poverty that surrounds us and I’m using this opportunity to call on my other colleagues and everyone to do the little they can for the poor and needy amongst us. May the almighty Allah give us all the strength to give to our fellow humans.”
Among movies which Animashaun has starred in include Awon Eta Oko, Omoge Animashaun, Enu Mi and Osoju Mi Koro.