Members of the Muslim Community in Rivers State say they had made plans to organize fasting and prayer sessions for peace and progress of Rivers State.
The Chief Imam of Rumuekini Central Mosque in Obio/Akpor LGA, Babatunde Omotayo who disclosed this when his members paid a Sallah homage to Chief Tony Okocha, Caretaker Committee Chairman of APC at the APC Secretariat Port Harcourt, also promised to include the leadership of the Rivers APC and Nigeria in the proposed prayers.
Imam Omotayo said the fasting and prayer will be held once every month and will be concluded after one year, coinciding with the Hajj.
He stressed that Hajj is a pilgrimage for acceptance of prayers, describing it as a “special conduct” in Islam as well as one of the pillars of Islamic faith. According to him, any prayer conducted during the Hajj must be accepted by Allah.
Speaking on behalf of Muslims in Rivers State, Chief Imam Omotayo expressed appreciation to Chief Okocha for his detribalized leadership style in his handling of the Rivers APC.
He congratulated Okocha on his appointment as Chairman Caretaker Committee of Rivers APC as well as Rivers State Representative in the Management Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), saying the appointments were reward for effective service delivery, excellence, hard work and result-oriented disposition.
He also expressed appreciation of the Muslim community in Rivers State to Chief Nyesom Wike, immediate past Governor of Rivers State, now Minister of the FCT, saying he laid the foundation for unity of all those living and doing business in Rivers State, who are mostly non indigenes when he was governor.
He conveyed the appreciation of the Rivers Muslims to the FCT Minister through Chief Tony Okocha, the Rivers APC chairman.
The Sallah visit was rounded off with the conferment of the title of “Gbobaniyi of Yorubaland” on Chief Okocha.
Addressing newsmen after the visit, Okocha expressed joy in meeting with members of the Muslim community in Rivers State after the successful celebration of Eid-El-Fitir.
He noted that it is the tradition of Muslim faithful to pay homage to government, constituted authorities and certain individuals during Sallah, adding that as leader/Chairman of APC in Rivers State, the gesture was ashow of love towards the Rivers APC, and a demonstration of theirgratitude and appreciation for what they had benefitted from the system, particularly from the government of Nyesom Wike when he presided over the state as governor.
Promising that he would deliver their kind words to the FCT Minister, Okocha thanked the members of the Muslim community for concluding their fasting and prayer without any hitches and for praying for Nigeria and the President of the Federal Republic.
Okocha averred that the SAllah visit by the members of Muslim community in Rivers was a show of “organic” love and real support to the APC as a political party.
