By JOHN ONAH, Abuja-Based on presentations made by officials of the Health and Human Services Secretariat of the FCTA and the Implementation Guidelines for Phased Restriction of Movement issued by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 on Monday, 10th May 2021, the Eid prayer in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), will hold only in Juma’at mosque premises.
The directive followed after a meeting of FCT minister, Mallam Muhammed Musa Bello with the FCTA and a delegation of the FCT League of Imams Initiative led by its Chairman, Imam (Dr) Tajudeen M.B Adigun to discuss the modalities of holding Eid prayers for the upcoming Eid el-Fitr celebrations.
The meeting agreed among others that, there will be no Eid prayers at the National Eid prayer ground along the Umaru Musa Yar’adua Expressway (Airport Road) and that all worshippers are hold Eid prayers outdoors within the premises of their neighborhood Juma’at mosques.
Also, Indoor worship is to be limited to less than 50% of installed capacity, religious authorities to regulate the flow of people entering and exiting places of worship.
Again, alll non-pharmaceutical intervention protocols of facial coverings, physical distancing and hand washing are to be observed and other Eid celebrations and activities should be confined to homes as all public parks, recreation and entertainment centers are to be closed
The Minister thanked the religious leaders for their cooperation in the course of the battle against COVID-19 in the FCT and said that having gone through a first wave of the pandemic and a second wave that caused more fatalities and had increased number of positives, it was imperative to prevent a possible third wave as is being witnessed in some countries across the world.
The Chairman of the FCT League of Imams Initiative, Dr Tajudeen Mohammed Bello Adigun, while speaking on behalf of the League, said “In Islam, you listen to experts, those who are specialists and those who have actually discussed with us are experts in the field of medical sciences. In Islam, you also abide with the commands of leadership”.
“Based on this and what we are convinced of, we urge Muslim Ummah to also respect this stand of the Administration of the FCT by observing our Eid prayers within our localities”
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