Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the state governor of Sokoto State, has advised the first group of Muslim pilgrims leaving for Saudi Arabia as part of this year’s Hajj activity to pray for peace, unity, and further progress in the state and nation as a whole.

The governor emphasized the importance of the Hajj as one of the five pillars of Islam and asked the state’s planned pilgrims to follow its rules and regulations.

Inaugurating the first flight of the state’s intended pilgrims, which departed from Sultan Abubakar III International Airport in Sokoto on Sunday evening, Tambuwal made the statements.
A total of 420 prospective pilgrims from the state’s Gada, Yabo, and Wurno local government areas, together with a few representatives of the state Pilgrims Welfare Agency, traveled on the first aircraft from Sokoto to Jeddah, according to a statement signed by the governor’s media assistant, Muhammad Bello.

Then, five planes will transport all twenty thousand state delegation members.

The governor went on to reassure that the state government had taken every precaution to ensure the exercise’s success, particularly with regard to providing general healthcare for all pilgrims participating and advice on how to perform the Hajj, especially for those making their first trip to the holy land.
The governor asked the pilgrims to follow the COVID-19 guidelines and other rules issued by the Saudi government in addition to praying for the smooth operation of the Hajj exercise.

To ensure that their devotion is effective, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, asked the pilgrims to be consistent in their performance and observance of their worship.

He also encouraged them to pray for the successful and hitch-free conduct of next year’s general elections and the development of good leaders in the state and country in general.

The Sultan congratulated the state ulema for their efforts in educating the pilgrims, just as he applauded the state administration for its support and collaboration with the Pilgrims Welfare Agency.

The speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly (SOHA), Aminu Manya Achida, also gave an assurance to the government over the success of the exercise as the head of the government delegation to the pilgrimage.

He pleaded with the pilgrims to cooperate as much as possible with the committee so that it could carry out its mission efficiently.