Buhari welcomes Ramadan fast, cautions against spreading COVID-19

President Muhammadu Buhari has sent his best wishes to Muslims in the country and all over the world as they begin this year’s fasting, following the sighting of the moon.

In a statement in Abuja, the president described the year 2020 Ramadan as a challenge, falling as it is in the period of the global pandemic, which has spread to more than 200 nations, with virtually all countries advising citizens to avoid large gatherings and have their prayers and meals (suhoor and iftar) individually or with family at home.

“I congratulate all Muslims as they commence this year’s Ramadan fast which is depicted by self-denial, universal brotherhood, austerity and helping relatives and needy people.

“In this Ramadan period, the kind of socializing you are used to now risks spreading the Coronavirus,” the president cautioned Muslims.

He also enjoined Muslims to refrain from those Ramadan rituals and traditions such as group meals and congregational prayers that have been put on hold by religious authorities all over the world.

The president urged Muslims to endure and not to use the Coronavirus as an excuse not to participate in the Ramadan fast, unless such abstention is warranted by the excuses clearly outlined by health and religious authorities.He wished Muslims in the country and the world over the blessings of the holy month.