A delegation of 130 Christian pilgrims sponsored by the Borno State government on Tuesday in Jerusalem, Israel, concluded two days of prayer and fasting for the quick recovery of ailing President Muhammadu Buhari.
The delegation, comprising 50 clergies, 15 officials of government was enjoined by Governor Kashim Shettima, in a farewell message, to pray for Mr. Buhari who is receiving medical care in London.
Mr. Shettima had implored the pilgrims to dedicate themselves to the rituals of the pilgrimage and “pray specifically for President Buhari who has liberated Borno from the hands of Boko Haram”.
According to a statement issued from Jerusalem by a spokesperson of the governor, Kwapchi Bata, the pilgrims led by the state chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Mohammed Naga, a bishop, had declared two days “fasting and fervent prayers for President Buhari’s health and quick return to Nigeria to continue the good works he had started such as the end to Boko Haram insurgency”.
“The pilgrims had also prayed for lasting peace to return to Borno as well as for wisdom (like) King Solomon for Governor Kashim Shettima as he steers the affairs of Borno”.
The statement said the two days of prayers and fasting were choosen to coincide with the pilgrims’ visits to some of the significant holy sites.
Miss Bata said the pilgrims visited the western gate in Jerusalem known as “Wailing Wall”, which is considered sacred and a holy spot where prayer items are written on slips of paper and inserted on cracks on the wall.
She said they also visited the church at Bethesda where Jesus is believed to have performed his first miracle of healing a man who was sick for 39 years, and also the tomb of Christ.
A leader of the delegation, Ayuba Wakawa, thanked Governor Shettima for giving the Christian community a sense of belonging in the state.
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