Amirul Hajj asks pilgrims, Eid celebrants to pray for Nigeria
From MUSA A. TIJJANI, Mina, Saudi Arabia

SULTAN of Sokoto and Amirul Hajj for this year’s pilgrimage to the holyland, Alhaji Muhammad Sada Abubakar, has called on Nigerians to use the pilgrimage and Eid-el Kabir to pray for our dear country.
The Sultan said this became imperative for religious harmony, unity, peace and prosperity. He also expressed gratitude to the Almighty ‘’for sparing our lives and complementing such with the opportunity for some of us to perform the pilgrimage’’.
Sultan Abubakar also hoped that at the end of this religious exercise ‘’we would have imbibed the lessons of Hajj such as perseverance, sacrifice and total submission to our God.’’
He saluted Muslim brothers and sisters participating in the Hajj from across the world.
The Amirul Hajj also called on the political class to eschew bitterness and violence in their campaigns as the  nation enters the general elections in 2007 so as to have a peace and credible transition from ‘’our elected democratic government to another.’’
He then pray to Allah (SWT) ‘’to forgive our sins and to bless our families, country, our leaders and the entire Muslim Ummah.