By Idowu Abdullahi,
The Kano State Government has disclosed that plans had been concluded to allow Friday prayers (Jumu’ah) and Ramadan festival prayer (eid-el-Fitri) across the state, saying the decision was part of the review carried out on the current lockdown.
It explained that the decision had become imperative following the two weeks extension of total lockdown imposed by the Presidential Taskforce on the state as part of measures to curtail the spread of coronavirus in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, said the decision to allow Jumu’ah and Ramadan festive prayers was reached as series of meetings with key health experts, the Ulama (Islamic scholars), and other stakeholders, alongside the state government.
Garba, through a statement released to newsmen on Tuesday, revealed that the stakeholders also agreed to a four-hour lockdown relaxation window for residents on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 am to 2 pm.
He noted that though the government is fully aware of the difficulties occasioned by the lockdown, necessary decisions must be taken which informed the need for controlled enforcement peculiar to the state’s reality.
Garba revealed that Governor Abdullahi Ganduje had directed the state Hisbah Board to hold a meeting with Imams and deploy its personnel to Friday (Jumu’ah mosques) across the state to ensure that worshipers comply with personal hygiene through maintaining social distancing, handwashing with soap, use of hand sanitizers and facemasks as advised by health experts.
“After series of meetings with key health experts, the Ulama, and other stakeholders, the state government adopted some measures that will further bring relief to the populace, with the partial lift on the lockdown on three days, that is, Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm with total relief of 12 hours per week as earlier recommended by the Presidential Task Force.
“The government considers it convenient to allow the conduct of Eid Prayers on the Sallah day in all the five Emirates in the state during which restriction of movement has been lifted from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm under strict observance of safety and prevention protocols,” the statement read.
The Commissioner, however, reiterated that ban had been placed on Sallah festivities in all the Emirates including the visit to Gidan Shettima, Hawan Daushe, Hawan Nassarawa, and Hawan Dorayi in Kano and all other similar traditional Sallah celebrations in the four other Emirates.
