COVID-19: No Eid activities at Abuja national prayer ground, says FCTA

Muhammad Bello, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says Eid-Al-Fitr congregational prayers will not be held at the national prayer ground in Abuja.

The minister announced the development in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Bello said the directive followed a meeting held in Abuja between the FCT administration (FCTA) and the FCT league of imams initiative.

He said the meeting was held to discuss modalities of conducting prayers for the Eid-Al-Fitr celebration.

He enjoined Muslims to hold Eid prayers outdoors within the vicinity of juma’at mosques in their neighbourhoods, but said for indoor worship, number of participants should be limited to “less than 50 percent of the installed capacity”.

He also urged religious leaders to supervise the movement of people attending the prayers.

“All non-pharmaceutical intervention protocols of facial coverings, physical distancing and hand washing are to be observed,” he said.

“All other Eid celebrations and activities should be confined to homes, as all public parks, recreation and entertainment centres are to be closed.”

Speaking on the modalities, Tajudeen Adigun, chairman of the FCT league of imams initiative, urged the Muslim faithful to ensure strict compliance with the new guidelines.

“In Islam, you listen to experts, those who are specialists, and those who have actually discussed with us are experts in the field of medical sciences. In Islam, you also abide by the commands of leadership,” he said.

“Based on this and what we are convinced of, we urge Muslim Ummah to also respect this stand of the administration by observing our Eid prayers within our localities.”

The FCT regulations are in line with the guidelines announced by the presidential steering committee (PSC) on COVID-19 on Monday, which insisted on restrictions on mass gatherings as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the virus.