Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has declared that Nigeria will overcome its current security and economic difficulties through prayer, unity, and the shared resolve of its people, speaking at a memorial prayer session held in honour of the late Chief Abibatu Mogaji, the mother of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Annual Grand Prayer Session took place at the National Mosque in Abuja, drawing an assembly of governors, ministers, traditional rulers, and Islamic scholars who gathered not only to remember a woman they describe as a servant of humanity, but to pray for a country that needs it.
Shettima used the occasion to offer a defence of the Tinubu administration, saying the President remains fully committed to tackling the nation's most pressing challenges and is actively implementing policies aimed at strengthening security, stimulating economic growth, and improving the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
In paying tribute to the late matriarch, the Vice President painted a portrait of a woman whose life left a mark far beyond her family. He described Hajiya Abibatu Mogaji as an embodiment of sacrifice, compassion, and selfless service to humanity, and urged Nigerians to draw from her example, to show kindness, extend support to the less privileged, and nurture the kind of peaceful coexistence that national development depends on.
According to him, acts of mercy and generosity, as exemplified by the late Mogaji, are essential for national development and attract divine blessings.
The most striking announcements of the day came from Alhaji Ibrahim Kabir Masari, the Convener of the prayer session and Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, who revealed the scale of legacy projects being carried out in Mogaji's memory.
Masari disclosed that more than 250 hand-pump boreholes have already been constructed across nine states in Northern Nigeria in her honour, bringing clean water to thousands of residents in communities where such access has long been a daily struggle.
He further announced plans to establish the Abibatu Mogaji Islamic Centre in Abuja to promote Islamic scholarship, leadership development, and education in science and technology.
A modern Juma'at Mosque, complete with residential quarters for the Imam and supporting staff, is also to be built in Rigasa, Kaduna State, as part of the memorial efforts.
Masari was emphatic that every single one of these projects would be funded entirely from his personal resources.
The event brought together a notable gathering of Nigeria's political and traditional establishment. Among those present were Borno State Governor Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, and former Governors, Usman Sa'idu Nasamu Dakingari and Tanko Al-Makura.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar, was represented by the Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar.
Ministers Ahmed Musa Dangiwa and Abubakar Atiku Bagudu were also in attendance, alongside other senior government officials and traditional leaders.
Abibatu Mogaji died in January 2013.
FRCN
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