The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, has announced the commencement of Ramadan 2020.
NewsOne Nigeria reports that the Sultan of Sokoto declared openly that this year’s Ramadan fasting will start tomorrow on Friday, April 24, 2020, as the new moon has been sighted today, Thursday, April 23.
The Sultan made the announcement on Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) network services at his palace in Sokoto, northern Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the development is as Nigeria endures an extended lockdown and restriction of movements meant to curb the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) across the country.
The President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) had, however, earlier circulated the rules and regulations to suit the social distancing order of the government, during the fasting season of Ramadan 2020.
President Muhamadu Buhari on Monday, April 13, extended the lockdown on Lagos State, Ogun State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, over the coronavirus outbreak. The lockdown extension was for another fourteen days.
The President said: “The National Centre for Disease Control has informed me that, a large proportion of new infections are now occurring in our communities, through person-to-person contacts. So we must pay attention to the danger of close contact between person to person.
“At this point, I will remind all Nigerians to continue to take responsibility for the recommended measures to prevent transmission, including maintaining physical distancing, good personal hygiene and staying at home.
“In addition, I have signed the Quarantine Order in this regard and additional regulations to provide clarity in respect of the control measures for the COVID-19 pandemic which will be released soon.
“The public health response to COVID-19 is built on our ability to detect, test and admit cases as well as trace all their contacts. While I note some appreciable progress, we can achieve a lot more,” the President had said.
