By Nuye Aaron
Chairman of the “Anwar Ul Islam Movement”, Central Mosque in Port Harcourt, Alhaji Moshood Buhari, has stated that the congregation of the Mosque always adhere strictly to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) protocols aimed at prevention of infection with the coronavirus.
Making the declaration in an exclusive interview when the RCCE Team visited the mosque during events marking last week’s Eid El Kabir celebrations, Alhaji Buhari said as part of the dictates of the Muslim faith, they adhere strictly to the directives Government.
“When we talk about maintenance of law, we submit ourselves to the law of government. So, maintenance of social distancing, wearing of facemask, etc. are always intact. We have never deviated from it, and we will continue to observe every protocol by government.
“Members of this Mosque adhere to the COVID-19 protocols in its entirety”, he said.
Buhari explained that part of how they ensure that the protocols are obeyed is by including what the law or Government says in their sermons during worship sessions, particularly with the adult congregation, who are then expected to pass it on to their children.
According to him, “In religion, they say train your children in God’s way, so that they will learn and grow up with it. Whenever we speak to the adult through sermon, we let them know what is happening in the society so that they will observe all the dos and don’ts in the society.
“This is why when government said only about 50 persons are to be in the mosque during worship, we never exceed that number. Sometimes we are even below that number, because we don’t want to be seen as not complying with the protocols”, he said.
Alhaji Buhari used the forum to call on everybody in the society to always live in peace, and acknowledge that “the COVID-19 is real, and has taken lots of lives. Let us ensure that the COVID-19 prevention protocols are adhered to wherever we find ourselves”.
Speaking earlier during the visit, the UNICEF Consultant on Communication for Development, Mrs Glory Odu-Oji, explained that the purpose of the visit, among others, was to find out the extent to which the COVID-19 preventive protocols are followed, especially during such celebrations as the Eid El Kabir, noting that it’s part of the purpose for which the Rivers State Government (RSG), UNICEF and other development partners came together under the aupices of the RCCE.
“RSG, UNICEF and other development partners came together to sensitize people about COVID-19. Today that you’re celebrating Salah, Government said it is better for us to come and see what the mosques are doing in terms of COVID-19 prevention”, she said.
