Kwara Govt Makes U-turn, Says Aged, Children Can Visit Mosques, Churches

The Kwara State Government on Wednesday suspended its earlier decision to disallow aged and children to attend mosques and churches, following the reopening of worship centres in the state.

Giditrendz reported that the government had on June 3 announced children and people above 65 or persons with underlying health conditions are urged to stay away from worship centres, among guidelines, to prevent community transmission of the novel coronavirus.

However, reacting to this, the Kwara State Council of Ulama said the government’s guidelines for reopening of mosques are difficult to abide by, insisting that majority of stakeholders are about the age limit of 65 years listed for non-participation in prayers/jumat service.

The statement by the council’s secretary, Justice Salihu Olohuntoyin Mohammed read, “In islamic parlance, Imams are the leaders of congregations and majority of them are within the age bracket of 65 and above.”

Announcing suspension of some of guidelines in a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Rafiu Ajakaye, on Wednesday, the government said fumigation of mosques or churches and mandatory use of thermometers are not preconditions for reopening of worship centres, saying people of all ages can now go worship once they abide by the safety protocols of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

According to the statement, the clarifications came at a meeting the government held with the Ad-hoc Committee of the Kwara State Council of Ulamah (set up by the Emir of Ilorin) in Ilorin, the state capital, ahead of the official reopening of Jumat services across the state.

The statement said the meeting was attended by Imam Imale of Ilorin and chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee Sheikh Abdullahi AbdulHameed; Secretary of the Council of Ulamah Justice S.O. Muhammad; Justice Idris Haroon; the Chief Imam of Offa Sheikh Muhyideen Hussain; Prof Badmus Yusuf; Dr Yusuf Jimoh Ilala; Khalifah Danfulani Modeboh; Mallam Aliu Jamiu; Dr Mrs Rhoda Ajiboye; Dr. Mrs Saudat Salah AbdulBaqi; Hajiah Risikat Lawal; and Dr Mohammed Ghali Alaya.

The statement added that the meeting reiterated that mosques and churches can open and may be attended by persons of all ages and genders but with strict adherence to all safety protocols, such as the use of face masks, physical distancing among worshipers, and washing of hands, among others.