A HOST of Nigeria’s top political leaders and public figures gathered in Daura on Wednesday to attend the Fidau prayer for the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away in a London hospital on Sunday and was buried on Tuesday.
Vice President Kashim Shettima led the delegation of dignitaries, which included Governors Dikko Umar Radda of Katsina State and Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State.
The solemn ceremony, deeply rooted in Islamic tradition, was held to seek Allah’s forgiveness and mercy for the deceased, in accordance with Fidda’u rites.
Other high-profile attendees included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi; and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The event also drew several former top officials, such as ex-Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari, Director General of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), Emir of Daura HRH Faruk Umar Faruk, former Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd), and former Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
Also in attendance were former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika, ex-Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Ali Pantami, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’adua, Deputy Governor of Katsina State Faruk Jobe, and former NIA Director General Ahmad Rufa’i, among many others.
The prayer session, which began at approximately 12:34 p.m., was led by Imam Yazid and featured the recitation of the Holy Qur’an.
Attendees offered prayers for the repose of the former president’s soul and asked God to grant him eternal rest in Aljanna Firdausi (Paradise).
Beyond individual supplications, the gathering also prayed for peace across the nation, divine guidance for Nigeria’s current leadership, and an end to the economic hardship facing citizens specifically asking for food prices to become affordable once again.
Speaking after the prayers, Vice President Shettima delivered a poignant message, urging Nigerians to remember the transient nature of life.
“We are all travelers who will one day return to our eternal homes,” he said, encouraging self-reflection and unity in mourning.
He described Buhari’s death as not only a loss to his native Daura or Katsina State but to the entire Nigerian nation and even the African continent at large.
“He was not an ordinary man,” Shettima added, hinting that further prayers would continue in the days ahead.
“We will come again tomorrow at the same time for another prayer of this kind. The Governor of Katsina will also be here in a week’s time, alongside the family of the late President,” he said.
The Fidda’u prayer also known as Fidyah is a key Islamic rite performed on behalf of the deceased, often observed on specific days such as the 3rd, 8th, 40th, or 100th day after death.
It is not only a spiritual practice but also a charitable one, allowing the living to benefit the soul of the departed through prayer, almsgiving, and remembrance.
The Daura ceremony symbolized national unity in grief and offered a platform for reflection on Buhari’s legacy and his impact on governance, politics, and national identity.